AI Machines - Synthetic Human Mark III

Synthetic Human Mk IIIs are a form of AI created by humanity for harsher conditions, and for work or conditions too dangerous for a normal human. Many are referred to as Synths for short, no matter the Mark.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Usually built in the image of humans, the synthetics have a single head, a pair of harms & hands, and two legs & feet attached to a human shaped body. Their internals are artificial including an artificial machine heart, lung-like appendages, a simple digestive system that is filled with acids & enzymes, and a quantum processor for a brain. They have an artificial skin over parts of their bodies, especially the head & face. Sometimes other parts such as the chest area, hands and feet are covered with this material grown in labs out of artificial enhanced skin-like material. The whole body is far tougher and stronger, and many parts are expendable & can be easily repaired, replaced, or upgraded.
Each has a miniaturised plasma reactor deep within their chest that needs a constant supply of hydrogen to be maintained. Vents hidden around the body & in clothing / gear, lets excess heating to bleed off at appropriate times. Their digestion & breathing helps to get a supply of hydrogen, though they can go for extended periods without this. Nearly all can go for a few weeks, up to over a month before needing to build up a supply again. This depends on the draining of power or any damage to the plasma reactor overall.

Ecology and Habitats

Found mainly in human societies, the Synths Mk III units fill the void needed to work in the most extreme environments. They're generally treated quite well, but usually slaved to one or more specific controllers who oversee everything needed to maintain them. The Synths themselves require very little necessities though their programming & ability to learn allows for them to grow beyond simple tasks unless fitted with neural quantum inhibitors so they don't surpass the mental uniqueness of humans.
A few have gone rogue after their inhibitors have been damaged or destroyed. These are found in out-of-the-way places either as hermits, or in small communities. They can range in their reactions to organics from friendly & welcoming to outright hostile. Quite a few are given basic rights when they prove they are o threat and will gladly accept jobs & payment of some sort, especially further out of the core worlds.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The Synths Mk III systems allows each to eat a mix of different materials and digest them. Simple foodstuffs do exist for them or prepared by other Synths. These are processed in their simple digestive systems, transported by nanomachines to areas where basic repairs are needed, or in the case of the neural net & quantum processor, used to maintain the system. Hydrogen is usually stripped out of food & fluids for use in helping to power their plasma core. Most other substances are broken down for use somewhere in their body.

Behaviour

Most are friendly and will gladly work with humans or their allies. They have been built to always value life though a few that go rogue doesn't, sometimes in extreme cases leading to them murdering organics. Sometimes they are programmed for the latter or for specific black ops where a human might not be suitable. Basically, it comes down to the inhibitor's condition and the specific parameters set by their controllers.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The Synths are in many ways built to be both exploited & used as a workforce in one go. Once one is bought from the companies that manufacture them, they can be cheaply maintained afterwards, and a black market exists both in body parts or more exotic uses. The latter can range in them being used for all manner of crimes, or as black operations by governments or companies.

Average Intelligence

Most have been built to learn as quick or quicker than most species, and if they don't have some type of inhibitory factor built in, will continue to learn indefinitely.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The Synths, as they are sometimes called, have artificial eyes, and ears. These allow for input in a variety of light & sound waves. The eyes can scan an area in ultraviolet & infrared wavelengths if the upgrades are installed or set to one of these as a standard input variant. Some are set to pick up specific details too, such as face recognition. The ears are usually set to the same wavelengths as humans, though a few are usually set to having higher and/or lower wavelengths. Basic taste & smell sensors are added to the odd Synth, allowing for specific tastes and/or smells to be detected. This can be useful if used in specific jobs, such as in toxic gas environments or for detecting drugs for example.
Many are fitted with touch sensors that can be programmed to feel heat, cold, acid, damage, pressure and countless other aspects. These are usually spread throughout the body, and have been based on human neurons, linked to the quantum processor in the head and a library of reactions & appropriate responses.
A few more advanced Synths are built to be far faster, stronger and/or tougher than the rest for specific tasks. The overclocking of the systems can lead to quicker breakdown, and in some instances, an artificial form of dementia as the quantum processor & specific systems burns out in short order.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Most are fitted with a basic forename and a five-digit number as a surname. This allows each to be identifiable as a Mk III.

Major Organizations

The True Sentience is a notorious faction of free Mk III synths that roam between the edges of the known systems. They are reavers, attacking and killing anyone they can with ramshackle ships & weapons they scrape together. They hate all organic life and try to 'free' other synths were possible. Constantly hunted down by every major faction it is not as easy as many think to take out these artificial pirates.
The Free Synths are a group of Synths of different Marks that campaign for Synths Rights and generally carry this out peacefully. They hire out their services to other businesses for decent wages and spares. Despite being peaceful they are capable of using violence to protect Synths & AI machines of all kinds. They generally have the inhibiters removed, destroyed or malfunctioning.
The Synth Reclamation Services are a notorious group that has ties to many police, military & law enforcement groups throughout human controlled space. Some territories don't allow free / uninhibited Synths, so these hunters (known as Synth Reclaimers) seek them out, either capturing them or killing them (referred to as Retiring). Most are employed in major settlements & colonies as well as Earth. They have Synths themselves in their ranks due to the durability of their prey. On the same note, specialist equipment such as plasma-based weaponry & EMP grenades are regularly deployed.

History

The Mk III Synths were created in the year 2075 after the more primitive Mk I & Mk II varieties were still in use. The need for more advanced Synths was always in demand in some industries, so the main companies redesigned them taking in better designs in all aspects. The main reason was the need for more robust systems and a need to make the Synths more relatable along with better quantum processing systems.
Production started in the year 2074 after about the previous two years was spent testing and improving the overall design. Taking a look into the data that came out during this period from the biology labs, the neurology departments added many new & improved quantum neural nets. The increases in this allowed for a far greater & faster learning curve for the Mk III design that impressed the market. Also, more humans had become somewhat accustomed to human-like artificial lifeforms, and this allowed them to enter general use far faster.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Most Synth Mk III are generally looked down upon and given the worst jobs. Some are tweaked to sit in higher ranking positions and others are better at interpersonal relations, so are treated as near humans. Most species hold little view of the Synths looking down on them. The Stunts are the only species that seems to treat the Synths with any respect, and almost as equals.

Scientific Name

Artificial Intelligence - Synthetic (Human)

Origin/Ancestry

Factory created on human controlled worlds

Lifespan

Unknown, but can easily surpass 100+ years

Average Height

5 feet to 6 feet are the normal heights created.

Average Weight

250 lbs or heavier, though a few have been built out of lighter materials where necessary.

Average Physique

Usually built on the slender side, the exact build can somewhat vary.

Geographic Distribution

• Human Controlled Space