In Transhuman Space Fifth Wave (THS:FW p.61) we are told that since 2095, numerous radical factions have been active in America. Many are the more aggressive advocates of the “People’s Power” pro-cyberdemocratic reform movement. Others champion related or different causes. The American establishment has been forced to fight a low-level counterinsurgency campaign in several of […]
This is another idea for THS inspired by the TV series “Almost Human”. One episode was based around someone being killed by a home defence system. There was an obvious logical flaw here in that the computer systems in “Almost Human” (and THS, for that matter) were easily intelligent enough to distinguish between an armed […]
Spybirds are reconnaissance and surveillance robots that mimic real birds. Like real birds they fly by a combination of wing flapping and soaring. A combination of solar power and rechargeable power cells allow them to remain aloft for days at a time. At usual observation ranges they are nearly impossible to distinguish from actual birds. […]
Bumblebots are very small, flying surveillance and reconnaissance devices. Unlike the machines used in cyberswarms, they are usually used singularly or in small numbers. A typical bumblebot resembles a pyramid with sides of one centimetre. A leg is at each corner and at the peak is a spherical lens. Insect-like wings are mounted on the […]
Chromes were an element of the regrettably short-lived series “Almost Human”. They readily fit into THS as an genetic uplift template The Chrome Upgrade is often described as “the best genes that money can buy”. Chromes are engineered to be intelligent, attractive and healthy. As a marketing strategy, the price of the Chrome Upgrade is […]
Tunnelling to avoid superior firepower or airpower became a common strategy in the late 20th century. Many of the world’s disputed areas have extensive tunnel systems and THS technology such as swarmdozers make further excavations relatively simple. One area denial system used for tunnels is the Israeli-made Kobold-80. This is a small NAI cybershell about […]
The Maim-shredder is an example of an instance where the distinction between cybershell and weapon become unclear. Maim-shredders are deployed as area denial and anti-intruder systems at high security installations. The robot is a very flattened spheroid with contra-rotating rotors on its equator. Rotor-span is half a yard, allowing the machine to manoeuvre indoors. The […]
The restrictions on the use of anti-personnel mines have led to the development of a number of alternate means of area denial. Agma-beol uses a bioswarm of genemod insects. Agma-beol are based on Africanized honey bees, which are notorious for their aggressive defence of their territories. Modifications include a barbless sting that can be used […]
Military forces in 2100 would be bound by a number of international conventions so some of the weapons described in this blog may be restricted or unavailable to them. Some clandestine agencies would be inclined to ignore these restrictions. Many terrorist organisations would have sufficient funding and technical support that they could develop some of […]
Surveillance worms are devices described in GURPs Ultratech 4e but are a very credible device for THS. A surveillance worm resembles a very small snakebot, and functions rather like a mobile fibre-optic camera cable or endoscope. Some surveillance worms may be as small as 0.1" wide and 2" long. Like many snakebots the worm may […]