20705A and 20705B require at least one observer-interactor to activate their inter-communication, but they need at least one more to complete the cycle.

The completed cycle goes like so:

An observer-interactor moves past 20705A’s electronic “eye”. 20705A signals to the O-I that their movement has been observed by lighting up its red indicator light -only once- for a brief period. It also sends a wireless radio signal to 20705B indicating that an O-I has been detected.

20705B receives 20705A’s signal, and lights up its front panel in a three-pulse burst. An O-I is required to observe this action for it to have meaning. A single O-I is unable, or rather, unlikely, to both initiate and observe the full cycle of the 20705’s by themselves because of the dividing wall. Because of this we expect that with these Betabots, the evolving reactions of the O-I’s may even be of more interest than those of the Betabots themselves.

Field testing footage here:

20705A*BETA & 20705B*BETA from posterchild on Vimeo.

A new member of the Twenty-Thousands;

The series of Betabots dedicated to communication amongst each other- through the facilitation of one or more observers.

These two Betabots have been installed with their serial numbers upside-down, flipped-over, and on the bottom. Completely incorrect and completely unacceptable. All Betabots ought to have their serials on their right-hand side, with the characters facing up. This standard was created to facilitate quick and easy identification. The technicians responsible for the field installation of these two Betabots have admitted to being intoxicated during the mission. Disciplinary action is being considered.

To tell the truth, I would dismiss them both immediately, but we have so few technichans trained and willing to field-install Betabots.

Tomorrow we will look at 20705-B.

Betabots 20884A and 20884B.

Together they require at least two observer-interactors to inter-communicate.

It’s a bit of a puzzle for Observers to figure out the 20884’s operation. Depress A’s button alone, and you will only hear A’s “Ready” sound. Depress B’s button alone, and you will hear nothing. Nothing will happen at all. But if you depress B’s button while another observer is depressing A’s button from across the street, a successful signal will be sent, and a “Hit” will be registered by 20884A.

To solve the “puzzle” of the 20884’s operation, typically two observers are required. However, during lab testing, one particularly clever lab assistant managed to operate both 20884 A and B all by themselves. They achieved this by weighting down A’s button with their removed shoe, and then by moving across the lab to press B’s button. That’s when something very strange developed. It was almost as though 20884A sensed what had happened, and seemed to take offence to this “foul play”- despite the lack of any sensory equipment that could possibly reveal the shoe that was placed on it’s button to itself. Nevertheless, ever since this time, after a series of hits are registered, 20884A demonstrates it’s unwillingness to continue by emitting a klaxon and refusing to register any further hits until its button has been released and depressed again, we assume, to demonstrate that a true observer is participating in good faith, and that the “observer” is not a shoe placed overtop of its button.

Betabots continue to confound us and act in their typical non-predicative way.

Field testing should yield some very interesting observations of the Betabots, and also, of any Observers who choose to interact with the 20884’s. Very interesting observations indeed.

Field operation footage:

A new member of the Twenty-Thousands;

the series of Betabots dedicated to communication amoungst each other- through the facilitation of one or more observers.

Tomorrow we will look at 20884-B.

Meet 21063-B, the partner to 21063-A.

The 21063’s function like so;

An observer begins the process by selecting an emotion. They do this by pressing one of 21063-A’s five available buttons: Tranquillity, Ardor, Animosity, Melancholy, and Flippancy. 21063-A understands this to be the observer communicating it’s current emotional state to 21063-A. In turn, 21063-A communicates it’s current “emotional state” to 21063-B. In lab trials, thus far, 21063-A has proven to be a emotional chameleon. It will mimic whatever emotion the observer selects, no matter how wildly or quickly the observer changes his or her emotional state. Nonetheless, we are excited to see how things will progress, and doubtlessly change, during field-testing. It has been our experience in the past that Betabots tend not to get “emotional” until a test has stretched into many long hours.

Once 21063-A has communicated it’s emotional state to 21063-B, 21063-B in turn communicates it’s own emotional state back to the observer, completing the “Emotional Telephone Game”. It achieves this communication by way of its LED display panel, with which it pantomimes a humanoid face in one of the five available emotional states. Like 21063-A, 21063-B has thus far selected whatever emotional state has been communicated to it. If 21063-A says it is flippant, 21063-B says it is flippant as well.

Video of preliminary field testing:

The Twenty-Thousands.

A new series of Betabots dedicated to exploring the possibilities of attempting to communicate to each other, through the facilitation of one or more observers.

Naturally, In the process of facilitating this inter-Betabot communication, communication is also achieved with the observer(s).

Meet 21063-A:

The first half of the first pair of Twenty-Thousand series Betabots to ever be field tested. 21063-A and B are not, however, the earliest viable models available for field testing. Models that predate the pair are in fact waiting for field testing, but 21063-A & B were fast-tracked into the field because their presence in the Lab was becoming a distraction…

As the 20000 series of Betabots attempt to communicate amoung each other through the medium of one or more observers, every 20000 series Betabot operates with at least one partner:

Tomorrow we will look at 21063-B.