They started appearing as random blots, as if forming from sweat or coffee rings found on surfaces when a coaster isn’t used. Soon they would find more formal objects like USB thumb drives or tape dispensers to better form themselves.
Appearing as if from nowhere, tiny mechanical robots scan things like office supplies and build their bodies from there.
Awhile ago, Stefan G. Bucher (a designer I follow), began seeing monsters everywhere. On his arm, in his car, and perhaps other places. He decided to record their existence by drawing them. He established The Daily Monster. Each day, for 100 days, he would spray out a dot of ink and react to it by creating one of these monsters based on the spread of ink. He recorded as he went, then sped the video and posted them to Youtube. Sometimes there’d be an animation with them, but it was inspiring to watch the impromptu reaction to such a random element. He solicited stories from viewers, and eventually published a book with a companion CD of all 100 videos.
A tank with a jet engine, but with clamps. it moves so fast, I’m not sure how it picks up things.
The speed was also inspiring and I had a hard time separating the hurried time-lapse with how long it may have actually taken. I wanted to do something similar, and even tried a ‘Daily Bot’ in sculptural form. I bought wood pieces and decorative elements, but the limited facilities I had at the time didn’t suit a daily approach. I was too impatient to do something weekly. The first few were bizarre as I tried to force rigid manufactured forms of sprayed ink dots like Bucher. Soon I discovered the ink blot spray was too organic to achieve the little robots I had discovered. The name ‘Blot Bots’ stuck though for alliterative purposes.
I think what happens is a Blot Bot is susceptible to fissures in the time/space continuum, slips through them in energy form, and then uses highly sophisticated nanotechnology to construct a more visible corporeal form. This must use a great deal of energy, too, because they tend to be small in form. Either that or our environment is too turbulent and they must scan an immediate item before the nanotechnology is scattered in the local ambience.
This one couldn’t decide to walk or roll around, so why not both? It’s a bit.. grabby, too.
Various little devices and controls appear as well: Tiny clamps, radar dishes, visual components, as well as various dials, switches, and gauges. Clearly the former emerge as a way to explore and analyze our reality and space, for some even have collection bins and scoops. The later appear to be open ways for us to actually manipulate how they can communicate with us. Various gauges and dials are related to their bins and such. One Blot Bot’s gauge went into the red because it filled up its head too much. Still other switches and the like simply adjust their beeps and lights. They have no vocal range for producing words or vocabulary beyond combinations of whirs, clicks and beeps, but in combination with light displays one can carry on quite a conversation. It’s important to ask them if one may alter their communication systems, however, because they are horribly polite anyway. Before I figured that out, a bot swatted at me several times because I tried to do so while it was asleep.
It scans, it scoops; it scampers like a dandy.
This one is fast and scans terrain in nanoseconds.
The blot bots get around by various means, and I think it depends on their personality. I’ve seen them form wheels, propellors, small jet engines, legs, and even what I can only deduce is a tiny little electromagnetic repulsers. I’m not sure if they even use any kind of fuel, but if they do consume some type of repast it is negligible even for the amount of bots that roam around my house currently (about 40, last count). It is increasingly strange too, that it doesn’t seem to matter how they get around, as I’ve found even wheeled bots in places they couldn’t drive to.
I am no AI specialist, though as a Designer I am exploring that closely as it enters our profession. I don’t think these bots are artificial in their intelligence however, either that or they are so far distant from their creator’s initial conception that it makes no difference. They are possessed of their own cute curiosity, too. They just want to know things as basic as what paper is to how my keyboard keys work to display a character on a screen. Like a cat, they tend to stomp on to the keyboard just to see things happen or get my attention. Thankfully, they are much small than a cat, so it’s easier to remove them.
My house may have been built on or reflect some kind of dimensional phase energy, for I’m the only one they seem to appear to currently. They also seem to know me by name. Once fully formed as a complete bot from wherever they come from, I unerringly hear a distinct series of beeps, whirs that sound like my name heard from some distance. After that I’m invariably approached gently, but confidently, and—as best I describe—hugged by whatever appendages they may have manifested. Theres an accompanying sigh then, too, as if they just saw me but after their journey where sure they would again. One even investigated and pinched my beard of about a minute before it was sure it was ‘me’. It giggle quite a lot while doing so.
This one took a tiny tape dispenser, scanned it, flipped the copy it made upside down, and rolled away.
I call this one ‘Wrenchy’… Guess why.