Perihelion

Data Bank

CARGO ROBOT: Not all of the robots of Robot City are positronic in nature. Many of those whose jobs are especially simple have been equipped with brains that are more like computers than like robot brains. These function robots are analogous to the tools used by positronic robots. They are incapable of real thought; they are also not bound by the Three Laws of Robotics.

The cargo robot is one example of a non-positronic function robot. Programmed with a map of Robot City and its transport systems, it is essentially a container that can load and unload itself and move along preset paths. It has just enough intelligence to avoid obstacles and decide which cargoes should be loaded in the internal compartment and which should be carried on the forklift-like arms.

[COURIER ROBOT: Another function robot is the courier. Smaller than a cargo robot, it is faster and more maneuverable. Since all mail in Robot City-in fact all communications except face-to-face speech-is routed electronically through the main computer, the courier robot’s primary job is the delivery of tools and unique artifacts.

Like the cargo robot, the courier robot’s lack of positronic intelligence makes it an optional means of covert transportation, since it cannot recognize when it is being used as such.]

[OBSERVATION ROBOT: The observation robot is a reading and recording device. It is used mostly for taking inventories, where it will simply take down the serial numbers of collections of objects (such as robots awaiting repair) and report the details to the positronic robot commanding it. In such cases, it is programmed with the location of the serial number. It can also be used in quality control and diagnosis, though. When it is doing that, it is programmed with an image of the correct appearance of the object under consideration, and it records and reports any discrepancies.]

[PRIORITY 4 REGIONAL CONTINGENCY POWER STATION: The major source of energy for Robot City is the fusion pack. One small micropack can power an industrial robot for over a year before needing to be replaced or refueled; a series of larger packs can provide all the necessary energy for a part of the city. Although fusion packs are extremely safe and reliable, the First Law has compelled the robot Supervisors of Robot City to allow for the possibility of a power failure.

Should the centrally controlled power system of Robot City break down, a series of regional contingency power stations would come on line. Although the goal of the designers was to make any shift in power sources undetectably smooth to human inhabitants, it was necessary to assign priorities to different areas of the city. This station serves a high-priority neighborhood.]

[THE MINNEAPOLIS: Most interstellar ships are clumsy, at best, once they reach a planetary atmosphere. They are capable of landing very gently at prepared spaceports, but in an emergency they are likely to hit the surface with a noticeable impact. The Hayashi-Smith Space/Shuttle model, however, has complete ground-to-space capability.

In deep space the Minneapolis uses a standard hyperdrive. Within solar systems, she maneuvers with normal impulse engines. However, she can also fly within an atmosphere, making use of an aerodynamic design and ramjet engines. This makes it possible for her to put down safely on any sufficiently long, flat surface.

In shuttle mode, the interior of the Minneapolis is usually set up with seating for ten. The cabin can be rearranged, however, so that each seat becomes a bunk. This is not a luxurious arrangement for longer (that is, interstellar) trips, but it is satisfactory.]

[DR. AVERY’S LAIR: Deep beneath the surface of Robot City, Dr. Avery’s hidden refuge is a reflection of his own psychology. Inspired, secretive, confusing and confused, and utterly mad, it is a maze of the symbols and themes that form his obsessions.

Some of the rooms take the shape of the Key to Perihelion; others are decorated with the shape. Many of the objects that are scattered through the complex of rooms come from cultures that represent permanence and persistence to Dr. Avery.

The weird shapes of some of the rooms, and the mixtures of ancient and modern, purely decorative and strictly utilitarian, even the echoes in some of the collected objects of Circuit Breaker, are all signs of the infolding of a great architect’s mind. As his consciousness descended into obsession and paranoia, he withdrew into the mazelike warren of his hideaway.]