Autonomous Mapping Evaluation and Evasion

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The Autonomous Mapping Evaluation and Evasion is a robot that features in Red Planet.

Contents

History

AMEE.

The Autonomous Mapping Evaluation and Evasion (A.M.E.E.) was a four limbed autonomous robot that was created by the United States Marine Corps to serve as an asset. One such machine came to be loaned for the Mars-1 space voyage where it accompanied the astronauts on the journey. The asset to be used for exploration on Mars, but when the landing body of the ship encounters turbulence in the Martian atmosphere, the crew is forced to detach the landing gear to lighten the ship. However, AMEE's container is jettisonned in the process. Upon arriving on the surface, AMEE frees herself from the wreckage and proceeds to use the air drone to locate the crew members. After finding the three remaining humans at the destroyed HAB base, she moves closer and allows herself to be inspected. The crew notice her internal processor has been damaged by the crash and see that the drone has already been launched. They suggest removing her guidance system and using it to control the drone, to scan the landscape, but doing so would deactivate AMEE and "kill" her. They proceed to do so anyway, but they forget that she is still in military mode. After realizing that she is under threat, she strikes back at the crew and knocks them to the ground, refusing to respond to Gallagher's commands.

When Burchenal tries to defend himself against AMEE by using a metal bar, it has no effect. However, because AMEE's hand and foot manipulators are exceedingly strong and sharp, her spinning claws slicing the bar to pieces, and then knocking him to the ground, stunning him. Using her X-ray sight, she then focuses her attention on one of Burchenal's ribs and, carefully, snaps it. This is obviously a form of standard operating procedure that has been programmed into AMEE for such situations, to delay and "hamstring" opponents by requiring them to care for the wounded.

After making this delaying attack, AMEE leaps to her feet, somersaults over Gallagher's head, and escapes. The crew realize that her damaged processor failed to recognize her commanders, and her self-defense mode took over, fighting back against her opponents. According to that military programming, they are able to be certain of what her subsequent strategy will be -- using a "search and destroy" method to engage and eliminate them one by one. Later, while the crew are sheltering from a storm, Pettengil steals their radio and tries to escape alone, only to be attacked by AMEE and brutally sliced apart in the storm.

Gallagher's only chance of escaping the planet is to somehow exploit the remains of a Russian unmanned lander that he has found. However, the lander's battery has been dead for years. In his hopelessness, he notices AMEE's air drone, which causes him to remember that AMEE has a nuclear core -- so that if he could get that core, he could adapt it to activate the drone ship. Building a way to trick AMEE, Gallagher removes the pod that holds the lander's sample tray for the vehicle chassis. He fills the assembly with rocket fuel, and attaches it to a cut wire, hiding it beneath the ship. AMEE drops down from above him, aiming a killing blow at his heart. Just as she lunges, Gallaher leaps aside and fires the sample pod into her chest, knocking her away several feet away and trapping her within the parachute. He then ignites the rocket fuel and engulfs AMEE within a ball of flames, destroying her armor and rendering her helpless. As Gallagher is trying to remove AMEE's nuclear core, AMEE activates her self-destruct program, which involving arming the explosive mechanism built into AMEE's air drone, then purposely crashing the drone into herself at great speed. As this is happening, Gallagher just manages to yank out AMEE's power core, jumping aside an instant before the collision and explosion.

Overview

In appearance, A.M.E.E. was an autonomous robot who when activated where it had a wiry and skeletonized form which could be quadrupedal or bipedal. Her body is segmented, and she is capable of moving each segment individually. This allows her to shift, fold, and unfold in many different ways, changing shape and size 'footprint' to suit her objectives. In addition, she has metal armor plating to protect her mechanisms and joints, including her central processing unit and the sensors at the front of her head. Its ballistic rating is not known. Although she can stand on her hind limbs, gaining a 7-foot tall human-like posture, she is far more agile and manoeuvrable on all fours. The robot had four limbs that possessed several joints which allowed for an optimum range of movement. Each limb ended in a radial arrangement of eight manipulators that were similar to flattened, clawed phalanges, and were also jointed. In addition, each set of manipulators was able to flex, clench, rotate rapidly, and execute a wide variety of other complex movements. AMEE could manipulate objects with ease in a manner similar, yet not identical, to a human hand -- and with at least as much precision.

The machine was powered by a helium-based nuclear power cell that was said to be the size of a 'beer can' which, when fully charged, allowed A.M.E.E. to stay active for eight months.

She also has control over a small helicopter-like machine, likened to a recon-drone. She can attach or detach this drone from her back at will, and use it to support her situational awareness and scouting tasks. Approximately two feet in length, the drone is a twin-rotor design with a GPS system, several cameras, and a radar. It is controlled remotely by AMEE's processor. It can also be used as a bomb in AMEE's self-destruct program.

AMEE is controlled by a highly intelligent internal computer, which starts off with little knowledge except for crew information, mission details and commands. However, during the story she learns from the crew, and gathers information on them and on how to kill them. Despite being a machine, she moves and acts with a great resemblance to a human, and also to a wild animal. She seems to have a personality of a sort, playing with the crew and closing in on them, using coldly efficient methods to weaken them and slow them down. Her vision is also highly sophisticated, incorporating both infrared and X-ray perception. Her head mounts a blue monocular sensor, surrounded by a protective iris port. It was shown that A.M.E.E. was seemingly incapable of speech though made threatening sounds like growls when in military mode. AMEE has a "navigation mode" which is used, at least in this case, for supporting the crew and mapping the planet. The other known operational mode is "military mode," in which AMEE is seen to employ sophisticated, proactive guerilla warfare and attrition methods after becoming damaged and mistakenly coming to perceive the crew as her enemies. Whether she possesses any other modes is unknown.

Members

  • A.M.E.E. :

Notes

  • The Autonomous Mapping Evaluation and Evasion was created by Chuck Pfarrer and Jonathan Lemkin where it featured in the setting of the Red Planet universe.

Appearances

  • Red Planet:

External Link

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