- Intent: Create a droid.
- Image Source: AI-generated art from author's prompt.
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: BB-4000
- Manufacturer: AccuTronics
- Affiliation: Open-Market
- Market Status: Open-Market
- Model: BB-4X Companion Droid
- Marketing Name: Chore Bot
- Modularity: Yes
- Simulacrum Variability. The gender identity and physical appearance can be modified to suit the owner, to include simulating the likeness of Near-Human species with appropriate behavioral programming.
- Functional Variability. The classification and capabilities of the BB-4000 could be modified by altering the combination of specialized subprocessors in its droid brain.
- Production: Limited
- Material:
- Classification: Cross-Functional, Third + Second in default configuration
- Weight: Light
- Height: Small
- Movement: Bipedal
- Armaments: N/A
- Misc. Equipment:
- Resistances:
- Energy (And other Blaster type weapons): Average
- Kinetic: High
- Lightsabers: Average
- Sonic: High
- EMP/Ion: Average
- Elemental: Average
- High-Functioning Artificial Intelligence
- Variable Subprocessor Configuration Allows For Customizable Cross-Functionality
- Huggable, Non-Threatening Appearance
- Is fluent in and can act as an interpreter for many languages.
- Is well-versed in O-level maintenance activities as a general-purpose repair droid.
- Can remotely datalink with most computer systems.
- Solar Powered. Rylith cells store solar energy, allowing recharging when exposed to sunlight.
- Model Variation
- Default/Second-Degree Models: Micro-Processor Module allows for astromech functionality.
- Default/Third-Degree Models: Personality matrix trained for protocol droid functionality (high degree of social interaction).
- Vulnerable to electromagnetic interference or ion energy.
- Carbo-plas construction is non-metallic and cannot be welded or patched as easily as durasteel, requiring specialized repair kits or technical know-how not normally available in the field.
- Remote datalink subject to wireless signal interference and usable only with the Universal Data Exchange format.
- Solar Powered. Drains the power core when kept in interior environments with limited solar exposure.
- Model Variation
- Default Model: Is not armed nor defended and is ill-accustomed to handling weapons.
- Fourth Degree Models: Short height/reach.
The BB-4X series was a limited production run produced by AccuTronics, with development of the prototype beginning in 837 ABY. The droid model was based on a patent by the now defunct LeisureMech Enterprises dating back to the time of the Galactic Civil War. Following the Four Hundred Years Darkness, historical records and architectural design data were recovered by archivists and engineers on Denon while attempting to recover proprietary data on the company's MK-8001 Attendant Droid for a planned re-introduction to the galactic markets.
Initially, the BB-4X was conceived as a possible replacement for the company's nanny droids. With that in mind, as befit the focus of the company's portfolio, an advanced neural chipset was developed that would give the prototype unparalleled cross-functionality. The belief was that this would enable both increased social interaction and technical aptitude in the resulting droid. However, during alpha testing of the 278i Dual Processor, it was discovered that the resulting personality matrix and its emotional subroutines demonstrated almost juvenile-like behavior. This unexpected outcome left the BB-4X prototype on hiatus while the company moved forward with manufacturing the MK-8001 based on the historical design.
A proposal from marketing shifted the BB-4X back into production by suggesting that the designers lean into the juvenile traits rather than try to compensate for them. This altered the physical design of the droid to more closely resemble a youngling, with the product market being envisioned as elder care facilities or childless couples. After securing initial funding, the project moved into production with the first models being assembled in 844 ABY. The initial order came from a senior and assisted living community on Elshandruu Pica, with four units being commissioned for facility maintenance and interaction with the residents.
In marketing materials, the BB-4X is referred to as a companion droid -- occupying a niche akin to a protocol or nanny droid. The physical construction of the droid used a layer of synthskin over biofiber padding, with a rybcourse-based ambulatory system that was guided by a series of micro-gyros. Heat dissipation was through the soft padding and skin, simulating warmth. The lung-shaped droid brain was located in the chest cavity, while the servo-neuro motor was located with the primary sensors in the cranium. The cybernetic eyes were blue by default, but could be altered to appear a different color based on the owner's preference. Thlank oil was circulated internally to supply lubrication to the joints and servos, which caused the droid to "bleed" if damaged.
The sensory package on the BB-4X was substantial, in anticipation of the myriad environments where the droid might be employed -- ranging from home-care situations to medical frigates. The BB-4X did not have either a sense of smell or taste, but was capable of assessing the chemical composition present in the air or ascertain whether a substance was edible. A micro-processing module was integrated as a memory cache to allow for greater response time, which had the unintended benefit of enabling a BB-4X to function similarly to an astromech for complex mathematical computations.
As the BB-4X was mechanical rather than organoform in nature, it was susceptible to electromagnetic interference, as well as devices such as restraining bolts and behavioral inhibitors. A BB-4X that was damaged would have variable functionality depending on the location and degree of degradation. As the servo motor was located in the cranium, damage to the head could impact its locomotion. With the bifurcated droid brain located in the chest, damage to the right side would potentially render the Class Three functionality inoperative, while damage to the left side would impair its logic circuit.
The default power core was a Rylith power cell, which allowed for periodic recharging when exposed to solar or UV radiation. Solar absorption was conducted through a photosensitive layer in the synthflesh. For this reason, chore bots are known to be more energetic when allowed outdoor time and (inversely) can become sluggish when kept in purely interior environments, such as starships, due to their power cores draining more rapidly in the absence of sunlight. Periodic charging at a droid power station was still recommended to maintain appropriate operating levels. A small, multipurpose dataport was concealed in the naval that allowed for a hard-wired connection for charging, data transfer, or diagnostics.
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