May 7, 2016

SCARAB

The Self-Constructing Autonomous Resource Acquisition Base is the cutting edge of deep-space planetary colonization efforts. A single SCARAB unit can construct a fully-equipped colony habitat capable of sustaining thousands of humans on virtually any planet or planetoid. It can build itself into virtually any series of structures imaginable given time, with only the minimal amount of human supervision required by Colonial Hegemony law.

A SCARAB starts its life as an unmanned deep-space probe, containing within it an advanced manufacturing plant, self-sustaining power core, ore processing refinery, and a payload of hard-to-acquire raw materials for construction. Upon arriving at its destination planet, the SCARAB will enter a steady orbit and begin taking detailed scans of the planet’s surface with its ground-penetrating radar. Once it has located the most promising location to find raw materials, it will land and immediately begin constructing itself.

The SCARAB unit will first cannibalize the parts of itself it no longer requires, such as the engines and fuel reserves, in order to recycle their components in its construction efforts. The first thing a SCARAB drone will typically create is a series of drones which it can use to gather natural resources from the planet, which it then refines and uses to create building materials for use in expanding itself.

The drones produced by each SCARAB will be different, each individually tailored to suit the needs of that SCARAB’s environment. Typically, SCARAB drones are designed to be effective over a wide range of tasks, from mining to construction to maintenance. They are typically equipped with multiple interchangeable tool arms, all-terrain treads, and sophisticated sensor systems.

Once a SCARAB has reached this stage, it will devote itself into constructing the most efficient version possible of the kind of structure it was pre-assigned to build. A SCARAB can build anything from a mining outpost to a refueling station to a full-fledged spaceport. Its hyper-intelligent AI is able to accommodate virtually any unforeseen obstacle, from scarcity of useful materials to hazardous terrain.

A SCARAB’s ultimate goal is to accommodate any need its expected human occupants may have, and it pursues that goal with singular devotion.

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