Intelligent Toys [Ultratech]

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by Apollonian

Use them as PCs for a rather odd post-apocalyptic game.

9 (2009 animated film)

On the verge of destruction, the scientist uses alchemy to create nine homunculus-like rag dolls known as "stitchpunks", giving them portions of his own soul, via a talisman that he created, to bring them to life. He dies upon completion of the final doll.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

At TL10, Tiny Computers have Complexity 5. With Biocomputer, Compact, Genius, and High Capacity, they can reach Complexity 7 and are capable of running Complexity 8 AI programs (IQ 10). While they would cost a minimum of $200,000, they could function as really subtle spies (as long as they could regularly recharge).

As you note, they're really expensive. They probably don't need High Capacity, unless you've got some specific Complexity 7 program you expect them to need, and dropping that knocks $50K off the price. If you can get away with IQ8, or non-volitional IQ10 (which would work for a spybot doing fairly routine spying, I think), you only need a fast computer, which cuts the cost of the computer by a factor of twenty-five.

[ericthered]

I don't foresee sticking full AI's into smart toys at TL10, at least not for the children's market: its just too expensive. Also, I consider the genius option to be cinematic and I generally don't use it.

merely automated action figures with low level AI that might not be stored in the toys themselves are quite likely as a high-end toy. I'm not so sure what age bracket you'd aim them at. They could end up being part of an iteration of the miniatures tradition. I worry about them competing with purely digital entities though.

The $200k (or whatever) smart toy I would assume is a surveillance tool, with occasional dabbling in sabotage or assassination. The toy-like appearance is a form of misdirection. When I see an unfamiliar high-tech device stuck to the ceiling, alarm bells go off. When I see a toy spiderman stuck to the ceiling, I think "What kid pulled that off, and how did they do it?"