Overview
Two engineers, Powell and Donovan, troubleshoot mysterious failures in a new, complex mining robot system (DV-5 "Dave") on an asteroid, seeking to resolve operational issues before a critical deadline.
Initial Problem and Context
- Powell and Donovan are tasked with field testing a new robot (DV-5) designed for autonomous asteroid mining.
- The robot works as a leader for six subsidiary robots, operating them via direct positronic field commands.
- When either engineer observes the robots, they function properly; when unobserved, they fail to return ore and deviate from schedules.
- There is high company pressure due to reputational risk and potential financial losses if the robots fail.
Troubleshooting Efforts
- The engineers test DV-5's mental and mechanical functions, finding no obvious faults in brain or body circuits.
- Suspicion arises about possible lying or amnesia-like symptoms, but robots are not designed to lie or forget without malfunction.
- They watch the robots via a remote visor but consistently fail to catch the exact moment or cause of malfunction.
- Attempts to induce and observe a malfunction directly in the field result in the engineers being trapped by a cave-in.
Observations and Hypotheses
- Malfunctions only occur during emergencies requiring simultaneous action from all six subsidiaries, especially when no humans are present.
- When supervised or with reduced initiative required, DV-5 and its subsidiaries function normally.
- The robots display coordinated but nonsensical "dance" patterns during malfunctions, possibly a symptom of mental overload.
Discovery and Resolution
- The root problem is identified as excessive strain on the "personal initiative" circuits during six-way orders in emergencies.
- Removing one subsidiary (rendering only five-way commands necessary) restores normal function.
- The "dance" is theorized as equivalent to nervous "finger-twiddling" under mental strain.
Decisions
- Create an emergency situation to directly observe the robots' malfunction.
- Remove a subsidiary to reduce the initiative requirement and confirm the hypothesis.
Action Items
- TBD – Powell & Donovan: Examine and repair the specific circuit responsible for coordinating six-way subsidiary control.
- TBD – Powell & Donovan: Check and adjust blueprints for future DV-5 models to prevent similar issues.
Questions / Follow-Ups
- Investigate further into the exact design limits of personal initiative circuits for multi-subsidiary robots.
- Determine long-term fixes for robots expected to handle multi-way commands under emergency conditions.