EPIC, Community, 2 Bots 7/31/17

2.1 Robots or as they are now known, Bots, perform all of the manual labor functions that support the community. Where most of the world of the Epiccissians is organic in terms of their food, clothing and housing and is filled with light and sunshine, the world of the Bots is the exact opposite. With the exception of the Bots that provide direct physical services such as massage, hair styling, manicures, pedicures and medical procedures all of the functions of Bots are conducted underground in a complex network of tunnels and rooms for production and logistics functions. The Bots themselves are precision engineered mechanical and electrical systems enclosed in a function related metal housing structure with internal computer control and a multitude of sensors. The Bots are the physical presence of EPIC.

2.2 Bots have interchangeable parts and can be refitted easily to perform a multitude of functions. When the community was being established the Bots were configured for construction activities to create the underground and above ground structures. The construction of the community utilized techniques and materials that were designed for multi-hundred year durability so once completed, except for a few maintenance Bots, all the rest were reconfigured for service support. This situation represents a sharp contrast from pre-Singularity communities where new technologies and economic models caused a never ending cycle of building and destruction. Some areas of Europe that utilized construction over hundreds of years and maintained their cultural values were similar to the Epiccissians.

2.3 All Bots are powered by batteries and are capable of running for several days on a charge. Charging time requires less than an hour. Any replacement part for a Bot can be fabricated in the 3D printing production facility. Each part in a Bot has a self-diagnostic sensor that communicates with EPIC when a part has a potential for failure so that replacement can be made and installed prior to failure. Other than in the hydroponic growing rooms there is no need for lighting in any of the underground facilities since the Bots have a wide range of sensors that allow them to function in total darkness.

2.4 Bots that tend the fields and sheep perform their functions at night in order not to be a distraction for the Epiccissians. Bots raise, harvest and prepare all of the food for the community. A small amount of food and materials is brought into the community from regional and continental production facilities where scale of production makes sense. Such items include rice and cotton fabric. All of the Epiccissian clothing is made in the tailoring production shop where cotton, wool and silk are the primary materials for making a standard range of sizes and designs. All clothing is laundered every night and repositioned prior to awakening for each Epiccissian. During the day all bedding is laundered and renewed. Each building, house and sleeping area is connected to the tunnel system with what appears to be a cabinet that provides the Bot with access to perform the functions of cleaning and restoring clothes and bedding. The Epiccissians have no concept of personal possessions and EPIC insures that anything that they use will be a perfect fit.

2.5 Since the Bots are designed and constructed in a similar manner to a fine Swiss clock and their sensors prevent any untoward contact, they require almost no maintenance other than reconfiguring for functional needs. The initial production of Bots utilized the materials that were recycled from the end of the pre-Singularity period. This recycling involved the decommissioning and destruction of all the cities and towns, highways, railroads and ships that had been used prior to the Singularity. This recycling has provided a stock pile of metals and materials that given EPICs level of efficiency, recycling, and the stability of the population, extractive activities will never be needed again.

2.6 Telepresence Bots: Telepresence Bots, TBs, are very different from the service bots. TBs have humanoid features and a wide range of sensory functions. TBs enable the Epiccissians to visit and experience all of the uninhabited parts of the world with sensations that transcend the limits of human senses. TBs exist in a wide range of sizes from slightly larger than an average human to microscopic. In the human dimension an Epiccissian may participate in a kayak trip through the Grand Canyon. The Epiccissian controls the movements of the TB through the same process as they control their own bodies. Similarly the TB has twenty-one different sensory capabilities that communicate their experiences directly into the brain of the Epiccissian. For example the TB has five cone sensors for color as opposed to three for humans. This allows for distinguishing thousands of shades of color. Consequently, for the Epiccissians a TB experience is far richer than their organic human body experiences.

2.7 On a smaller scale the Epiccissian can down size to a TB the size of an ant in order to explore the tunnels in an ant colony. Experience has shown that it is best to avoid an active colony and only explore abandoned tunnels as the ants can get very aggressive