The Lifecycle of Software Objects

Robyn checks the diagnostics panel on the robot. “Looks like we’re good to go.” Ana opens a portal in the gymnasium onscreen, and gestures to Jax. “Okay Jax, come on in.”

Onscreen, Jax steps through the portal, and in the reception area the little robot comes alive. The robot’s head lights up to display Jax’s face, turning the oversized head into a bubble helmet he’s wearing. The design is a way of maintaining the resemblance to the digient’s original avatar without having to produce custom bodies. Jax looks like a copper robot wearing a suit of obsidian armor.

Jax turns around to take in the entire room. “Wow.” He stops turning. “Wow wow. Sound different. Wow wow wow.”

“It’s okay, Jax,” says Ana. “Remember, I told you your voice might sound different in the outside world.” The information packet from SaruMech had warned about this; a metal and plastic chassis conducts sound in a way that avatars in Data Earth don’t.

Jax looks up to face Ana, and she marvels at the sight of him. She knows that he’s not really in the body–Jax’s code is still being run on the network, and this robot is just a fancy peripheral–but the illusion is perfect. And even after all their interaction in Data Earth, it’s thrilling to have Jax stand in front of her and look her in the eye.

“Hi Jax,” she says. “It’s me, Ana.”

“You wear different avatar,” Jax says.

“In the outside world, we call it a ‘body,’ not an ‘avatar.’ And people don’t switch their bodies here; we can only do that in Data Earth. Here we always wear the same body.”

Jax pauses to consider that. “You look this always?”

“Well, I can wear different clothes. But yes, this is the way I look.”

Jax walks over for a closer view, and Ana squats, elbows on knees, so they’re almost the same height. Jax peers at her hands, and then her forearms; she’s wearing short sleeves. He brings his head closer, and Ana can hear the faint whir of the robot’s camera eyes refocusing. “Little hairs on your arms,” he says.

She laughs; her avatar has arms as smooth as a baby’s. “Yes, there are.”

Jax brings up a hand and extends a thumb and forefinger to grab some of the hairs. He makes a couple of attempts, but like the pincers of a claw vending machine, his fingers keep slipping off. Then pinches her skin and pulls back.

“Ow. Jax, that hurts.”

“Sorry.” Jax scrutinizes Ana’s face. “Little little holes all over your face.”

Ana can feel the amusement of the others in the room. “Those are called ‘pores,’” she says, standing. “We can talk about my skin later. Right now why don’t you take a look around the room?”

Jax turns and slowly walks around the lobby, a miniature astronaut exploring an alien world. He notices the window looking out onto the parking lot, and heads toward it.

Afternoon sunlight slants through the glass. Jax steps into the sunbeam, and abruptly backs out of it. “What that?”

“That’s the sun. It’s just like the one in Data Earth.”

Jax cautiously steps into the light again. “Not like. This sun bright bright bright.”

“That’s true.”

“Sun not need be bright bright bright.”

Ana laughs. “I suppose you’re right.”

Jax walks back over to her and looks at the fabric of her pants. Tentatively, she rubs the back of his head. The tactile sensors in the robot body are obviously working, because Jax leans into her hand; she can feel the weight of him, the dynamic resistance of his actuators. Then Jax hugs her around her thighs.

“Can I keep him?”she says to the others. ”He followed me home.” Everyone laughs.

“You say that now,” says Mahesh, “but wait until he flushes your hand towels down the toilet.”

“I know, I know,” says Ana. There were many reasons Blue Gamma targeted the virtual realm instead of the real one–lower cost, ease of social networking–but one was the risk of property damage; they couldn’t sell a pet that might tear down your actual Venetian blinds or make mayonnaise castles on your actual rug. “I just think it’s cool to see Jax this way.”

“You’re right, it is. For SaruMech’s sake, though, I hope the experience translates well onto video.” SaruMech Toys doesn’t plan to sell the robot bodies, but to rent them for a few hours at a time. Digients will be given use of bodies at a facility outside of Osaka and taken on a field trip into the real world, while the owners watch via cameras mounted on micro-zeppelins. Ana feels a sudden urge to go work for them; seeing Jax this way reminds her of how much she misses the physical part of working with animals, and why working with the digients through a video screen just isn’t the same.

Robyn asks Mahesh, “Do you want all the mascots to have a turn in the robot?”

“Yes, but only after they’ve passed the agility test. If we break this one, SaruMech isn’t going to give us another one for free.”