Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT Strips 3516 to 3520 (3rd to 7th July 2017)
BenRG:
--- Quote from: Drunken Hamster on 08 Jul 2017, 04:54 ---Anyway, to be on topic, in such an advanced world, where a seemingly full naturally functioning bionic hand would only cost 250 to fix being crushed and repair the neglect from not having a covering; Wouldn't you think it'd be sealed against that stuff as is??
--- End quote ---
Not at all. Think of it from a retail perspective. The actual hand (the mechanism and superstructure is more or less common to all customers of that body type. The covering material is an aethetic customisation. Additionally, as said covering probably isn't as robust as the superstructure, it will almost certainly need to be replaced. Also, I can imagine people wanting a different cover for different moods or circumstances. So having the covering as a separate 'glove' makes sense on many levels.
Drunken Hamster:
--- Quote from: BenRG on 08 Jul 2017, 05:18 ---
--- Quote from: Drunken Hamster on 08 Jul 2017, 04:54 ---Anyway, to be on topic, in such an advanced world, where a seemingly full naturally functioning bionic hand would only cost 250 to fix being crushed and repair the neglect from not having a covering; Wouldn't you think it'd be sealed against that stuff as is??
--- End quote ---
Not at all. Think of it from a retail perspective. The actual hand (the mechanism and superstructure) is more or less common to all customers of that body type. The covering material is an aesthetic customization. Additionally, as said covering probably isn't as robust as the superstructure, it will almost certainly need to be replaced. Also, I can imagine people wanting a different cover for different moods or circumstances. So having the covering as a separate 'glove' makes sense on many levels.
--- End quote ---
Well, if I were in the industry and designing/producing said hands, the mechanism and superstructure would be sealed. Even if only for durability's sake. After all, I bet there are soldiers with bionic replacements. What if the coverings are melted/torn/shot off [etc.] and they have to treck hundreds of miles through the desert to get to the nearest base to be sent home?
Can't have their bionics giving out because they weren't dust proofed. It seems like a poor marketing strategy to me. "Hey, our robo-hands work just like real ones, but a firm handshake will crush them, and we force you to wear coverings because they weren't finished enough to be resistant to particle ingress! :D "
My only explanation for all of this is that Jeph didn't want Mary Sue level tech in his world, and he probsibly wanted a plot point. But, realistically, there would be no excuse for this in a real world product, IMHO.
EDIT/Addon:: Hey, does anyone else imagine Pintsize with an almost Elmo-like voice? Maybe slightly deeper?
JimC:
--- Quote from: Drunken Hamster on 08 Jul 2017, 05:30 ---Well, if I were in the industry ... the mechanism and superstructure would be sealed.
--- End quote ---
Most motorcyles sold round the world have exposed rear drive chains, with only a guard above them to stop oil and grease being flung onto the rider. This means that the chain and sprockets are covered in road dirt, grit and salt, lubrication is washed off and must be regularly replaced at expense and so on.
Chain enclosures are easy to design and have been in use for decades, save maintenance, drastically reduce the need for expensive replacements, keep the bike cleaner and have precious few disadvantages.
Really just one - they don't look cool. So most motorcyles sold round the world have exposed rear drive chains...
bhtooefr:
That also goes for bicycles - there are belt drives that are low/zero maintenance, there are chain cases... but a lot of bicycles go for exposed chains.
Of course, with bicycles, it's hard to design a good chain case around a derailleur, but still.
TheEvilDog:
--- Quote from: Drunken Hamster on 08 Jul 2017, 05:30 ---
--- Quote from: BenRG on 08 Jul 2017, 05:18 ---
--- Quote from: Drunken Hamster on 08 Jul 2017, 04:54 ---Anyway, to be on topic, in such an advanced world, where a seemingly full naturally functioning bionic hand would only cost 250 to fix being crushed and repair the neglect from not having a covering; Wouldn't you think it'd be sealed against that stuff as is??
--- End quote ---
Not at all. Think of it from a retail perspective. The actual hand (the mechanism and superstructure) is more or less common to all customers of that body type. The covering material is an aesthetic customization. Additionally, as said covering probably isn't as robust as the superstructure, it will almost certainly need to be replaced. Also, I can imagine people wanting a different cover for different moods or circumstances. So having the covering as a separate 'glove' makes sense on many levels.
--- End quote ---
Well, if I were in the industry and designing/producing said hands, the mechanism and superstructure would be sealed. Even if only for durability's sake. After all, I bet there are soldiers with bionic replacements. What if the coverings are melted/torn/shot off [etc.] and they have to treck hundreds of miles through the desert to get to the nearest base to be sent home?
Can't have their bionics giving out because they weren't dust proofed. It seems like a poor marketing strategy to me. "Hey, our robo-hands work just like real ones, but a firm handshake will crush them, and we force you to wear coverings because they weren't finished enough to be resistant to particle ingress! :D "
My only explanation for all of this is that Jeph didn't want Mary Sue level tech in his world, and he probsibly wanted a plot point. But, realistically, there would be no excuse for this in a real world product, IMHO.
EDIT/Addon:: Hey, does anyone else imagine Pintsize with an almost Elmo-like voice? Maybe slightly deeper?
--- End quote ---
To be fair, I don't think the group that manufactures those cybernetics have them stressed tested to Elliot levels.
As for hand coverings, its been said before that Clinton could use the covering for his own hand, but chooses not to because he likes how the bare look looks.
A lot of real world first generation gear tends to follow function over form to get the basics down pat. Once you have that, then you work on making it look fancy. It also comes down to efficiency, the more weight involved, the more the device has to work which can affect with how it operates. Now, a hand covering might not sound like it would be anything other than a featherweight, but fine motor control tends to be quite delicate and a covering might affect it, especially if Clinton has never used one.
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