"Roko in an immobile sensor & communications pod that ends up being carried around by a main character"
I SO want this to happen - and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let it be May
Now if I was behind this little bit of temporary housing then there would be a few extra functions added to make it a bit more palatable than the white-space she is occupying at the moment.
- Transportable pod with extended run time capability - possibly a transformable drone chassis - sits on the counter pod to hover-disk-drone-thingy
- Virtual environment within the pod such that she can be herself and not have to deal with the trauma as directly
- Sensor package equivalent to an external interface that acts as a window to the real-worldtm - think wall TV with a user interface like an MMO
- Her presence in the real-worldtm would be a holographic projection - we actually have the tech right now so QC verse tech would make it more practical
If Marigold could afford Momo’s upgrade then I think Crushbot’s insurance can provide a suitable replacement.
I have worked at one time for a consultancy that did work for insurance adjusters.
Those guys may be specialists in labour, housing, automotive but computers and software has them totally lost.
With respect to the chassis issues, just because a model is no longer in production does not mean that exact same model series cannot be found on the open market.
Also the insurance company always makes the final decision and if a replacement is cheaper than a repair then the cheaper solution it is.
Most times the software had been registered so all was just a download away. Claimants either are very happy about this or cry because they cant get a free upgrade to anchient software.
As for the hardware, if a model was not available on any market at all then a like for like replacement would be sought out that met or exceeded the capabilities of the original system specifications.
As a consultant I had to find at least three alternatives that met the basic specifications of the original system yet at the lowest price points reasonably possible.
This is where the adjuster would then take your quotes, pass the numbers onto their boss and then consult with the claimant on whichever the bean counter allowed.
Most times the claimant was given the choice of cash equivalent to the replacement system or the replacement system.
Due to being within the computer and systems service industry the price points are very very different compared to the consumer market - if the insurance company liked the client they would give them a broader choice of options. After all that the claimant then finally becomes your client and they can pony up what cash they want to to add newer features they would like, at better than retail of course.
Only if it was spelled out fully in the policy that there must be no substitutions would that ever even be considered.
There are those conditions in some policies for reasons of compatibility with other hardware but most times it was proprietary software which limited the options to specific make and models of components.
Gah - I rambled on again didn't I?
Warning - while you were typing a new reply has been posted. You may wish to review your post once again and maybe not go that far down memory lane.