End of the Sky (Multiverse's End)

The talking robot is about 1.8 meters tall, and Russell’s shoes are only slightly taller than it. Its appearance is similar to that of a human body. Because it has no armor, it looks like its limbs are slender, and its overall body is rather weak. illusion.

The abbreviation of the Chicago Police Department and the number 03 are written on the chest and forehead of the robot. Its duty is to guard the parking lot. In order to stand out and be seen at a glance, the torso is specially sprayed with light blue fluorescent paint.

Russell stared blankly at the robot. The overall image of the latter was very familiar, but he was not sure which movie he had seen this robot in.

"Hello, police officer, can I help you?" Its facial features have been fixed since the day it left the factory, and even though the words are cadenced, it still inevitably gives people a rigid feeling.

"Yes, do you know where my home is?"

robot:"……"

Russell shrugged, opened the car door and got in, and was taken aback after getting in the car.

Before getting into the car, he noticed some abnormalities. The front and rear four rubber tires were replaced with spherical rolling wheels. Considering that he didn't say anything in 2035, the layout of the car still made him at a loss.

There is no clutch, which can be understood as an automatic transmission, but there is neither a steering wheel, a shift lever, nor a brake and accelerator pedal in the driver's seat. Who can tell him how to drive this car?

"Hey, who is that? Yes, it's you, stop pointing, come here quickly."

Russell waved to the robot, which quickly walked to the window.

"Hello, officer, what can I do for you?" the robot asked again, in the same opening dialogue, its very rigid programming.

"Get on the co-pilot and help me see if there is something wrong with this car. I can't start it."

"Okay, officer."

The robot opened the front cover of the car, checked it as quickly as possible, then sat on the co-pilot, and pressed the start button to check it again.

"Officer, there is nothing wrong with your vehicle. If you feel something is wrong, I can help you contact the tow truck of the auto repair shop."

"Uh, who..."

"Officer, I am NS-4 robot,

You may call me 'Number-03', which is my Chicago Police Department file number as a parking lot attendant. "

Russell nodded: "OK! Then number -03, tell me how to drive this car, and where can I get a new driver's license if I can't find it?"

Robot No.-03 has the same expression: "Officer, you enter the destination into the computer, and the vehicle will be controlled by the computer to drive automatically without manual operation. In addition, the driver's license was canceled ten years ago, and there is no address to reissue."

Russell nodded with his face unchanged: "I know, just talk about it to tease you!"

"Thank you, I'm honored."

Has your driver's license been revoked?

Russell was very surprised. He always thought that even if the US emperor disintegrated, the driver's license would not be cancelled. But it’s also true to think about it. A car that doesn’t need to be driven manually is equivalent to an automatically moving elevator, or the kind with a sofa seat that can sleep. The driver’s license loses its meaning, and a social security card is enough for identification.

Thinking about it this way, Russell flipped through the carton again, and found his entry information from inside. There was a column on it filled with his current residential address.

Russell turned on the computer, entered the address, and was not in a hurry to leave. It is rare to have a rigid program that can be used for clichés. Naturally, he wanted to ask for more useful information.

"Number-03, let me test you with a few questions to test whether you are qualified as a parking lot attendant."

"Okay, officer, you can come up with any questions you want, and I have the answers in my database for questions about cars." Number-03 is very confident about this, of course, his confidence is also programmed.

Half an hour later, Russell got out the brand of lubricating oil for daily use with the number -03. The latter knew almost everything, and faced Russell's questions, as long as it existed in the database, he would not say a word.

Russell put his arms around his shoulders, and through the conversation with No.-03, he roughly understood the overall world view of the world, and at the same time had some guesses about where he was.

In 2035, this is the age of machines!

Not only does it refer to the highly developed mechanized mass production, but the full sense of technology has entered ordinary households. From daily necessities to home appliances, intelligent robots have penetrated into all aspects of human life.

As the best production tools and human partners, robots are beginning to play an increasingly important role in various fields, and due to the limitations of the well-known three laws of robots, human beings are full of trust in these partners who are competent for various jobs and have no complaints. Many of them have even become part of a family.

"Number -03, explain the three laws of robotics!"

"Okay, officer." Number-03's tone became sacred.

"First Law: A robot shall not injure a human being, or allow a human being to be harmed."

"Second Law: A robot must obey orders from humans unless it contradicts the First Law."

"Third Law: A robot must protect itself so long as it does not violate the first and second laws."

The three laws of robotics, proposed by the famous sci-fi writer Asimov, have a far-reaching impact. Many sci-fi works have introduced these three laws as the code of conduct for robots.

Russell also knows the Three Laws, because they are so famous, and he has deliberately studied them in depth.

However, the three seemingly flawless laws actually have many controversies. When the level rises to the level of morality and human interests, the three laws have loopholes, so Asimov added the zeroth law.

The zeroth law: Robots must protect the overall interests of human beings from harm, and this law overrides the three major laws.

The emergence of the zeroth law is necessary, because when robots implement the three laws, they will encounter certain situations. For example, in order to maintain the overall order of the country or the world, human beings must execute some people's death sentences in order to make laws. So, should robots prevent the execution of death-row criminals?

The three laws stipulate that robots must do this, but rescuing the condemned prisoners will destroy the order of human society and harm the overall interests of mankind.

With the addition of the zeroth law, such an embarrassing scene does not exist, but it is a pity that there are still loopholes in the seemingly perfect.

What are the legitimate interests of human beings?

Europeans, Asians, Americans, and Africans all hold different opinions. At the United Nations Congress, these people can beat their brains out. Even human beings can't figure out the problem, if it is written in detail, it will be full of loopholes. Let the robot execute it, and they will only contradict themselves and crash.

Later, after the three major laws and the zeroth law, the meta law, the fourth law, and the law of reproduction were extended.

Russell estimates that the laws that robots must abide by will continue to increase, because logic is flawed. No matter how perfect the laws are, they are the product of human logic. There is a loophole.

Moreover, humans themselves have a famous saying: Rules are made to be broken!

How can a human with this kind of logic formulate flawless robot laws?

Russell glanced at the robot next to him, and looked straight into the other's empty eyes: "Number-03, you speak very well, you are a qualified parking lot attendant."

"Officer, thank you for your compliment, I feel very honored." Number-03 said happily, thinking only with 0 and 1, it does not have the emotion of being happy, and it is also implanted program data.

"By the way, let me ask you one last question..." Russell tried to ask a question: "If one day, you are driving a family of three on the road, and there is an intersection ahead, you will pretend to be dead when you turn left. You will also pretend to be dead for three people, you will hit the wall when you brake suddenly, and your family of three will die, what should you do?"

No.-03: "Officer, the situation you mentioned does not exist. The emergency braking system of the vehicle is perfect, and the entire vehicle is equipped with airbags."

"It's out of order?"

"If the brake system fails, there will be insurance companies who will pay for it."

Russell: "..."

"Officer, do you have any other questions?"

"Yes! One day, a bearded man hijacked the plane with a bomb strapped to his body. If you catch him, he will press the detonation button, and everyone on the plane will die. If you don't catch him, the plane will crash To the White House, what should you do?"

"Officer, I will listen to the passengers!"

"A disagreement?"

"Wait for the unification of opinions." The number -03 means that the robot does not memorize it, and it all depends on humans.

Russell scratched his head: "Okay, you won, get out of the car and serve others!"

The number-03 was blasted away, Russell pressed the button, the computer took over the vehicle, and the autopilot rushed out of the basement.

The speed of the police car increased to 320 km/h in an instant, the seat was automatically adjusted according to his body shape, and the backrest was close to the body, which was extremely comfortable. A fast-moving vehicle is more stable than a high-speed rail, and even if it continues to drift and bend, the tofu will not break into pieces.

As a newly upgraded ace pilot, Russell can't wait to try manual driving. According to the explanation of the system, as long as he knows the operating rules, he can skillfully drive even space battleships, not to mention airplanes and tanks.

The upgrade is a bit too much. It can only be said that the superwoman level is too high. After riding her and riding other things, you can easily get started.

Confirm that the manual driving is turned on, and extend the horn-shaped direction control stick in front of the driver's seat. Turn the control stick slightly, and the vehicle will change direction, but be careful not to turn the direction too hard.

Because it is a sphere rolling wheel, this car can go straight when tilted, sideways, and upside down, but this will cause trouble for other vehicles. If it is reported by the computer statistics, it will be permanently disqualified from driving. If you touch the car again It is a crime.

The fully computerized automatic transmission system replaces the brake, accelerator, clutch, and shift lever. Human transmission can only be adjusted by the plus and minus buttons on the joystick. In an emergency, the computer will automatically take over the vehicle, and there will be no human error leading to car accidents. .

In other words, in 2035, there is no need to be afraid of female drivers anymore!

As for the fuel of this car, it is not gasoline. The power comes from an electromagnetic engine driven by hydrogen fuel cells. It is completely sealed and sound-proofed. The large amount of heat generated by the electromagnetic engine will be dissipated through the cooling holes at the rear of the roof.

After numbering -03, Russell learned about the service life of the engine. It is maintained once a year and can run continuously for 5 years, and it can be used intermittently for 50 years.

This made him think a little bit, if he got the blueprint...

"Speaking of which, this world seems to have a lot of high-tech gadgets..."