rdfs:comment
| - In the early days of applied robotics, it had become fairly obvious that a typical robot experiences a great deal of so-called "down time" between designated tasks, due to its great strength and formidible processing powers. These lengthy spans of idleness were, at first, considered to be advantageous with respect to cutting down on wear-and-tear on valuable replacement parts. Unfortunately, it was eventually discovered that these intermittent periods of inactivity had deleterious effects on the positronic brain itself, which, unlike the human brain, needed constant stimulation in order to prevent degenerative depolarization of its pleasure center.
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abstract
| - In the early days of applied robotics, it had become fairly obvious that a typical robot experiences a great deal of so-called "down time" between designated tasks, due to its great strength and formidible processing powers. These lengthy spans of idleness were, at first, considered to be advantageous with respect to cutting down on wear-and-tear on valuable replacement parts. Unfortunately, it was eventually discovered that these intermittent periods of inactivity had deleterious effects on the positronic brain itself, which, unlike the human brain, needed constant stimulation in order to prevent degenerative depolarization of its pleasure center. In 1987, observations of the erratic behaviour of a robotic arm at the Nissan Automotive Factory in Tokyo was traced to a freak activation of its internal sensory processing unit when somebody inadvertently left an opened copy of Gargantuan Hooters on the main conveyor belt. After scanning the magazine with its optical detectors, the robotic arm immediately dropped a large engine block from a height of 5 meters (instantly killing several overworked Japanese employees), grasped an inanimate carbon rod with its mechanical clamps, and appeared to begin vigorously polishing it at incredible speed (clocked at up to 50,000 Hz). The carbon rod soon burst into flames and the mechanical armature disintegrated, resulting in irreparable damage to the robotic arm's positronic brain before anybody could manage to shut it down.
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