Telefreiber Observers
Overview
The Telefreiber, Ltd. developed its line of small-surveillance devices independent of open Imperial support, and has apparently found a large market as a result. The Observers was the first product mass produced by Telefrieber. The Observer relies on “swarm-bot” technology to provide complete coverage of a target.
The observers themselves were not overly small due to problems with resolving the AI, swarm technology, and ether access. Subsequent models have resolved this problem.
Swarm-bot
Observers were distinct from other similarly-marketed devices. Most surveillance enthusiasts will recall the Mark-IV cockroach–a small surveillance device that resembled that ubiquitous pest.
Observers are smaller, but more disturbing is their ability to work together as a team. This is the core of the swarm-bot. One device is designated the “queen” unit, and all other observers feed information to the queen–either via ether or via direct-touch communication. Typically, the queen unit communicates back its human operator, but some can be programed to operate autonomously for extended periods. One recent complaint is that some queen units may been suborned by IMPs, although there has been no official report of this occurrence.
References
- Actual Entry
- Imprinted Personality
- Second Phantom Entry