The Essential Guide to Droids (Page 46-47)
Household Service: R-10 Household Droid
[edit]Engineered by the careful craftsmen of Lovolan, the R-10 household droid is a smoothly unobtrusive party waiter and drink server for the obnoxiously rich. The fact that the R-10 so often goes unnoticed – despite its jewel-encrusted design – is testament both to its quiet efficiency and to the ostentatious surroundings in which it usually operates.
Lovolan’s first R-10s were produced at the request of Emperor Palpatine for use in the glittering pleasure palaces of the resort moon Hesperidium in the Coruscant system. The squat automatons were decorated with antique brass fittings, green bronze plating, polished greel-wood panels, and inset corusca gems – imitation gems, but quite dazzling nonetheless. The droids fit perfectly into Hesperidium’s elaborate fantasy environment of zero-gee fountains and singing warbleflowers, though some found their superfluous stylings too over-the-top.
Lovolan followed up the Hesperidium model with a more subdued unit designed for the affluent consumer. Done in tasteful black marble with a decorative brass rail, the newer R-10 met with great success among the wealthy, particularly the aristocrats in the Senex and Tapani sectors.
All R-10 units move about on four wheels and have a ventral droid-brain package that perceives the area in front of it through a single photoreceptor. Upon purchase, each R-10 is programmed with the complete blueprints of its owner’s mansion or villa, especially the locations of the kitchen, pantry, dining room, and wine cellar. Though the R-10 lacks a Basic-capable vocabulator, it is perfectly able to understand verbal commands.
The droid’s marble serving tray sits 0.72 meters off the floor, the perfect height for a guest to casually pick up a frosted glass of narcolathe as an R-10 slowly trundles by. The tray is electronically charged, which helps “grip” glasses in place and prevents accidental spillage. If needed, additional trays can swing up from the body and create a larger serving area for drinks or appetizers.
Retractable manipulator arms are located at the front and rear of the droid. Each hand has two fingers and a padded velvet palm, which is slightly sticky for delicate adhesive traction. A brush-tipped cleaning arm and a vacuum hose remain hidden behind forward compartments until needed, though accidents are very rare. R-10s come with a hardwired programming module that makes it nearly impossible for them to mistakenly spill a bottle or drop a goblet.
Roganda Ismaran, a former Emperor’s Hand who attempted to use the Eye of Palpatine against the New Republic, kept several R-10s in her personal dwelling on Belsavis. Her son Irek possessed a cybernetic implant that allowed him to use the Force to control machinery, and he frequently practiced his skills by forcing his mother’s R-10s to disobey their primary programming.
Info Boxes
[edit]Front View
[edit]- Electronically-charged Serving Tray
- Brass Rail
- Black Marble Panels (extend to serve more refreshments)
- System Ventilation
- Vacuum Arm
- Cleaning Arm
- Photoreceptor
Side View
[edit]- Serving Hands (extended)
- Serving Arms (extended)
- Inlaid Ornamentation
- Droid Brain