Tachikoma

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Tachikoma are multipurpose robotic light tanks from the Ghost in the Shell manga and Stand Alone Complex anime television series, best described as a "spider type multi leg combat vehicle equipped with artificial intelligence". Nine of them are assigned to Section 9 initially, where they assist in combat and police operations and occasionally act as personal APCs.

Over the course of the television series, the Tachikoma begin to display signs of sapience. Major Kusanagi initially views them as defective and unfit for combat duty, and orders them sent back to the lab for dissection and analysis. Three survive the lab exam and later regroup independently to save their imperilled comrades, sacrificing themselves to destroy an Armed Suit attacking Batou. As a result of this heroism, Kusanagi reneges on her previous conclusion and restores the remaining Tachikoma consciousness into a new fleet for season 2.

Design

File:Tatikoma B2.jpg
A 3D model of a Tachikoma unit. Throughout the animated series, Tachikoma characters were rendered by 3D software using a cartoon shader that mimics hand-drawn art. This method simplified the task of animating detailed robotic characters. The right-most image is a wire frame of the 3D model; the middle image is the Tachikoma model rendered with generic materials and lighting; the left-most image is the character as it appears in the series.

Tachikoma are as large as an average sedan, are painted blue and have four "eyes" fitted on the surface of their bodies. Three are on the "head" and one is beneath the abdomen. Each eye has three pinholes, loosely resembling a bowling ball. These eyes sometimes become expressive in the typical anime style. Tachikoma are controlled by individual AIs, are capable of speech and generally exhibit a childish, curious, joyful and active personality, although they are consummate professionals in the field. They normally operate as independent units and receive orders from human agents, but they can also be directly piloted from a cockpit in their abdomen. Its design is implicitly based on that of the jumping spider in terms of bio-mechanical modelling, and system technical design was based on the Fuchikoma.

Tachikoma have four legs and two arms. They can move by walking, or they can drive at high speed by using the wheeled footpads on each of their four legs. Each wheel appears to be angled and omnidirectional, allowing the Tachikomas to move in any direction with their drive system, which can control all degrees of freedom in its task space. Other abilities of the Tachikoma include jumping great distances, sticking to vertical or inverted surfaces, engaging a thermoptic camouflage mechanism, and grappling/rappelling using their adhesive string launchers. Tachikoma maintain control of their legs while using wheels to drive down a road, and shift their weight around turns. They can also roll briefly on to two legs while driving to avoid an obstacle or pass through a narrow space. To make balance easier, they can move their heavy abdomens with a Ball joint.

Standard Tachikoma equipment includes a 7.62x51mm light machine gun mounted in the right arm or replaced with the L30 gatling laser, a secondary weapon hardpoint in the "snout" (usually a 50 mm grenade launcher, capable of launching both explosive and gas grenades, but which can be replaced by a six-barrelled 12.7x99mm Gatling gun), a universal cybernetic connector on an extensible, prehensile cable in the left arm, liquid wires that can be used for grappling, rappelling or for restraining purposes and a built-in thermoptic camouflage system.

AI

This is amazing! My experience points are piling up!

— Tachikoma while playing Fallout 3

Though they possess individual artificial intelligence, every night they are synchronised, so they start the next day with identical consciousnesses that are each the sum of their total collective experience and development. This leads to identity confusion, since each Tachikoma has the same memories.

A notable paradox arises from this synchronization, however. Though the Tachikoma have identical memories, their personalities and opinions are distinct. During the Stand Alone Complex series, an episode is entirely devoted to discussions among them.

It is explained in the last episode of the first season that it is their curiosity that lets them be different from each other. It is curiosity that saves a personality from dying when linked with others.

File:MoonACaptiveAudience.png
CivGeneral, Samus, Major Kusanagi, a Tachikoma and a protectron security droid witness the Hacker Moon Colorizing.

These separate personalities reveal three 'main' Tachikoma. The first one considers itself Batou's personal Tachikoma, which has a personality of a hyperactive child. It is curious, inquisitive, and tends to get many 'bright' ideas. It is special, given that Batou pampers it with natural oil and refuses to operate any other while on assignments. The second major Tachikoma (possibly favored by Major Kusanagi) is more logical, acting as the straight man to the first. The third Tachikoma appears somewhat slower than the others, and at times has difficulty keeping up with the other Tachikomas when discussing such in-depth topics as what it means to be "alive". There is also a fourth Tachikoma with a distinctive personality, who is a bookworm and an intellectual. Its body was taken apart during the experimentation incident, but its AI has presumably been saved for further analysis.

Tachikomatic Days

Tachikomatic Days (タチコマな日々, Tachikoma na Hibi; also known as Tachikoma Specials or Tachikoma Days) are a series of comedic shorts attached to the end of every episode of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. The shorts take up a little over a minute and feature the antics of the Tachikoma, usually involving plot points from the episode it accompanies. Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG (the second season of the TV series) also has Tachikomatic Days at the end of each episode. Tachikoma Days are also attached to the end of each episode on most of the DVD and iTunes releases of both series.

See also