ROBOT MENAGERIE
TAU-04 "Bossbot"
These robots are most often found on human slave labor and construction sites where they act as labor "bosses". They have advanced vocal command capabilities in any terrestrial language and can facilitate voice inflection. In size, these robots are slightly larger than a man.
XAU-02 "Vanguard"
Designed by the U.S. Army, this turreted robotic combat vehicle was one of the original instruments of death after many of them were taken over by AIs at the beginning of the Final War. They proved so effective that they are still very much in use by the zoneminds.
XAU-04 "Vulture"
Probably the most visible robot and possibly the most feared, the XAU-04 is a jet-powered attack vertol that has been in employ of the AIs since early in the Final War. They are as manueverable as helicopters, yet they are much more damage resistant. These robotic flyers are almost always first to respond to any unsolicited human activity. They are often used to rapidly deploy ground units. Their programming is comparitively rudimentary, making them one of the most frequently pirated units. But try capturing one!
XNU-05 "Myrmidon"
A combat robot that began to appear midway through the Final War, this obviously mechanical model retains a humanoid appearance, which lends it a nightmarsih aspect. XNU-05 is still widely in use at present. They are most often employed as guardians of high-security installations. More rarely are they used in sweeps or surgical assaults.
XAU-07 "Bishonen"
This is similar to what was originally an experimental human design. It is the most advanced combat robot thus far. Fortunately, the XAU-07 seems to be in very limited production. If you run into one "Bishonen" (God help you) it is not uncommon for it to be accompanied by another; they tend to work in pairs. But chances are that if you encounter one of these nasty tin men, you will be dead before you ever see it. A swift, silent kill is their calling card.
Cyborg
Cyborgs are hybrid constructions of both biological and synthetic matter. They come in many shapes and sizes and levels of sophistication. A few AIs believe that a viable means of solving the human problem is to make them more like machines. Zone Brisbain tends to produce highly advanced albiet experimental cyborgs. Zone Denver takes a different approach; the outcome often manifests in the most loathsome abominations. Most cyborgs are routinely distinguished from true humans, but there have been a few instances recently in Zones London and Washington where that was not the case. Seems cybornetic technology pursues a steady advancement towards something like perfection.
XCU-01 Cyberbeast
Created in Zone Denver, the Cyberbeast is a monstrous hybrid of machine and beast that somewhat resembles a mechanical tiger. Its part-robot, part-organic body is controlled by a cyborg wolverine's brain. Its sole motivation is to stalk and kill humans - a simple pleasure/pain training system rewards it when it does so. Few people meet one of these critters in the wilds and live to tell about it.
RAU-05 "Redjack"
These androids look like adult human males. All models appear slightly different, but they are all the same height and weight. In fact, in Zones Washington and London before more advanced detection determinants were in place, humans of a certain height and weight were often detained at checkpoints until they could be cleared as "all human". This may seem a bit extreme, but not when taken into account that the average body count for a successfully infiltrated RAU-05 is somewhere in the hundreds. In spite of governmental attempts to hush up such massacres, about once a week word travels that on such and such coast or such and such border area a "Redjack" walks into a heavily populated area and runs amok, slaying indiscrimanately all humans in sight.
RAU-06 "Lillith"
This biomorphic infiltration android is built to look like a human female. It is basically a smaller and lighter version of the Redjack. New versions of "Lillith" are constantly being discovered; this shifting production dilemma amounts to the creators competing against catalogers. In Zones Washington and London, every time a new-look "Lillith" is discovered, she is cataloged and the record is made public. Capturing or destroying RAU-06 androids is a dangerous but lucrative business, and some bounty hunters specialize in this area. Of course, more than a few of this android have been hijacked and reprogrammed to serve as prostitutes or slaves. RAU-06 models look, smell, and feel human. There is one story about a Zone Washington man being married to a "Lillith" for seven years before he discovered she was an "it". The story goes that upon this discovery she chopped him up into bits with a rusty garden trowel. Urban legend? You decide.
Microbots
These are tiny, insect-sized robots garnished with tiny buzz saws, snippers, or grinders. Some even resemble mosquitoes that inject lethal nerve agents with their stingers. These nightmarish zone denizens come in many variations. There primary function is to systematically disintegrate matter. They are most common in Zone Berlin, which employs them in mass swarms. It is widely believed that a swarm of these terrors can reduce a full-grown man to nothingness in mere minutes.
XAU-08 "Tarantula"
Resembling man-sized metallic spiders, XAU-08 have very acute sensors and specialize in hunting humans. It seems they "learn" as they go. Fortunate survivors of a XAU attack have noted that it almost seems like they enjoy their work and that they seem to taunt their prey.
XNU-09 "Stalker"
A Stalker is a light patrol and security robot. It has a small body with three long legs topped by a large wedge-shaped turret. Weapons and sensors protrude from the turret and body. Electrolasers give them the ability to stun as well as kill, so Stalkers are often used to control laborers or capture new ones. They generally operate in packs of ten or so, with a Tarantula or other AU controller nearby.
TNU-03 "Ductcreeper"
As its nickname implies, these small, cat-sized units move about facilites performing routine maintenance and repair. They typically completely ignore any sentient beings as long as the being in question does nothing to impair their work. A favorite capture among Junkrats, a reprogged TNU-03 makes an interesting little companion. They can be very handy in certain instances where stealth is necessary.