Robot

A robot is a machine that is capable of autonomously completing tasks. Depending upon the robot, these tasks may be simple or complex and may require little human intervention or complete oversight.

In the Fallout universe, robots had been constructed for many purposes, and many examples survived long enough to be a factor post-War.

Robots had been constructed by pre-War society to fill all niches and occupations. From general-purpose utility droids to full-fledged military battle machines, robots could be found in almost any environment and function. Some of the robots in the Fallout universe will attack immediately but some will aid in battle or remain ambivalent.

Background
At the time of the Great War, robots were just making their appearance in the average suburban household, but the military still had the largest number of active robots. The robots that are still running are found in isolated former military bases or ones that have been restored by settlements with the sophisticated technology needed to keep them running.

Programming
Typically, robots are equipped with a basic programming structure that dictates behavior and priorities. In most cases, these rules are predetermined, and there's little the player character can do to influence them. Some robots also have distinct personalities. Whether this is an intended feature present from manufacturing or the cumulative result of centuries of poorly-attended operation is unknown. Some robots, such as the Nuka-Cola shipping foreman appear to have rather harsh personalities present from their first days of activation, while others, such as the protectron series seem to have little personality at all. At times, this personality seems to operate at odds with the fundamental core programming of the robot.

Notable examples of this discontent include Cerberus, the Mister Gutsy robotic soldier that patrols Underworld. Despite programming to protect the ghouls of the city, Cerberus nevertheless admits quite freely that it detests the ghouls and, were it not for his combat inhibitor, would likely kill them all. Sawbones, the resident medic at the Citadel, has an unhealthy interest in pain driven by his personality, while his programming states he is a medic. Many robobrains, when fighting will say things like "They could have programmed me to love, to forgive; but noooooo," or "Please believe me when I say I'm not enjoying this." Robots can even exhibit finicky personalities. One such Mister Gutsy Sergeant RL-3 will dislike anyone without neutral Karma.

Even robotic butlers show contrary streaks, although these aberrations are less likely to cause grievous bodily injury. The butler present in the player character's home in Fallout 3 is often overheard saying with a cheery voice "How can I serve you master?" while muttering, "Not that I really want to..." a little while after.

Robots are often pressed into emergency duty outside their normal menu of skills, although this meets with varying degrees of success. A general-maintenance Mister Handy may make for a poor medic.

It may also be noted that without proper supervision, robots may handle situations rather extremely. Metro protectron will kill anyone who does not have a ticket. On top of this, they do not accept red pass or blue passcards, meaning someone traveling on these lines may be attacked even with proper authorization. Another note is that the factory protectron mentioned on a computer terminal in The Pitt killed all the workers when they refused to leave the mill and their jobs. Also, Milo the shipping foreman, a type II Mister Handy robot, had trapped a group of employees in a locked closet to die, and for very minor infractions (taking a longer lunch break, for example). With this in mind, it can be safe to say that robots of the Fallout universe do not follow Asimov's three laws of robotics, or if they do, they do so very loosely. It would seem east coast robots have a naturally adverse attitude towards humans, or animated things in general- living or robotic, as all the robots feature a combat "inhibitor" meaning that the robots all exhibit an uncontrollable urge to kill, without the inhibitor.

Dealing with robots
While some robots in the Fallout universe are peaceful, most are following centuries-old programming—or newer programming—that classifies the player character as a threat. To that end, effective anti-robot combat strategies are a must.

Most robots are highly resistant to damage from conventional weapons. Bullets do not generally affect robots as severely as they do their organic masters, and militarized robots can generally shrug off grenade shrapnel. However, like all electronics, robots are vulnerable to the effects of an EMP, making pulse weapons the ideal choice for disabling a robotic enemy.

Pulse grenades, pulse mines, and 12 gauge EMP shells are ideal for disabling a robot quickly, and though these munitions are typically expensive, they are much more efficient in a cost-for-effect frame of mind. Explosive weapons like missile launchers or miniature nuclear weapons are effective, but more costly to use against robots.

Player characters with sufficient Repair skills, or certain perks can disable inattentive robots, while those with sufficient Science skills can often find control terminals that can shut down or reconfigure patrolling mechanical guards.

List of robots

 * Alien turret
 * An alien turret equipped with an electric cannon.
 * Seen in: Mothership Zeta


 * Android, a.k.a. Synth
 * The most human of all robots, androids could easily pass as normal humans under all but the most intense examinations.
 * Seen in: Fallout 3, Fallout 4


 * Assaultron
 * The Assaultron robot was constructed by RobCo and sold to the US military as a frontline wartime combatant. It is fast and deadly at close range and employs a devastating laser at a distance. Some units can even employ stealth technology. Its perception seems to be significantly higher than that of other enemies, making it nearly impossible to sneak up on and hack without using a Stealth Boy.
 * Seen in: Fallout 4, Fallout 76


 * Assistant robot
 * A little robot, slow, box-like moving things with two hands which probably assist secret vault technicians during their work.
 * Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel


 * Automated turret
 * An automatic, unmanned machine guns which are capable of sensing and attacking targets that are hostile to the faction or organization to which they belong.
 * Seen in: Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4


 * Auto-cannon
 * An autonomous defense turret equipped with twin minigun cannons and relatively heavily armored.
 * Seen in: Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics


 * Behemoth
 * The undisputed heavyweight king of the Calculator's army, the Behemoth lived up to its name by being able to easily obliterate its foes and survive massive amounts of damage.
 * Seen in: Fallout Tactics


 * Cyberdog
 * Half dog, half robot, cyberdogs made for loyal companions, if not terribly adaptable. Cyberdogs were products of the Enclave.
 * Seen in: Fallout 2, Fallout: New Vegas


 * Experimental weapons drone
 * Experimental weapons drones are a more advanced variant of the guardian drone and equipped with a drone cannon Ex-B.
 * Seen in: Mothership Zeta


 * Eyebot
 * Relatively benign, the eyebot is designed mainly to spread radio broadcast Enclave propaganda. Although armed with an electric stunner, these robots have very negligible combat Strength.
 * Seen in: Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, Fallout 76


 * Floating eye bot
 * This weak security robot uses an electric cattle prod to coerce disobedient people back into submission. Sturdy but unsuited for real combat.
 * Seen in: Fallout, Fallout 2, Van Buren


 * Guardian drone
 * Guardian drones are a more advanced variant of the support drone which carries a drone cannon and does a considerable amount of damage.
 * Seen in: Mothership Zeta


 * Gun robot
 * A security robots, three-legged orb-like walker and uses chainguns to attack possible threats to the well-being of the Secret Vault.
 * Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel


 * Gun turret
 * A turret equipped with twin plasma cannon and is heavily armored.
 * Seen in: Fallout 2


 * Hover robot
 * Useful only as scouts, Hover Robots performed reconnaissance missions for the Calculator. Very weak, but considered disposable.
 * Seen in: Fallout Tactics


 * Humanoid robot
 * A robotic foot soldier used by the Calculator, androids were neither durable nor powerful, but they were plentiful.
 * Seen in: Fallout Tactics


 * Kamikaze robot
 * A security robots, three-legged orb-like walker, and are "suicide" attackers which create an electrical explosion on contact with the enemy.
 * Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel


 * Laser robot
 * A security robots, three-legged orb-like walker and uses fast-shooting laser cannons to destroy its enemies.
 * Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel


 * Laser turret
 * A turret with a single-barrel laser cannon and has the ability to lower down for additional cover. It cannot fire while in cover.
 * Seen in: Fallout Tactics


 * Liberty Prime
 * A gigantic, heavily armed humanoid robot, designed for the United States military to be used during the liberation of Alaska. It was never fully completed and remained inoperative until being activated by the Brotherhood of Steel in the Capital Wasteland.
 * Seen in: Fallout 3, Fallout 4


 * Loadlifter robot
 * Essentially a robotic forklift, the Loadlifter's Strength lay in its size and weight.
 * Seen in: Fallout Tactics


 * Maintenance robot
 * A little robot, have no arms, slow, box-like moving things that do some sort of maintenance work for the Vault and was also power generators with legs.
 * Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel


 * Miss Nanny
 * A female version of Mister Handy, this general-purpose robot was built mainly for housekeeping and maintenance. Although not a combat robot, a Miss Nanny can still pose a threat as a combatant.
 * Seen in: Fallout 4, Fallout 76


 * Mister Gutsy
 * A militarized version of Mister Handy, designed for use by the United States Army. A capable combatant.
 * Seen in: Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, Fallout 76


 * Mister Handy
 * This general-purpose robot was built mainly for housekeeping and maintenance. Although not a combat robot, a Mister Handy can still pose a threat as a combatant.
 * Seen in: Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Fallout Shelter


 * Pacification robot
 * The second-heaviest military robot in the Calculator's ranks, the Pacification Bot could launch a devastating ranged attack and required a great deal of punishment to put down.
 * Seen in: Fallout Tactics


 * Protectron
 * Vaguely reminiscent of Robbie the Robot, protectrons were common robots in and around the Capital Wasteland. While many were tasked with building or Metro security, some military versions can be found roaming the wasteland.
 * Seen in: Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, Fallout 76


 * Robobrain
 * A cyborg robot that makes use of an organic brain as its main CPU, robobrains have been found mated with animal and human brains.
 * Seen in: Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout Tactics, Van Buren, Fallout: New Vegas, Automatron, Far Harbor


 * Scurry robot
 * Among the smallest of the Calculator's forces, the diminutive Scurry Bot patrolled tight confines and occasionally laid in an ambush in difficult terrain.
 * Seen in: Fallout Tactics


 * Security robot
 * Large, humanoid robots, Security Robots were weaker than their larger cousins, but when it came to exerting power in the tight confines of a building, few robots could equal their abilities.
 * Seen in: Fallout Tactics


 * Sentry bot
 * Sentry bots are bruisers, no matter what form they take. Capable of both dishing out and taking tremendous punishment, sentry bots represent the pinnacle of military robotics.
 * Seen in: Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, Fallout 76


 * Service robot
 * A small robot, box, or vacuum cleaner-like robots, that wash the floor in the Vault and perform small repairing tasks.
 * Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel


 * Support drone
 * support drones are basic drones that are not equipped with weapons and instead they rely on melee attacks. It's likely that their primary function is maintenance aboard the alien vessels.
 * Seen in: Fallout 3


 * Tank track robot
 * Though armed with a massive flail that made this robot a killing machine in close combat, the Tank Track Robots were nevertheless large and ungainly. Coupled with the inability to launch a ranged attack, they were easily countered by a prepared force.
 * Seen in: Fallout Tactics


 * Tesla robot
 * Security robots, three-legged orb-like walker and uses powerful electric blasts generated by special Tesla device mounted on it, to attack possible threats to the well-being of the Secret Vault.
 * Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel


 * Securitron
 * The police of Mr. House's army. They walk on one wheel and have a TV head.
 * Seen in: Fallout: New Vegas


 * Think tank
 * More or less a robobrain that hovers in the air. Bio med gel preserves the original brain while three-screen monitors display emotion - one acts as the mouth and the other two as eyes.
 * Seen in: Old World Blues, Van Buren


 * Turret robot
 * Turret Robots are hidden turrets underground and quickly pop-up if they see an enemy and shoot them with two powerful submachine cannons.
 * Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel


 * Vertibot
 * An autonomous version of a Vertibird, and just as effective as one.
 * Seen in: Fallout 76


 * Cargobot
 * An automated, airborne cargo-delivery drone that transports government aid drops directed by holotape-provided radio signals. Also ideal for providing reconnaissance and delivering supplies in even the most hostile conditions.
 * Seen in: Fallout 76

Canceled robots

 * Agricola mining robot
 * Designed primarily to handle the movement of radioactive waste, Agricola bots are heavily armored and durable.
 * Seen in: Van Buren


 * CRB-S
 * Massive, dog-like sentries, CRB-S units can be programmed to perform at varying levels of force to uphold law and order.
 * Seen in: Van Buren


 * Gasbot
 * A morphing gas pump equipped with a flamethrower, little is known about the Gasbot.
 * Seen in: Van Buren

Behind the scenes
A robotic perk, Cyborg, makes an appearance in Fallout 3.