Critter Profile: Tyler!
Overview!
Name: Tyler
Species: Boston Dynamics™ "Spot" (Canine)
Primary Caretaker: Terrestrial Team, Katherine Jones
Diet: Battery Charge (Please ask a caretaker or myself - Katherine)
Housed: Wilson Wildlife Center, Enclosure 3
Creature Features!
Tyler is the name we gave to one of our most unique little guys we having staying here at Wilsons! So you may be asking yourself why you're caring for a mindless, maybe soulless machine? The answer to that is that Tyler is no ordinary machine, as instead of being just made up of computer bits and pieces, he additionally has the consciousness (or soul) of a dog. Yep, that's right, our Tyler is just an ordinary pupper on the inside, but just a little bit unique on the outside.
Tyler was once an ordinary dog, but his consciousness was transferred from his original body and uploaded to his now robotic body. Having the mind of a dog, he does everything you'd expect a dog to do, as he still likes to eat, sleep, and play! He has a gorgeous personality and loves attention from our caretakers!
That being said, Tyler unfortunately has what we would consider mental health issues. Poor Tyler experiences constant night terrors (you can see him kicking and barking in his sleep) and keeps himself socially isolated from the other dogs most of the time :(.
We're assuming that Tyler had a pretty rough life before he was uploaded into his robotic body, but then again, we don't really have much information on his life before besides what we've been told by the Supervisors.
History!
Tyler's first day out!
Tyler was first found by the Supervisors on sale at an auction hosted by a group known as Anderson Robotics, who we believe are responsible for putting Tyler in a robotic body. Anyways, he was advertised to be a real dog in a robot body, made more useful and helpful in military operations, capable of carrying equipment and being able to understand basic militaristic commands (Fall in, Fall out, etc). We were surprised too! Additionally, he's able to understand some English, such as "Come, Food," "Here, Heater," and more!
So the Supervisors bought him. However, when they got him out into the field, he couldn't hold enough equipment to make it worthwhile and his engine was too noisy, so he was no longer allowed to join the Supervisors in their military operations after that.
So, after consideration and some negotiation (and some requests), the Supervisors eventually decided it was best to hand him to us, where we are trying our best to be able to fulfil his mental needs and keep him happy and loved :).
Special Needs and Accommodations!
Tyler is like any other typical dog, so just feeding him properly and of course, playing with him is all he needs to be happy! Feeding Tyler is a little more complicated than just giving him dog food, as you would imagine. If you are attempting to charge Tyler for the first time, you need to contact a caretaker who is familiar with the process. It's more complex than it sounds.
Additionally, Tyler doesn't really socialise that well with the other animals and will become a little bit clingy around his caretakers, so if you're around Tyler be sure to play with him!
Notes about Tyler!
EDIT #1: Tyler's mental health hasn't been getting any better. Poor guy continues to have his usual night terrors and socially isolates himself quite a bit. We're still trying to come up with a solution, or at the very least, help Tyler with what appears to be a traumatic past life. Hopefully it'll work! You are so brave Tyler!
EDIT #2: Today, J came up with a pretty brilliant idea! She mentioned how the possibility remains open that Tyler (being a robot and all) may retain a memory file with all of his memories! We're thinking that if we can somehow access them, we can understand what's giving Tyler these awful nightmares and possibly a little bit about his previous life. Let's hope this works!
EDIT #3: Today we attempted to see if we could access his memories. Unfortunately, the file we were hoping to find does not exist. However, what we can do is set up a USB drive in Tyler via an extension on his back. That will allow us to record what Tyler sees, including his dreams! This may lead us to understand what's really happening with Tyler and how we can help!
EDIT #4: Last night we got Tyler ready for bed and plugged in the USB. Then in the morning we eagerly backed up the recording onto an external hard drive and uploaded it to a computer. Although unfortunately, we could not fit his entire dream into an email, we took screenshots of notable events in his dream and sent those instead. They are also, unfortunately, quite blurry.
Sent by: Katherine Jones
Recipient(s): Tyler's Team
Date: 2022/09/14
Sent by: Tim Wilson
Recipient(s): Katherine Jones
Date: 2022/09/14
Why are there so many shots of desert and desert-like settings, with explosions and machinery? What was Tyler doing in a desert with all this danger?? He's supposed to be a dog, after all. What kind of dog lives in the desert? I'll tell you what kind, a dead kind.
I'm not so sure Tyler has a past like we imagined, or even is a dog to begin with and I'm very concerned. I'm getting the Supervisors involved. Thank you for trying to help Tyler Katherine. Let's see where this goes from here.
-Tim
CONFIDENTIAL
Dear Wilson,
To be clear no, we do not have definitive evidence that Tyler is a dog. The possibility remains open that the consciousness stored in Tyler's body may not be a dog, as you stated in your email. The staff working with Tyler were under the assumption that he was a dog when he was under Foundation care, as no evidence was readily available apart from what was advertised by Anderson Robotics during his auction.
Understanding Tyler's abnormal night terrors details the likelihood that Tyler is not a dog and the importance of understanding Tyler's true identity.
Attempts are currently being made to determine Tyler's true identity. We formally apologise for this. We will keep you updated as this concludes and assure you that we will take the necessary precautions in the future, which will properly narrate the anomalies given from our containment to yours.
Sincerely, Edward Hartwell
- Secure, Contain, Protect.
CONFIDENTIAL
Dear Wilson,
Investigation efforts have concluded with Anderson Robotics, and after some time, Tyler's true identity was recovered, and we regret to inform you that it was not a dog as initially believed. The following document illustrates Tyler's true identity, confirmed through interrogations with Anderson Robotics.
Sincerely, Edward Hartwell
- Secure, Contain, Protect.
