DAX Goes on a Date

DAX Goes on a Date

By

Wesley Whittaker

“I want to know how this was allowed to happen,” snarled Braxton. “DAX is not ready for one-on-one interaction yet!”

Allen Michaels swallowed hard as he felt the Program Director’s rage wash over him like an angry ocean wave.

“I had to use the restroom,” said Michaels, trying to remain calm and objective. “DAX was sitting by himself while we did an update to his facial expression program. I asked Ted to sit in the driver’s seat just to keep an eye on him. I was only gone a few minutes.”

Braxton turned to fix his glare on the diminutive brushy-headed gnome who stood next Michaels. Dr. Theodoric “Ted” Kravcic peered through his thick lenses trying to put together a plausible defense for his apparent breach of protocol.

“Well?” queried Braxton. “Can you explain to me why you violated protocol allowing DAX to interact with a student?”

Ted struggled to explain. He had climbed into the Operational Control Pod while Dr. Michaels left to relieve himself. The OCP, known as “The Driver’s Seat,” looked like a bucket seat with a large video monitor, surrounded by digital readouts and a control console of buttons labeled for certain physical actions. The operator wore an audio headset with a wraparound microphone and fingerless gloves that allowed control of the android’s hands. At this early stage, DAX was in observation mode and only supposed to be recording human behavior and situations around him. Interaction with “biologics” was to be avoided at all cost. If that was not possible, conversation was to be minimized and DAX removed from the situation as quickly as possible. There were only a handful of people on the entire university campus who even knew of the existence of the Digital Autonomous eXperimental Humanoid Project and half of them were in the control room of the robotics lab. The disheveled Rumanian peered up at the towering Director and tried to explain why he had not only permitted DAX to engage in a conversation with a female student, but had actually allowed DAX to agree to a date with her.

“I have no experience in such things,” he confessed; arms out, hands up, pleading. “I did not know what to do.”

Braxton felt a tinge of mercy for the little man and asked that the video of the incident be replayed. This particular exercise called for DAX, a tall, blue-eyed, blond-haired male student in his early twenties, to walk into the Student Union and locate a seat in an alcove away from the other students. From his vantage point, he could observe and record the other students who were reading, talking, eating, laughing, and staring at their screens. This data would be downloaded to the computers in the labs and used to modify the DAX onboard physio-control computers so that his actions and mannerisms would seamlessly begin to blend in with the ambient activities around him. The supercomputer that was building the DAX neuro-response database was still processing a language matrix that would make it possible for DAX to respond vocally and converse in a human-like manner. Until it was complete, the operational protocol called for a “driver” to provide backup kinesiology control and a vocal response capability for DAX when it became necessary. That driver was Dr. Michaels, as he was the youngest member of the team, and could still relate to life on the campus of a major university. Unfortunately, when the event occurred, Michaels was in dispose and Ted was at the helm.

The video replay of the exercise came up on the control room’s main screen. DAX’s eyes were stereo cameras and his ears were ultra-high range directional microphones. DAX pulled out his I-Pad, put the earpiece in his right ear, and assumed the position of watching his own screen as he scanned the room. A young blonde coed in jeans and a 4Ocean t-shirt was sitting with some friends at a table across the room. She turned and spotted DAX, said something to her friends, and walked towards the seated android.

“Stop!” snapped Braxton. “Roll it back and enhance audio. I want to hear what she said.”

The technician rewound the video and adjusted some knobs on the control panel to isolate the sound and enhance it.

“That’s the guy from my Philosophy class that I told you guys about,” she said. “Isn’t he just perfection? I’m going to find out his name.”

“You are such a slut, Cassidy!” said another girl sitting at the table.

“Watch and learn, bitches,” said Cassidy. “Watch and learn.”

DAX’s wide-angle “eyes” recorded her stroll towards him even though he appeared from the outside to be intently staring at his screen. She stopped in front of him waiting to be acknowledged. DAX kept watching the screen.

“Excuse me,” said Cassidy. She leaned forward to bring her face level with his. DAX did not move for more than a minute. “Excuse me,” she smiled. “My name is Cassidy. What’s yours.”

“This is where I kept looking at clock and wondering where is Dr. Michaels,” explained Kravcic to the others watching the replay. “I was starting to feel… awkward.”

The other scientists turned and stared at the little man who was a giant in the field of autonomous computational mechanics but was physically the complete opposite of DAX. Braxton cleared his throat and the scientists continued watching the video replay. DAX looked up at the beautiful girl. The Facial Expression Monitor registered “SMILE” on it’s screen.

“Seriously?” said Michaels, shooting a scowl at Kravcic. Ted shrugged, mouthing a silent “What?” back at his colleague.

“I am sorry,” said DAX. “I was reading and did not see you. I do not wish to be rude. My name is Dax.”

“No,” said Cassidy, smiling back. “It’s cool. I think I’ve seen you in my Philosophy class. 9:00AM? With Dr. Rivers?”

“Yes,” said DAX. “That is my class, also.”

“That is an unusual accent, Dax. Where are you from?”

“Rumania,” said DAX. “I am foreign exchange student.”

“Really?” said Cassidy. “For some reason, I always imagined Rumanian men to be... swarthier. No offense meant.”

“No. Is okay,” said DAX. “I am from a small mountain village near the Hungary border named Crasna. All men there look like me when they are young and then they get old and not so much like this.”

Cassidy eyed him for a moment, not sure if he was putting her on.

“Well, hey,” she continued. “Our sorority is having a party tonight. I would like you to come as my guest. Seven o’clock at Kappa Alpha Theta on Riverside Drive and Benson. Do you know where that is?”

“Yes,” said DAX.

“Okay,” smiled Cassidy. “See you there. Bye.”

She turned and walked back to her friends.

“Bye,” said DAX.

The video screen went black. Ted looked up to see the other scientists staring at him in disbelief.

“I was trying to be polite,” said Ted.

Braxton put his hand to his forehead and tried to think of what to do next.

“I could show up at the party and tell her I was just putting on the accent,” said Michaels.

“Only if you want to totally sink this project,” said Dr. Elena Romano.

“What do you mean?” asked Braxton.

“She’s a Kappa,” said Romano. “Not only is she physically beautiful, she’s also academically accomplished and socially adept. She’s a popular leader on this campus and more than likely from an upper-middle class professional family.”

“So,” said Michaels. “So am I.”

“She will take it as immature joke at her expense and be offended,” retorted Romano. “You will have embarrassed her in front of her friends and sorority sisters. DAX will become persona non grata on this campus.”

“Oh,” said Michaels, suddenly humbled. “Yeah. You’re right.”

“Are you suggesting we let Ted take over as the driver?” Braxton asked her.

Romano thought for a moment and looked at Ted.

“It might give us an opportunity to test some of the PETs,” she said.

“What is PETs?” asked Ted.

“Physio-Emotional Templates,” said Braxton. “Micro routines that mimic emotional or physical response to certain environmental or physical stimuli.”

“Like closing his eyes when Cassidy kisses him,” smiled Romano, as she watched Ted start to blush.

Braxton thought it over for a moment and decided that Ted would “drive” DAX to the sorority house at 7 o’clock but would not go into the party. Instead, he would thank Cassidy for the invite and beg off due to feelings of social ineptitude. No harm. No foul.

“Do you think you can handle that, Ted?” asked Braxton.

“That is something I have experience with,” said Ted.

At 7 o’clock, DAX pushed the doorbell of Kappa house and waited at the front door for what seemed like several minutes. Cassidy opened the door, smiled, and invited him in.

“I am sorry, Cassidy,” said DAX. “I just came to tell you that I thank you for invitation, but I cannot come in. I am not feeling... comfortable... and I do not wish to be embarrassing you.”

Cassidy tried get him to come in, telling him that he would not embarrass her, but he stayed firm and begged off. Finally, Cassidy came out on the porch, closing the door behind her.

“Okay,” she said. “I appreciate you coming and being honest with me. At first, I thought you were putting me on. Now I know that you really are just a very sweet and nice guy. Thank you.”

She reached up and kissed him.

The video screen went black as DAX closed his eyes. Video cameras had been added to the driver’s seat to monitor Ted’s facial gestures which were immediately translated and downloaded to DAX. Dr. Romano waited for a moment. Realizing that Ted still had his eyes closed, she poked him in the arm. The video screen came back up showing Cassidy with a dreamy smile on her face.

“See you in class?” she asked.

“Yes,” said DAX. “See you in class.”

She turned and went back into the house leaving DAX standing there.

In the control room, the project team members watched the screen and waited for DAX to turn and leave. When nothing happened, they turned to look at Ted. He was pushing the button that was marked “Turn Around,” but nothing was happening. Braxton reached over and pushed the red “Command Override” button and then the “Turn Around” button. DAX was not responding. Ted got out of the driver’s seat and Michaels took over. DAX ignored all commands to leave the porch.

“Shut him down,” yelled Braxton. “And get a Retrieval team out there to pick him up.”

“Did I do something wrong?” asked Ted.

“No,” chuckled Romano. “I think our boy has fallen in love.”

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