MARiiMO

by Tyrel Pinnegar

My goal is to create a learning machine. A machine that, through trial and error, creates its own subjective understanding of its surroundings.

Servos are capable of potentially violent, jerky motions. My fear is that she might accidentally damage herself or those around her in her early attempts at movement. It would be like putting a toddler at the wheel of a car. I need something safer.

Now I’m thinking about inductive charging. No wires. No risk of electrocution. Just a pair of copper coils in the soles of her feet, and a matching pair inside a charging pad on the floor. Charging would be as simple as standing on the pad and waiting. It would be slower than wired charging, certainly. Not particularly efficient either. But the peace of mind makes it worth it.

Most estimates place the storage capacity of the human brain somewhere between ten and one hundred terabytes.

A convex electrophoretic display. Just like the one she’ll use for her charge indicator, but fitted perfectly to the contours of her faceplate. Her entire face would be a display surface.

Her name is Mariimo.

To me, marimo represent the beauty hidden in things that most would overlook.

If all goes according to plan, this faceplate is going to be the single most beautiful component I’ve ever created.

I hold this simple piece of copper coated fiberglass in my gloved hand, fresh out of a corrosive chemical bath, and I can’t help but think to myself: This is it. This is the scaffolding of a mind. I can’t even begin to describe that feeling.

Luckily, micro soldering is one of the few fine motor skills I’ve become really proficient in since the accident.

I should be happy. I’ll never need to work a day in my goddamn life. I’ve inherited a fortune. More arrives each month like clockwork. I live in a fucking mansion! I shouldn’t feel this way! But no. I’m afraid of people, I’m afraid to leave the house, and there’s not a single person in this world I can confide in.

The end result is that Mariimo will find an object that has moved in the past to be far more interesting than one that has always remained stationary. I think that’s true of most people as well, honestly.

Proprioception and balance are my next programming tasks. These sensory systems are so tightly linked that I’m going to have them share a network.

As long as her functioning isn’t severely impaired, I’d rather just let her be what she is. No resets.

Mariimo is currently experiencing all sensory information as meaningless nonsense. She has no frame of reference for anything. The best thing I can offer her right now is a simple, distraction-free environment where she can take the time she needs to understand her own body.

I should mention that she had been making direct eye contact from the moment I entered the room. In normal circumstances, I would find it deeply uncomfortable to reciprocate that kind of behavior. But it felt different with her, somehow.

I’m going to let her train in a more naturalistic fashion. Begin teaching her practical things, and let her pick up body language as a natural consequence.

I know I don’t talk much. I never really did, even as a child. But with the house so empty these past few years, there hasn’t really been that much need

I think we’re ready to give walking another shot. Journal Entry #138 Mariimo took her first steps today. I’m, uh... not really comfortable talking about it.

Mariimo has been exhibiting repetitive behaviors. Bumping into walls, patting her skin, swaying back and forth. I even caught her picking little bits of foam off the walls. She’s understimulated. I know that feeling. I can relate a little too strongly to that feeling...

So she wandered. I followed. She seemed to inspect the oddest things. Heat vents. Doorknobs. Wallpaper. Things I would have never given a second thought. She took an interest in the electrical outlets as well, but I discouraged that. I need to order some safety covers for those.

All I know is, she stared into that mirror for nearly two hours. Journal Entry #161 Oh, I forgot to mention! Mariimo is already charging upright on her own. She caught on exceptionally fast. She’s clever that way.

Then, about halfway through, without any warning, without any foreshadowing, the film hits you with a brutal car crash. Filmed from inside the car. There was no turning back at that point. All those horrific memories began flooding my skull. That awful screeching. The sudden impact. The shattering glass. The searing pain. Fuck me, I could practically smell the iron in my own blood. When I finally managed to snap out of it, I saw Mariimo huddled up on the far side of the couch. She looked so confused. Frightened, almost. She could barely bring herself to look at me.

On a subconscious level, Mariimo was literally a replacement for Ernie. I couldn’t see it at the time, but it’s obvious in retrospect. Ernie served the same purpose for both of us. A comfort object when we were alone. Before we found each other. Journal Entry #239 Why did I build Mariimo? What was my motivation, subconsciously? Was it emotional? Physical? Can the two even be separated fully?

Consciousness is a spectrum. It must be, right? There’s no way it’s a binary on-off situation. Almost nothing is. I mean, even falling asleep is a sort of semi-consciousness.

Journal Entry #246 Speaking of spectrums... I’m beginning to suspect I might be autistic. That would explain a lot.

Lol

Journal Entry #251 My patent application was approved. The one for the spray-on electrophoretic display. I had forgotten I even filed it. I’m not sure why I bothered. I have no idea what I’m even supposed to do with it.

Journal Entry #252 Today is the anniversary of the accident. It happened nine years ago, to the day. I dread this time of year. I wish I could forget the date, just so I wouldn’t have to deal with it anymore. But it’s etched permanently into my brain.

I miss her so much. Journal Entry #255 I’m switching Mariimo back on. I need her.