Grandma Robot Read Free Page A

You put
her to work and tell us what we need to do to make her
perfect.
    I do need to caution you to
remember to be careful how you talk to her. No more calling her it,
thing or creature. She can show emotions like humans so don’t hurt
her feelings. She smiles, cries, and looks sad.”
    Karen's face scrunched up. “Really?
Sounds more and more like a giant doll to me. I had a doll once
that wet her pants when I fed her a bottle.”
    Amy didn't find that particularly
amusing. “That won't happen with one of our robots. Don't try
forcing anything down Henie's mouth. She isn't able to intake so
there isn't anything to come out.”
    “That's good to know, but why do
robots have to have emotions to be able to do their jobs as maids?”
Karen scoffed.
    “Remember we're trying to make
them as lifelike as possible so only the owners know they are a
robot. We need her to fool visitors into thinking she's human,” Amy
explained.
    Amy was trying hard to make this
sound easier than Karen thought it was going to be. There had to be
problems Amy wasn't sharing. “Does she ever have an attitude
problem or refuse to do a job she's asks to do?”
    Amy shook her head. “No, she can
handle any situation concerning a household. That's what has been
programmed in her as a priority. You won't find any attitude when
you give an order. This robot will automatically obey and do the
task. What will be of interest to us is will she automatically do
tasks on her own without being told. That's what we'd like her to
do.”
    Karen still wasn't so sure. “You
will see to it a different outfit is sent with her if I take her?
That teenage girl look gets on my nerves. That isn't the way maids
are supposed to dress if you're going to try your sales pitch on
buyers.”
    “That's an accurate assumption. I
told you there's a spare outfit in the satchel already. How about
it, Karen? Will you help me? Try Henie for me,” Amy
pleaded.
    “Okay, just for you, I’ll do this
against my better judgment. How long do I have to keep
her?”
    “I'll be checking with you
occasionally to see how things are going. When you and I think the
kinks are worked out of Henie, I can bring her back to the lab.
This phase of the experiment shouldn't take more than four weeks.
You don't mind me coming out once in awhile to see how she
performs? I'll call first. I promise,” Amy assured her.
    “Fine, you know you're always
welcome at my house. In fact, I was going to invite you out anyway
to see where I'm living now. So enough of the sales pitch already.
Box her up,” Karen said.
    Amy laughed as she picked up a
journal from the table and handed it to Karen. “Henie doesn’t need
a box. She can ride in the car with you just like any other
passenger. Fortunately for you, she isn't the nervous type like
most humans would be. When she experiences for the first time how
you drive, she won't get the least upset. Just don't ask her for an
opinion of your driving or your housekeeping. She's programmed to
be honest.”
    Karen pretended offense at Amy's
remarks. “Really! All right, enough already. Making all these
aspersions about my failings aren't funny. You're living
dangerously for someone who needs a big favor from a friend.” Karen
peered at the journal Amy had stuffed in her hand. “What’s this
book for?”
    Amy took Karen by the elbow. “Let's
walk to your car as we talk. Come along, Henie. Pick up your
satchel and follow us.
    The journal is for the experiment's
documentation. Make a daily entry about the robot’s performance
each day. Any suggestions you can think of to help us make her
perform better will be helpful. How to make her more presentable to
the customers. Anything else you'd like to see done to make her
more sales proof will be great.”
    Karen snapped, “Great! Just what I
needed, paperwork. Anything else I need to know about this
experiment you have failed to tell me until after I
agreed?”
    Amy stopped with Karen by the car
in the parking lot.