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Did you know that the Vault-Tec/RobCo partnership is considered the most successful venture in the history of American industry?
”— Vault 101 PA systemRobCo Industries was a multi-billion dollar robotics and software corporation in the pre-War United States, responsible for a broad line of robots, weapons, software, and computers that formed the backbone of American industry.
Background
The company was founded in 2042 by Robert House after he was cheated out of his inheritance by his brother. By 2047, the now 27 year old Commonwealth Institute of Technology graduate managed to make it one of the most profitable corporations on Earth, thanks to his business acumen and technical genius.[1][2] Robert deliberately structured the company like a maze, to obfuscate his role and allow RobCo to effectively hide their practices.[3]
The company's aggressive expansion policies coupled with the high quality of their products have given it a practical monopoly in crucial segments of the software market. By 2075, their Unified Operating System, MF Boot Agent, and RETROS BIOS were the de facto industry standard for terminals and mainframes across the 13 Commonwealths.[4] Within a year, their RobcOS became the standard for military-grade security systems as well.[5] Their broad range of robots, including the Eyebot, Protectron, and sentry bot lines were one of the most common types of robotics before the War, rivaled only by General Atomics International's own product lines. In certain fields, however, RobCo was unmatched. One of those was Robert Mayflower's Stealth Boy, reverse engineered sometime between 2066 and 2077 from captured Chinese technology.[6][7]
Of course, the company was concerned about its public image: A sinister megacorporation doesn't inspire confidence or loyalty. To educate the public and make it friendlier to the American consumer, RobCo invested in exhibits and intense public relations campaigns, like the joint RobCo/General Atomics exposition at the Museum of Technology.[8]
Hostile takeovers
The company was known to acquire valuable assets through any means necessary. One such asset was REPCONN Aerospace. RobCo acquired the company after a year of buying shares from 2075 to 2076,[9][10] when Steeple's allies turned against him. The Vice President tried to rally the board again and sought help from Masters,[11] but while the CFO officially agreed to support him,[12] she was actually working with General Manager Piers Isley to sell the company.[13] Citing the profit of a merger with RobCo (not to mention avoiding a hostile takeover and a much less amicable transition), Isley and Masters managed to undermine Steeple's position in the company and get the board of directors to pass a vote of no confidence against Steeple, after he refused to even consider selling his part of the company, in order to maintain their independence and integrity. Failing the vote, Steeple stepped down from his position as Vice President.[11]
Carl Rook, transferred from RobCo's security division, became the next Vice President, focusing on improving the security within the company.[14] Robert House, CEO of RobCo, used the newly acquired company for a weapons research program for Colonel Moretti of the US military, repurposing REPCONN's proprietary plasma rocket propulsion system.[15][16]
Of course, some companies weren't taken over. Some were destroyed: H&H Tools Factory, the inheritance Anthony House stole from Robert, was destroyed on the stock market by aggressive trading practices, as an act of vengeance.[17][18]
Joint ventures
RobCo also had the good fortune of forming lasting partnerships with other corporations. In fact, the joint venture with Vault-Tec Industries, in which RobCo's PIP-Boy 2000 and PIP-Boy 3000 were selected as the personal information processors for Vault dwellers,[19] was widely considered one of the most successful joint ventures in the history of American commerce and industry.[20] A number of vaults were built throughout the Mojave Desert, though only one is known of.[21]
Another venture made was with that of the Nuka-Cola Corporation and their Nuka-World amusement park, opening the RobCo Battlezone[22] as part of the grand opening of the Galactic Zone.
One of their largest ventures was with that of the Hornwright Industrial Mining Company and Atomic Mining Services in order to bulldoze and take land from many residents of the Cranberry Bog, specifically Watoga National Park, and replace it with a fully automated city of the future, with the RobCo facility nearby providing them with jobs and advanced technologies.[23]
Perhaps their most prestigious joint venture was military contract 38917. In cooperation with General Atomics International, Robco was contracted to collaborate on an unprecedented joint project: The creation of the most powerful combat robot in the history of warfare, to liberate Anchorage, Alaska from Chinese occupation in a display of power meant to demoralize the enemy and force them into submission. The project was meant to serve both military and propaganda needs. The former dictated the capacity, the latter the design: In the words of General Constantine Chase, initiator of the project, Liberty Prime was to embody the American military: A walking, talking, nuke-tossing hero reminding enemies of the U.S. that they picked a fight with a global superpower.[24] Confident that the project would soon yield result, General Chase publicly confirmed in June 2072 that the U.S. Army was working with General Atomics and RobCo to create a superweapon meant to establish dominance of the United States on the Alaskan front.[25]
Products
- Assaultron[26]
- Pip-Boy 1.0
- Pip-Boy 2000
- Pip-Boy 2000 Mark VI
- Pip-Boy 3000
- Pip-Boy 3000 Mark IV
- Pimp-Boy 3 Billion
- Stealth Boy
- Protectron
- Protect-O-Bot[27]
- Eyebot[28]
- Sentry bot[29]
- Mister Handy[30]
- Liberty Prime (with General Atomics International)
- RobCo Reflectron
- PDQ-88b Securitron
Lil' Pip 3000- PIP-Pad
Software
- RobcOS
- RobCo Service Terminal
- RobCo Trespasser Management System
- Standard Protectron Control Interface
- Unified Operating System (UOS)
Publications
Known facilities
- Graygarden (Massachusetts)
- H&H Tool Factory (Nevada)
- H&H Tool warehouse (Nevada)
- RobCo Battlezone (Nuka-World, Massachusetts)
- RobCo facility (Virginia)
- RobCo Research Center (West Virginia)
- REPCONN test site (Nevada)
- REPCONN headquarters (Nevada)
References
- ↑ The Courier: "Who exactly are you, Mr. House?"
Robert House: "I am Robert Edwin House, President, CEO, and sole proprietor of the New Vegas Strip. I oversaw the city's renovations starting from 2274 onward. The Three Families are my employees. Before the Great War of 2077, I was the founder, President and CEO of RobCo Industries, a vast computer and robotics corporation."
(Robert House's dialogue) - ↑ A tragedy has befallen all mankind
- ↑ H&H Tools Factory terminals; Terminal, E-mail from Jenny DeSoto
- ↑ Terminal commands
- ↑ Museum of Technology terminals; Turret Control System, System Information
- ↑ Fallout & Fallout 2 Item description: "{5400}{}{Stealth Boy}"
"{5401}{}{A RobCo Stealth Boy 3001 personal stealth device. Generates a modulating field that transmits the reflected light from one side of an object to the other.}"
(PRO ITEM.MSG (Fallout), PRO ITEM.MSG (Fallout 2)) - ↑ Museum of Technology placard: "This is the RobCo "Stealth Boy" Model 3001 Personal Stealth Device. Developed by Robert Mayflower, the Stealth Boy generates a modulating field that transmits the reflected light from one side of an object to the other making the bearer almost invisible to the untrained eye."
- ↑ Museum of Technology terminals; Museum Information, Robotics Exhibits
- ↑ The Courier: "REPCONN's history."
Tour guide: "REPCONN's illustrious history began way back in 2054, shortly after the famous Delta XI rocket was completed and launched. REPCONN's initial focus was on the development of fuel to be used in orbital propulsion in response to the energy crisis of 2052. Sad times, indeed. The company really took off when RobCo purchased REPCONN in late 2076 to develop unmanned rockets to explore the solar system."
(Tour guide's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Tell me about RobCo."
Tour guide: "RobCo industries purchased REPCONN in 2075 to assist with some of RobCo's military projects, as well as developing unmanned space exploration. The relationship between RobCo and REPCONN is mutually beneficial, and we hope that both companies bolster each other well into the next century."
(Tour guide's dialogue) - ↑ 11.0 11.1 REPCONN headquarters terminals; Terminal, Inter-office Correspondence #3262173
- ↑ REPCONN headquarters terminals; Terminal, Inter-office Correspondence #3262178
- ↑ REPCONN headquarters terminals; Terminal, Inter-office Correspondence #3262719
- ↑ REPCONN headquarters terminals; Terminal, Inter-office Correspondence #345776
- ↑ REPCONN headquarters terminals; Terminal, Inter-office Correspondence #3458631
- ↑ Arcade Gannon: "I've read about REPCONN. I think they did some work with the... the government before the war. Rockets and some energy weapon prototypes, I think."
(Arcade Gannon's dialogue) - ↑ H&H Tools Factory terminals; Terminal, E-Mail from Alan Dalton
- ↑ H&H Tools Factory terminals; Terminal, E-mail from Alan Dalton
- ↑ Vault Dweller's Survival Guide p.4-20—4-21: "ROBCO PIPBOY 2000"
"To help Vault Dwellers record information (and information is extremely valuable, in fact, it might be the most valuable weapon we have against the end of civilization, so pay attention!), Vault-Tec has selected the RobCo Industries RobCo PIPBoy 2000 as the Personal Information Processor of choice for its Vault Dwellers."
"The RobCo PIPBoy 2000 (hereafter called the PIPBoy), is a handy device that you wear on your wrist. It’s small, especially by today’s standards, and it will store a goodly amount of information for you. And using modern super-deluxe resolution graphics to boot!" - ↑ Vault 101 PA system: ""Did you know -- the Vault-Tec/RobCo partnership is considered the most successful joint venture in the history of American industry?""
- ↑ Hidden Valley bunker terminals#Journal Entry 747
- ↑ See page for details
- ↑ See Watoga for details.
- ↑ Citadel terminals; Liberty Prime Operation, Project Summary
- ↑ Citadel terminals; Liberty Prime Operation, Capital Post Article -- June 3, 2072
- ↑ Fallout 4 loading screen hints: "The Assaultron robot was constructed by RobCo and sold to the U.S. 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."
- ↑ REPCONN headquarters placard: ""It's Got Wheels!""
"Some folks have asked - why not a Protectron with wheels? RobCo wasn't afraid to answer that question: The Protect-O-Bot is theanswer.
While safety standards prevented this free-wheeling dynamo from entering mass market production despite RobCo's best intentions and teams of lawyers, we take consolation in letting you see this extremely well-funded experiment as it was intended - a robot moving so fast it looks like it's standing still!"
"Exhibit Brought to You By Your Friends at RobCo." - ↑ REPCONN headquarters placard: ""The 'I' in 'Eyebot.'""
"RobCo's always had an eye for robotics, and this little fellow is no different! This robotic marvel can not only recognize your face and voice with advanced facial and auditory recognition technology, it can also broadcast video and audio as well! Think of it - all the sights and sounds of your radio and TV in your living room at home blasted directly at you on the street, subway, bathroom, or wherever you may be! Never fear, you'll never miss a news bulletin or presidential address again, no matter where you are!"
"Exhibit Brought to You By Your Friends at RobCo." - ↑ REPCONN headquarters placard: ""Watch Your Step!""
"Whoa, watch your step! You don't want to be facing this fearsome fellow if you accidentally stumble into a restricted area. Whether sporting the latest in duel miniguns, rockets, or laser cannons, the Sentrybot not only takes it job seriously, it also takes no prisoners! It's proof of RobCo's commitment to defense that these deadly guards are concealed in chambers throughout this facility, so let this be a warning: Watch where you step, or out'll come RobCo, guns blazing!"
"Exhibit Brought to You By Your Friends at RobCo." - ↑ REPCONN headquarters placard: ""The 'Hand' in Handy""
"You never can have too many hands - three, why not four? That was RobCo's inspiration behind the popular (and cost-effective) Mr. Handy model, the first of the line shown here. Always a help around the household, whether with Mom in the kitchen using its titanium circular power saw or in the garage with Dad using its armor-piercing laser array, Mr. Handy is not just helpful... he's your friend, too."
"Exhibit Brought to You By Your Friends at RobCo."
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