The first Mister Handy was introduced to the robotics market in 2037 by General Atomics International, as a general-purpose construction and maintenance unit. Used widely on both the American and Mexican markets (especially after the Mexico City earthquake of 2042), it was a rugged, reliable design. So reliable that it only received one major hardware update in 2039, to eliminate a bug causing interference in the operation of the multiple arms. The Calpower 238B nuclear power unit and self-maintenance modes were key to its success, ensuring each robot's longevity. To minimize maintenance overhead, each Mr. Handy was designed to perform its nuclear fuel replacement and radiation cleansing. Each unit could carry out maintenance and repairs on other units (it couldn't carry it out on itself).[1]
However, as rugged and reliable as the original Mr. Handy was, it was still a design rooted in the technology of the 2030s, with a compact computer brain that was incapable of learning or executing complex tasks without extensive programming. By the 2070s, it was an automaton surrounded by more advanced designs utilizing cutting edge neural networks. In order to maintain their market share, General Atomics entered into a joint venture with RobCo Industries, combining its talent with General Atomics' experience in robotics.[1][2][3] The resulting model was a sleek, elegant design capable of self-programming and initiative, more than making up for halving the number of arms to just three. Despite its sophistication, it was also cost-effective, making it the perfect domestic servant robot.[4][5] The success of this model resulted in the development of several additional models, including dedicated medical and military versions.[6] Sometime before the Great War, General Atomics International and RobCo wanted to upgrade their Mister Handy line by adding an additional hand alongside additional features.[7][8]
This particular model of Mister Handy, also seen in Fallout 4, has a chromed coating instead of having a more common white coloration as seen in previous iterations of Fallout. It also appears to have the more human-sounding voice module from Fallout 3, rather than the more robotic voice from Fallout: New Vegas.
Limbs and other parts of the Mister Handies will fall/break off when they take damage. This can reveal concealed parts in addition to making them virtually useless. Mister Handies and their other fellow robot brethren have three different weapons; two of them being ranged and the other a melee. It is possible to shoot the equipped weapon off and force them to switch weapons if one is using V.A.T.S.
A Mister Messenger is typically a darker color than the standard silver Mister Handy units. They are almost exclusively found during an event quest to deliver a message to a specific location. The player characters accompanying the Messenger must protect it until it arrives at its destination and can deliver its message.
“Alert, possible source of compostables available.”
The Mister Farmhands are, more or less, a standard Mister Handy model with a pale green paint job, with some variants being a dark brown. They are typically encountered on the roads from Vault 76 to Flatwoods, among other various areas in the Forest region. They can also be found, as their names might suggest, at a few local farms, and if participating in a successful farm event, Mister Farmhands will come to the aid of the player character. The Mister Farmhands at Orwell Orchards wear cloth hats.
A robot encountered through a few random encounters involving the player character winning the Appalachia Sweepstakes. He rewards the player character with different items depending on the area he is encountered, either Cram or bottlecaps in starting regions, or stacks of 100 pre-War money, or similarly valuable items like silver pocket watches around the more wealthy areas of Cranberry Bog, including on the outskirts of Watoga.
In the Bandit Bot random encounter, it would seem that an innocent Mister Handy robot asks the resident for help, and then demands something valuable, threatening to attack. Throwing away an item of low value, such as trash, will calm the robot. Then the robot will inform the resident to remove it. Refusal to throw out an item or unwillingness to leave will cause the robot to become hostile and attack.
Mister Handy met during the Save the Animals random encounter. He pleads with anyone who can hear him to assist with escorting his animals to Wixon homestead.
↑Tour guide: "Ready for the REPCONN tour, Rocketeers? Courtesy of the fine folks at RobCo, I'll be your guide today on the path of... Scientific. Discovery. In the lead-lined case behind me is a spent radioactive rod from of our old reactors. No need to stand too close, let's move along, shall we? Look here - a row of multi-colored plasma fuels! Careful, they may look safe to drink, but your stomach is the last place they should be. Why the difference in cylinder size? Refining our production methods has resulted in higher yields of fuel over time, that's why! To my right you can see a sample of some old "safety barrels" REPCONN once used to store radioactive waste. Perfectly safe. On my left is an example of a mountain of REPCONN safety barrels some legislators claim are poisoning our environment. Ridiculous. Behind me is our most recent rocket project, which we're keeping under our hats... until "launch," if you'll pardon the expression. And in front of me is a model - not actual size - of the launch dome we are using to send our rockets screeeeaming into orbit. Now these colorful fellows behind me are REPCONN's earliest... experiments in flight. Feel free to read the plaques and learn, Rocketeers! Now for the highlight of our tour! Due to a generous donation from RobCo, this next exhibit showcases the wondrous world of - robots! Around you are the incredible Eyebot, the fearsome Sentry Bot, and the always-helpful Mr. Handy. That helpfulness runs through our whole line!This is the final stop on our tour. This model of our solar system is a small example of where the partnership between RobCo and REPCONN hopes to go.See those little rockets zipping about? They are manned by robots, tirelessly looking for resources to mine on planets beyond our own.And that's it for our tour today, Rocketeers - RobCo and its tiny partner REPCONN thank you! Any further questions, please, feel free to ask." (Tour guide's dialogue)
↑Fallout 4 loading screens: "Created by General Atomics International as a domestic servant robot, Mister Handy is equipped with tools that can be used as weapons, if the need arises."
↑Fallout 76 loading screens: "The pride of General Atomics International, the Mister Handy was designed as the ultimate domestic servant. If needed, however, his various attachments can be used for defense."
↑Variants in Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, and Fallout 4.
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