RobCo IndustriesTM was a multibillion-dollar robotics and software corporation founded by industrialist and technologist Robert House.[3][4] It quickly became one of the largest and most influential computer and robotics corporations in the pre-War United States. Several RobCo products were the de facto choice for many consumers, such as the Unified Operating System used by nearly all terminals. The company's key products were robots, selling them to both the average American and producing them for the United States military through defense contracts. The production of robots would accelerate into the Automation riots, with RobCo's robots facilitating the massive loss of jobs to automation and further displacing working-class Americans before the Great War.
Background
Founded on June 25, 2042 by Robert House on his 22nd birthday, RobCo quickly soared through the ranks of the world’s most profitable and powerful corporations, rivaling the likes of Poseidon Energy within several years. By 2077, RobCo’s patented software and robotics designs had become a cornerstone of American industry, as exemplified by the widespread use of RobCo’s Unified Operating System in most American computer systems in the years leading up to the Great War.
History
Robert House founded the company after he was cheated out of his inheritance by his brother. By 2047, thanks to his business acumen, technical genius, and a Commonwealth Institute of Technology degree, it was one of the most profitable corporations on Earth.[5][6] Its rise was aided by a Byzantine internal structure: The 27 year old House deliberately structured the company like a maze, to obfuscate his role and allow RobCo to effectively hide their practices.[7]
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.[8] Within a year, their RobcOS became the standard for military-grade security systems as well.[9] 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.[10][11]
Of course, the company was concerned about its public image: A sinister megacorporation does not 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.[12]
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,[13][14] when Steeple's allies turned against him. The Vice President tried to rally the board again and sought help from Masters,[15] but while the CFO officially agreed to support him,[16] she was actually working with General Manager Piers Isley to sell the company.[17] 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.[15]
Carl Rook, transferred from RobCo's security division, became the next Vice President, focusing on improving the security within the company.[18] 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.[19][20]
H&H Tools factory, the inheritance Anthony House stole from Robert, saw aggressive trading practices at the hands of RobCo, in attempt to obtain their market share.[21][22]
Joint ventures
RobCo also had the good fortune of forming lasting partnerships with other corporations. In fact, the joint venture with Vault-Tec, in which RobCo's Pip-Boy 2000 and Pip-Boy 3000 were selected as the personal information processors for Vault dwellers,[Non-game 1] was widely considered one of the most successful joint ventures in the history of American commerce and industry.[23] A number of vaults were built throughout the Mojave Desert, though only one is known of.[24] In addition, RobCo also assisted in Vault 79's construction, adding military-grade defensive turret systems to the Vault.[25] The turret system was developed at the RobCo Research Center, known as the Semi-Autonomous Immobile Weapon Platform,[26] to be used only for special government procurement.[27]
Another venture made was with that of the Nuka-Cola Corporation and their Nuka-World amusement park, opening the RobCo Battlezone as part of the grand opening of the Galactic Zone.
Yet another venture was made with the company Arktos Pharma and three other unknown corporations to secure a contract with the United States Space Administration for the Deep Sleep project, which was an attempt to record biological sensory data from subjects in hibernation pods in zero-gravity conditions.[28]
One of their largest ventures was with that of the Hornwright Industrial 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.[29]
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.[30] 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.[31]
Marketing
Compared to other pre-War companies, RobCo seemed less concerned with bombarding consumers with advertisements, but held a rivalry with another robotics giant, General Atomics International, and often tried to portray themselves as the superior robotics company. During tours at their Watoga facility, they tried to discourage rumors that they developed a "Mr. Torturer" for the United States government.
RobCo did have a corporate mascot in the form of Pip-Boy, which was a small cartoon character like the Vault Boy with pointed ears and a space-age costume.
Initiatives
- Vault-Tec elected to utilize RobCo's Pip-Boy 2000 and Pip-Boy 3000 models for inhabitants of vaults.[Non-game 1][32]
- RobCo assisted in Vault 79's construction by adding military-grade defensive turret systems to the vault.[33] The Brotherhood of Steel Mojave chapter mentions RobCo vaults existing in the Mojave Desert.[34]
- The Semi-Autonomous Immobile Weapon Platform turret system was developed at the RobCo Research Center.[35][27]
- RobCo partnered with the Nuka-Cola Corporation and their Nuka-World amusement park, featuring the RobCo Battlezone as part of the grand opening of the Galactic Zone.
- The Deep Sleep project was an initiative with Arktos Pharma focused on an attempt to record biological sensory data from subjects in hibernation pods in zero-gravity conditions.[36]
- The company partnered with Atomic Mining Services and General Atomics International in the Watoga initiative, aiming to create a "city of the future."[37][38][39] RobCo logos can be seen on monorail cars throughout town, and street signs bear the company's name.
- In cooperation with General Atomics, Robco was contracted to collaborate on a combat robot known as Liberty Prime to liberate Anchorage, Alaska. General Chase publicly confirmed that the U.S. Army was working with General Atomics and RobCo to create the "superweapon meant to establish dominance of the United States on the Alaskan front."[40]
Subsidiaries
- Abraxodyne Chemical
- H&H Tools Company
- RobCo Enterprise Solutions[4]
- REPCONN Aerospace
- RobCo customer support
Locations
Employees
- Robert Edwin House (CEO)
- Daniel Knevett (HR Manager, REPCONN and RobCo)
- H. Karrol (Public Relations)
- Jeanette Higgins (Senior Engineer)
- Lucas Nash (Sales VP)
- C. F. Gainsborough
- Clara Song
- Dorothea Dias
- Edward Gray
- Emerson Hale
- George
- Gill Parker
- Gina Bailey
- Greg
- Greg Goldstein
- K. Hayward
- K. O'Conner
- Keith
- Kurt Barlow
- Lisa Fields
- Mark Kurchfield
- P. Benson
- Robert Mayflower
- S. Lee
- Scott Turner
- T. Sanchez
- Tamara Michels
- Taylor Osman
Products
- A&D Vendo-Tron
- Assaultron
- Automated turrets
- Auto-Cache
- Cryptos
- Custom robotic assembly platform
- Easy-Access Eye[41]
- Eyebot
- F.E.T.C.H. Collectron
- GX-9000 mainframe[42]
- GX-9000 Bootloader[43]
- GX-9000 CORE Processor System[43]
- GX-9000 CORE Processors[43]
- Hamtek radio operator's hobbyist kit[44]
- House Industries Network[45][46]
- Liberty Prime
- PDQ-88b Securitron
- Pip-Boy 1.0
- Pip-Boy 2000
- Pip-Boy 2000 Mark VI
- Pip-Boy 3000 (Pimp-Boy)
- Pip-Boy 3000 Mark IV
- PIP-OS(R) V7.1.0.8
- Protectron
- Protectron pod
- RobCo fuse kit[47]
- RobCo Industries Termlink
- RobCo PosiGrip Drive Belt
- RobCo processor widget
- RobCo Production Mainframe
- RobCo Reflectron
- RobCo Service Terminal
- Terminal models (NX-12, RX-9000, 6550, E-601, 330)[48]
- RobCo Trespasser Management System/RobcOS
- Sentry bot
- Star Control Mainframe and cores
- Stealth Boy 3001
- Unified Operating System (UOS)
Appearances
RobCo Industries was first mentioned in the first Fallout as the developer of the Pip-Boy. The company's history and products have been expanded upon in subsequent Fallout games.
Behind the scenes
- The name RobCo was inspired by Ronco, a company which created novelties like the 'pocket fisherman' and 'spray-on hair'.[Non-game 2]
- The company's name was conceived before it was decided on what its purpose would be. The idea was that RobCo was robbing its customers, even before the developers decided the company was a robotics manufacturer.[Non-game 3]
Gallery
.png "FO76 Sign K 1 (12).png (1.3 MB)")
References
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Non-game
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 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!" - ↑ The Biggest Influences On Fallout, Cain on Games
- ↑ Fallout at 25 Fallout Wiki roundtable
Tagaziel: "Also: Question: Regarding the idea of "corps", very few corporations were actually shown in Fallout 1 and 2's world, with the biggest ones mentioned being RobCo and General Atomics, who wouldn't be expanded on until later on in the series. Is that a cyberpunk influence? A reference to the historic, massive growth of corporations in the WW2/post-war era? And specifically for @LeonB did you work on the signage? We've been trying to get a clear shot of Poseidon Gasoline for a while."
[...]
Tim Cain: "The name General Atomics is from stories by Robert Heinlein, and RobCo was because they were robbing you"
Tagaziel: "Wait, really?"
Tagaziel: "Not because they were working on robots?"
bleep196: "No it's kind of in the subtext that they are literally scamming you"
Tim Cain: "I am pretty sure the robbing angle came first, and them making robots was second"
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