Aichan

An 'aichan' is a baby ai from birth in the Star Anchors through Download to Walkabout. After walkabout the aichan becomes an aigo. Aichans are downloaded into humanoid biomechanical child-bodies about a metre high and thickly coated with beige sponge. This is because their motor control takes a long time ot develop, and having tank-sized aichans carroming about the place is a bad idea. During the aichan phase they are learning intensely about the material world of motion and vision, touch, taste, coordination and timing, They are also getting their first taste of social interactions, and of experience with their own emotions. Immediately after download a very young aichan may remain bonded to its aichilder for some time, maybe even years, but it slowly gathers the confidence to freerun with its human childer. It takes on average fifty or so years for an aichan to levelup to aigo. The Sol-class aichans invented by Tira in 2688 are, however, able to take on aigo status from the age of fifteen or so.