Description
RT-6M is a maintenance and repair droid, and a valuable addition to any crew. With the popularity of the BD units among explorers, the RT-M series was developed as a budget friendly technician droid to meet the mechanical needs of crews with limited space, where an astromech just couldn’t go. Standing at around 26 cm tall, about half the size of a standard BD unit, RT-6M can navigate the small, inhospitable spaces in and around complex machinery to conduct repairs on tiny, delicate systems. RT-6M is capable of operating as a standalone technician, as an assistant to organic mainteneers, or in conjunction with various maintenance droid types. Possessing a wide array of tools and sensors, RT-6M is capable of detecting, diagnosing, and fixing a variety of electromechanical issues. These tools and sensors include: cutting/welding laser, holo-projector, retractable arms, floodlight, mass spectrometer, scomp link, IR through UV sensor eye, wide band transmitter/receiver/scanner, and connection points for additional tool and/or sensor modules.
RT units have a friendly and charismatic disposition, they are curious of their surroundings and eager to tinker with whatever is nearby. After the collapse of their manufacturer and many years in the field, many RT units have developed some rascally behaviors, divergent from their base programming. They are known to collect various scraps and spare parts they find interesting or potentially useful, sometimes cobbling together crude mechanical trinkets using parts they’ve collected. These trinkets are rarely functional, but they will nevertheless proudly gift their work to their crewmates. If left with nothing to repair and nothing to tinker with, RT units may resort to making unwanted “repairs” to their surroundings. While this behavior caused most RT units to be phased out of commercial crews, many would find themselves as valued members of equally rascally crews.
The idea of RT-6M’s functionality is drawn from my own experiences as a mechanical engineer and a tinkerer, and from what I would want in a droid assistant for my own projects. As part companion droid, RT-6M’s personality takes inspiration from BD-1 but in addition to BD-1’s dog traits, RT-6M also has bird characteristics in that they are independent, curious, rascally, collects shiny objects, and likes to fiddle with things.
I’ve been a fan of Star Wars since I was 3 years old and it’s one of the main inspirations for me becoming an engineer, so any opportunity to combine my two favorite things; Star Wars and mechanical design, is always a fun challenge. I have been using various CAD programs, including Autodesk Inventor, for almost 10 years but this was my first time using Fusion, so it was a great learning experience too!