Inaugurated by Professor Kayo Yonezawa in 814 A.S. in New Tokyo Institute of Technology, the project held the goal of developing an automated system for cargo delivery over long distances. With a joint partnership that lasted over a decade between the University and the capital of private contractors, the culmination of the project resulted in the production of a prototype - the HANA.
Baptized with the shortened version of it's designation - Hauler Navigator Array - the system, once installed within an adapted vessel, completely overrided it's controls, acting via a set of pre-programmed routines. With several iterations being tested, the system quickly proved capable of traversing trade-lanes, executing docking and cargo loading procedures, and is even respond to very basic vocal commands, providing easy access to those who interacted with it.
The system, however, was far from autonomous. Due to it's complex nature, a large remote data center was necessary for the diagnostics and upkeep of its capacities. While having a legal codex registered into it's matrix rendered it incapable of acting in unlawful ways, a close eye had to be kept - if not to avoid irregularities to do so from prying eyes.
Eventually Samura Industries acquired legal rights over the project, which allowed the team to relocate to better offices within the Tokodai. The offer, made by the Director herself, was accepted in no time.
Project Advancement:
Samura's acquisition of the system proved remarkably significant to it's improvement: During the first month that followed, more test cases and events were faced than ever before. Combined with a high delivery success rate, low life insurance costs and tensions rising on Kusari's borders, HANA's project budget quickly rose - and bigger opportunities came with.
First, in order to solve the issue of needing bigger databanks, a lighter, more independent version of HANA was released to be installed on Samura's transports. Called the HANAMachi Release, this quickly became a valuable aid in calculating routes and aiding astronavigation - at the same time creating a network of independent systems that complemented each other.
This change made possible to fix a weakspot in the original design - ship-to-ship communication. While direct control of HANA vessels remained impossible, borrowing strength from nearby ships and stations allowed the original system to send much more detailed information home, in a faster, up to speed way. This made it possible that the team settled on New Tokyo established communications in real time with third parties near HANA, highly enhancing communication efficiency.
Second, the project budget allowed the weaponization of the original system. Initially done in the mining division, the upgrade quickly made it's way into a bigger vessel. Replacing the original Ryuujin chassis by an Akegata with reinforced hull, HANA soon became ready to truly go where others had no desire to - and the Sigma conflict eruption only served to prove it's validity.
Director:
Having taught robotics at Tōkyō Kōgyō Daigaku for well over a decade now, Professor Kayo Yonezawa is directly responsible from everything connected to the HANA project - from it's conception to it's recent application and management. More than used to her current occupation, she leads her team in an ever kept good mood. Although some of her peers consider her views naive or unorthodox at times, most are put off by her success rates before making any unsavory remarks.
Natural to Planet Junyo, Yonezawa's simple origins meant she could only count on her own results to reach more than her family could ever afford. As such, her path was paved only by her own excellence, in fields such as robotics and software development, and remarkable dedication. Having reached further than anyone else seemingly ever presumed she was capable of, she sports an ever present smile and positive energy - even when wearing the dreaded business suit required of her with an ever increasing frequency.
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