The Positronic brain is a robotic technology in Isaac Asimov's Robot series.
Description[]
The positronic brain is the fundamental computational unit governing robotic thought and behavior throughout the known galaxy.
Invented on Earth by Dr. Susan Calvin and manufactured by U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men, the positronic brain represents the pinnacle of robotic engineering. Its most critical feature is the irreversible incorporation of the Three Laws of Robotics directly into its fundamental circuitry, making these laws mathematically inseparable from its operation. The complexity of designing these brains is such that each model requires extensive mathematical modeling, with no two brains being exactly identical due to quantum uncertainty principles.
The technology was perfected in the Outer Worlds, where roboticists like Han Fastolfe on Aurora pioneered increasingly advanced models, culminating in humaniform robots capable of near-human appearance and behavior. The analysis of such brains falls under the expertise of specialized robotists, and the technology remains the foundation of all robotic operations, from industrial machines to advanced humanoid assistants. The absolute requirement of the Three Laws makes the murder of a human by a properly functioning robot a mathematical impossibility, a fundamental truth that shapes human-robot relations across all worlds.