The Irnh
Androids are not robots. They are sentient biocyborganic beings, with varying fractions of biologically grown wetware components, industrially manufactured hardware, and biocybernetic software, all grown and integrated at specialized factories around the planet. Form follows function:
A Bureaucrat android would be indistinguishable from a biological Irnh, with any hardware hidden beneath living skin. The Bureaucrat would have its own home, perhaps a fashionable City apartment in a building with a mix of biological and android Irnh. The Bureaucrat would shop for groceries and eat regular Irnh meals for sustenance and energy.
A Miner android would be very different, with a metalloceramic skin designed to protect the biological elements inside. The Miner would have specialized appendages for the particular kind of digging involved, and might never leave the mine area. The Miner, requiring more powerful energy supplies, would not eat, recharging their power cells by plugging directly into the energy grid.
Brains are dense biocyborganic computer units, located in the most protected part of the body. All androids have the same core programming, including the base requirement that any significant decision affecting others must be approved by a biological Irnh. This core also provides the socialization software that allowed every android to mix compatibly with the biological Irnh. Some androids have additional capacities and capabilities, as needed.
Irnh android consciousness comes from a combination of hardware, wetware, software and experience unique to each android. As such, their identity and thoughts cannot be copied, backed up or saved. Some crucial computational parts can be transferred to a new body, in the case of serious damage, but this has an impact on the whole being. When a crucial, irreplaceable computational component fails, the android will die.
Most Irnh androids eat and enjoy the same foods and drink as the biologicals; the android digestion system converts the food into sufficient power that other energy sources are not needed. This allowed these androids to mix easily in social settings. Higher clades, built for specialized and difficult work, such as a Miner, cannot process enough energy from food, and are typically not equipped with eating and digestion systems. All Irnh androids have the ability to plug into the power grid if desired, to recharge their energy cells as needed. For the higher clade androids, this is their only source of power.
All androids require several hours of daily regeneration akin to normal biological Irnh sleep. Regular scheduled maintenance is required, handled by Roboticists. Androids can shut down and turn Off when significant or delicate repairs are needed. This stops all consciousness, requiring someone else to reboot the Off android. Androids in the Off state can be stored for long period of times, needing only a trickle charge for power.
Where socially and functionally appropriate, genitalia are a factory-installed option. The Bureaucrat would be assigned a random gender prior to manufacture, to make it easier to mix within the social environment. Full and satisfying relationships between biological and android were quite common; Companion androids were built for this very purpose. Genitalia make little sense for the more industrial types, such as a Miner, although some sense of gender frequently emerges from the underlying wetware and software.
Names
Names come in four parts:
The occupation. This is the primary function of the android, where the the programming is focused. This is what the android was intended to do. A Physicker tends to the biologically ill. A Legalist deals with legal issues.
The clade. This is a number from 01 to 99. This is the rank of the sophistication of the programming installed in the android. Androids of the 01 clade are the closest in form to the biological Irnh, often mistaken for the biological. Androids of the 99th clade are just as intelligent, but are built for function and cannot be mistaken for the biological. The same core intelligence and sentience programming applies across all clades. The difference is that a lower clade android might have a wider set of specialized programming modules, to be able to move freely in an urban populace. A higher clade android, such as a Miner living at a mine site, might not have as wide a set of programming, such as that needed to run a household or to cook exotic recipes.
The two word moniker. This is the common, familiar name, used in most conversations. They are randomly generated at the factory, although they tend to be related to the intended occupation.
A checksum. This is used to verify the status of the biocybernetic systems. It can change over the course of existence of the android.
This pattern is mandated by Law.
The names can be long, such as "Bureaucrat 36-Logical-Process-1040". Common use ignores the occupation, clade and checksum, leaving just "Logical-Process" for all but the most formal occasions.
Lifespan
Irnh androids are durable and hardy. They are mortal, eventually ending from some mechanical failure.
Upper clade androids (70s-90s) are designed for difficult and dangerous jobs. They are built simply, with some redundancies, but are expected to be replaced, as needed. A Miner 95 might last twenty years, barring accident. A Domestic 85 might last forty before major parts fail. These androids require significant maintenance to reach their maximum lifespan.
Mid-clade androids (30s-60s) are designed for less dangerous environments. They are expected to last sixty to eighty years.
The lowest clades (01s-20s) are the most expensive and advanced. They are programmed for the most demanding and creative work. Given the investments required, they are constructed for longevity. Many of the early models of these androids reached the century mark. More modern varieties may expect a significantly longer lifespan.