Would a bionic man 'need' to stretch their robotic limbs (in order to warm up)

[Naruzeldamaster]

So in my story I have a character who has three robotic limbs, these limbs are advanced enough that they mimic the real thing with a 90% accuracy, right down to feeling pain when they take damage.

In one scene one of the characters quite bluntly asks 'wait, why are you warming up' when they see him stretching. He is mildly amused by this question and replies with 'habit, mostly, plus I still get the dopamine and increased blood flow from my organic parts, further if I don't stretch my robotic limbs get stiff just like the real thing' which seems like a reasonable enough explanation for him to do it.

the bit about habit is an important thing, because he's a very regimented guy so even if he didn't 'need' to stretch those limbs before combat, he would feel awkward not doing so, and wouldn't be able to focus on the fight. I should also note that he only warms up during the moments before sparring matches, in proper combat (where his life is in danger) he doesn't have time to stretch and needs to focus on keeping his teammates alive.

 

[Saigonnus]

Force of habit? By rote? That would explain it well enough. I do suppose it would depend on how the bionic were constructed, whether it would actually be "necessary". If they use hydraulic fluid or something like that, it would indeed run more efficiently if "warm" than if it were "cold". If it uses blood, and the bionic arms were crafted of a material that absorbs heat, like metal, then that blood would lose some of its' efficiency to transmit body heat to those bionic extremities. Movement would improve that transmission, because it is flowing faster.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Force of habit? By rote? That would explain it well enough. I do suppose it would depend on how the bionic were constructed, whether it would actually be "necessary". If they use hydraulic fluid or something like that, it would indeed run more efficiently if "warm" than if it were "cold". If it uses blood, and the bionic arms were crafted of a material that absorbs heat, like metal, then that blood would lose some of its' efficiency to transmit body heat to those bionic extremities. Movement would improve that transmission, because it is flowing faster.

yeah I'm debating if the limbs use blood to lubricate or something similar to it that also functions as oil, the limbs actually 'grow' like flesh and bone would (though not so much for external damage like cuts and bruises since it's not like, alive alive, and obviously severe damage he'd have to replace the limb entirely) there's this one anime I watched where these mech pilots have an artificial blood that's closer to 'oil' (it's called linebarrels of iron, highly recommend) but functions like both and serves to connect the pilots to their mechs.

The limbs have 'muscles' and 'tendons' but obviously they're fabricated, never mind the 'extra' features he has installed. (He has a mini rocket factory in his arm at one point, that produces 'darts' similar to the ones the Mandolorian uses)

 

[pmmg]

I would accept force of habit. The dopamine bit is going too far into the weeds for me. He might even crack in metallic knuckles.

 

[SamazonE]

I think that The Bouncer is a good compromise between these elements of balance and poise. I think there is bionic scenario in it as well. They don’t fight hard, they fight soft, and they rescue the girl. Though, it is discovered she is bionic. So, they go on this mission, to save her, sacrificing their cred, but it was where she belonged. Though, they retrieve her anyhow, with this new forbidden knowledge.

 

[Prince of Spires]

Force of habit would do it for me. And my first thought was similar to Saigonnus that pre-heating elements would make them run smoother. Like oil running easier when it's warm making the whole thing move smoothly or a car engine run at peak efficiency when it's hot or F1 cars heating their tires.

There's also the side of preparing your mind to actually act fast. You can see this in esports, if you watch from the POV of a player. When starting a game they tend to move fast and click a lot of things not because it's always needed at the start, but to make sure that when it's needed, their mind is in "fast" mode. By warming up, they make sure they are 100% focussed and ready to move fast when needed.

 

[AnnaGoeldi]

I am having trouble understanding the concept of a robotic/bionic limb that is designed to feel pain. I mean if I could get rid of one feature to enhance performance in combat, it would be the ability to experience pain. The fact that it needs to warm up is less weird to me, or like a smaller technical flaw compared to the pain thing. But maybe there is a good reason why it feels pain and this is explained in the story.

 

[CupofJoe]

I can see having a pain feedback as being useful. It will be a gauge of how close to max you might be or what damage you are taking.
As long as there is a gate on the feedback so the pain does not become debilitating.

 

[Vaporo]

Real machines often need to warm up as well! The SR-71 would leak when it was on the ground because it was designed to fly at temperatures found at supersonic speeds. On a smaller scale, engines may not be maximally efficient until they've reached their operating temperature. In particular, Hydraulic fluids and lubricants become thick and slow-flowing when cold and can take some time to get moving again. I can imagine him needing to move his limbs to get his special medical-grade bionic oil warmed up. I can also tell you from personal experience that an engine left sitting for a long time will often struggle to start up again.

Perhaps his warm-up is also an opportunity to test his bionic components and make sure everything's working correctly. Plus, he's only partly mechanical. His remaining natural limb and other body parts will still need a normal warm-up.

 

[pmmg]

Maybe thats why my car keeps leaking fluids as well.

 

[pmmg]

I am having trouble understanding the concept of a robotic/bionic limb that is designed to feel pain. I mean if I could get rid of one feature to enhance performance in combat, it would be the ability to experience pain. The fact that it needs to warm up is less weird to me, or like a smaller technical flaw compared to the pain thing. But maybe there is a good reason why it feels pain and this is explained in the story.

I could see this as an either/or. There would be good reason to want the sensation of touch, and to not have it. If I was getting android parts, I would prefer all senses of touch...but maybe an on off switch wouldn't hurt.

 

[Prince of Spires]

Maybe thats why my car keeps leaking fluids as well.

It's designed to fly at supersonic speeds?