QREBS

QREBS is a technological acronym describing the values of Quality, Reliability, Efficiency, Burden, and Safety for any manufactured object found within Charted Space.

• Objects vary widely in quality and usefulness. This variation gives seemingly identical objects a variety of positive and negative attributes. The QREBS system details these differences.

---

Please see the following AAB Library Data articles for more information:

• Technology
  • Technological Research
    • Ancients Foundation
    • Biotechnology
    • Imperial Research Station
    • Technology Incubator
  • Technological Systemics
    • Accelerating Tech Level
    • QREBS
    • Tech Age
    • Tech Eon
    • Tech Epoch
    • Tech Era
    • Tech Level Comparison Chart
    • Tech Period
    • Technology Level
    • Three Prime Technologies
    • Universal Technological Profile

---

Description (Specifications)

Long ago, the Imperial Naval Depot System worked out means for not only classifying the technological levels of manufactured goods, and standard codes to name an object, but also the other qualities and characteristics of any manufactured item. This system, the QREBS System is used throughout the Third Imperium and beyond.

Manufacturing Quality Basic Parameters

QREBS stands for:

• Quality
• Reliability
• Efficiency
• Burden
• Safety

Technology Adoption Life Cycle

After millennia of study, sophont technology adoption and development is known to regularly follow stages under most conditions.

• This is a long-term, generalized cycle of technological development, adoption, and consumer use.

Technology Adoption Life Cycle
#	Name	Tech Lifecycle	Use Status	User	Remarks
1.	R & D	Feasibility & Development	Not in use	Innovators / Experimenters	More educated, more prosperous and more risk-oriented users.
2.	Introduction	Ascent / In vogue	In rare use	Early Adopters / Gamblers	Younger, more educated, tended to be community leaders, less prosperous.
3.	Growth	Early Stabilization	In general use	Early Majority / Maturity	More traditional but open to new ideas, active in community and influence to neighbors.
4.	Maturity	Late Stabilization	In general use	Late Majority / Maturity	Older, less educated, fairly traditional and less socially active.
5.	Decline	Descent / Obsolescence	In rare use	Laggards / Saturation	Very traditional, has little capital, oldest and least educated.
6.	Obselete	Replaced / Superseded	Not in use	Historical Preservationist	Niche users with special interests, hobbyists, pastoral anti-technological luddites, etc.

History & Background (Dossier)

Tech Level Stages: A Tech Level shows devices that an industry with available tools can manufacture, maintain, and use. Tech Levels are an inexact approximation: they shade into earlier and later TLs. Such gradations are expressed as Stages.

Technology Level Stages

Tech Level Stages describe locations in the long term cycle of technological development. For example:

Technology Level Stages
#	Stage	Definition	TL Mod	Remarks (Timeliness)
1.	Experimental Technology	Experimental is handmade by inventors excited about the potential of a new technology, usually one-of-a-kind, and often dangerous and unreliable.	-2	Not mature technology. Theoretical research and development item-invention. May not work well. Unreliable. Far ahead of its time.
2.	Prototype Technology	Prototype is the first step before early mass production. There are perhaps a dozen examples of any one prototype.	-1	Immature technology. Prototype of applied science research and development item. Somewhat ahead of its time.
3.	Early Technology	Early is the first mass-produced design, before the technology has been completely refined.	-1	Premature technology. Market test item in early manufacturing. Slightly ahead of its time.
4.	Basic Technology	Basic is a cheaper, bulkier, less-featured version of the standard item.	+/- 0	Early technology. Early and older version of contemporary technology. May lack features normally expected by consumers. No frills item.
5.	Standard Technology	Standard is the version with the expected features for the technology when it is mature and stable.	+/- 0	Developed technology. Newer and more miniaturized version of contemporary technology. Has all of the standard bells and whistles. May be missing advanced or luxury features.
6.	Alternate Technology	Alternate is a rethinking of the application of technology, often emphasizing different results or outputs.	+1	Alternate technology. Manufactured item using different resources or components. Often in response to a shortage or boycott.
7.	Improved Technology	Improved is the implementation of additional features.	+1	Improved technology. Manufactured item in its next variation taking advantage of learned lessons and customer feedback.
8.	Modified Technology	Modified is a specialized version created in response to specific needs.	+2	Modified technology. Manufactured item that has become more specialized to suit what is often a niche market or specialized end user. New application of applied technology. Economy of scope.
9.	Generic Technology	Generic is an equivalent to the standard version produced at lower cost using higher tech level manufacturing capabilities.	+2	Generic technology. Manufactured item that has become cheaper due to improved technology, production efficiency, manufacturing effectiveness, economies of scale, economies of density, etc.
10.	Advanced Technology	Advanced has significant capabilities added.	+3	Advanced technology. Deluxe or luxury item, often with improved capabilities, ergonomics, or luxury prestige features.
11.	Ultimate Technology	Ultimate implements significant improvements learned over the life cycle of the product.	+4	Ultimate technology. The ultimate technological evolution of an item taking advantage of long periods of use and development. Last possible stage before a new technology supersedes it.
12.	Beyond Ultimate Technology	Beyond Ultimate is a new technology.	+5	Beyond Ultimate technology. These items are more capable than the technology of the user society can independently produce or understand. This may be a reverse engineered artifact from a more advanced society. Far ahead of its time. Not mature technology. Will soon become an experimental item (Stage #1.) as the adopting society attempts to learn from it. Potentially very dangerous.

References & Contributors (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Marc Miller. T5 Core Rules (Far Future Enterprises, 2013), 190-196.
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science