QREBS

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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.

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.

QREBS stands for:

  • Quality
  • Reliability
  • Efficiency
  • Burden
  • Safety

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 TL's. Such gradations are expressed as 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 Experimental is handmade by inventors excited about the potential of a new technology, usually one-of-a-kind, and often dangerous and unreliable. -2 Theoretical research and development item-invention. May not work. Unreliable. Far ahead of its time. Not mature technology.
2. Prototype Prototype is the first step before early mass production. There are perhaps a dozen examples of any one prototype. -1 Prototype of applied science research and development item. Somewhat ahead of its time. Immature technology.
3. Early Early is the first mass-produced design, before the technology has been completely refined. -1 Market test item in early manufacturing. Slightly ahead of its time. Premature technology.
4. Basic Basic is a cheaper, bulkier, less-featured version of the standard item. +/- 0 Early and older version of contemporary technology. May lack features normally expected by consumers. No frills item.
5. Standard Standard is the version with the expected features for the technology when it is mature and stable. +/- 0 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 Alternate is a rethinking of the application of technology, often emphasizing different results or outputs. +1 Manufactured item using different resources or components. Often in response to a shortage or boycott.
7. Improved Improved is the implementation of additional features. +1 Manufactured item in its next variation taking advantage of learned lessons and customer feedback.
8. Modified Modified is a specialized version created in response to specific needs. +2 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 Generic is an equivalent to the standard version produced at lower cost using higher tech level manufacturing capabilities. +2 Manufactured item that has become cheaper due to improved technology, production efficiency, manufacturing effectiveness, economies of scale, economies of density, etc.
10. Advanced Advanced has significant capabilities added. +3 Deluxe or luxury item, often with improved capabilities, ergonomics, or luxury prestige features.
11. Ultimate Ultimate implements significant improvements learned over the life cycle of the product. +4 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 Beyond Ultimate is a new technology. +5 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.

Technology Adoption Life Cycle

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

Technology Adoption Life Cycle
# Name Tech Lifecycle Use Status User Remarks
1. R & D Feasibility & Development Innovators / Experimenters More educated, more prosperous and more risk-oriented users.
2. Introduction Ascent / In vogue Early Adopters / Gamblers Younger, more educated, tended to be community leaders, less prosperous.
3. Growth Early Stabilization Early Majority / Maturity More conservative but open to new ideas, active in community and influence to neighbors.
4. Maturity Late Stabilization Late Majority / Maturity Older, less educated, fairly conservative and less socially active.
5. Decline Descent / Obsolescence Laggards / Saturation Very conservative, had little capital, oldest and least educated.
6. Obselete Replaced / Superseded Historical Preservationist Niche users with special interests or pastoral anti-technological luddites.

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 Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.
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