Cyber-Altered Task Unit

Toot toot!

Cyber-Altered Task Units or simply abbreviated as CATs are a type of Imperial and AdMech UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) that resembles a bomb disposal robot with a giant-ass telescope for an eye. These overgrown toys are mechanical drones designed to perform simple tasks, like inorganic servitors. As such, they are akin to the Imperial version of a Tau Drone, just with a dumber A.I. and being unable to fly.

Overview

Programmed with a set of very simple instructions, they are occasionally used by the Adeptus Mechanicus and some chapters of the Adeptus Astartes as remote probes and retrieval units. Though they do not possess any biological components, their extremely limited programming means they are nowhere near the likes of the Legio Cybernetica, let alone full fledged A.I. like the Men of Iron; this therefore, prevents them from being *BLAM* by the more conservative branch of the AdMech.

The drones utilise a simple Vox circuit that traverses in a straight line and relays photographs and other relevant environmental data to the user. When the drone encounters an obstacle it can't negotiate, they rotate ten degrees and continue forward, repeating the process until it can move without impediment, like the M3 Roomba. Because of this, CATs are a risk-free way to have a disposable unit that can do recon with a low chance of getting caught due to its small profile. This makes them invaluable for Terminator teams during Space Hulk missions, as the tight corridors of a Hulk would enhance the risks for the Terminators of being jumped on. Having a CAT reduces the likelihood of the Terminator team from being ambushed by a significant percentage. It also makes them super, duper popular with the Navis Surveyors of the Imperial Navy Breachers to the point that these little buggers are their standard-issue spybots.

As of M42, CATs had been in service with both bodies for several centuries, or even millennia, although the Mechanicum and the Astartes prefer the versatility and expertise of a servitor or a Scout, respectively. Nevertheless, constructing CATs is a popular hobby for Mechanicus Adepts and Techmarines, who claim that the activity is a useful meditative exercise (READ: Playing actual battle bots more than anything productive), and CATs are frequently underfoot at any shrine to the Omnissiah. So yes, you heard us right, we weren't kidding when we say these things are overglorified toy robots to be duked out during free time.

Because of how useful it is, not to mention relatively cheap since we aren't dealing with the most complex computing system housed on top of two sets of small tractor treads, it is unknown why the Imperial Guard isn't given more of these things, since a logistical robot like this can be very useful for scouting, mine and bomb disposal, target spotting and communication. Given the sheer number of artillery the Guard field, as well as the men needed to operate them, having a small, risk-free, relatively cheap spotter drone like the CAT geolocating targets for artillery should be one of the best assets for the Imperial Guard. But alas, either GW forgot about it or the AdMech did in-universe.

On a more humorous note, some suspicious members of the Inquisition have observed that their creators seem to treat their CATs almost like pets, though the Mechanicum claims to be above such emotional attachments.