David Swinton

Growing up… during a natural disaster in the late 21^st century. After the icecaps melted from greenhouse gases, water has drowned entire cities, including Amsterdam, Venice, and New York City. Millions of people have lost their homes and are starving to death. This is why robots like David were invented. They are never hungry and do not consume resources beyond those needed to produce them.     

Living… with Monica and Henry Sinton who have a sick boy, Martin. They were devastated when Martin came down with the Sinclair virus and needed to be placed in suspended animation until a cure could be found. To help them cope with their despair, David joined their family. Although it took a while to warm up to him, the Sintons have taken David in as they would another son.                                                                          

Interests… exploring his feelings. David has intelligent behavioral circuits, using neurone-sequencing technology, that allow him to experience emotions like humans. For a robot like David, these feelings are pretty confusing. He likes the sensation of love, but he is not such a fan of his other emotions including insecurity, jealousy, and sorrow.

Challenge… dealing with sibling rivalry ever since Martin recovered from his illness. He thinks his mother loves Martin so much more than David because Martin is real. David heard his only hope is a Blue Fairy who can make him into a “real” boy. And when he becomes real, David envisions: “Mommy's going to read to me and tuck me in my bed and sing to me and listen to what I say and she will cuddle with me and tell me every day a hundred times a day that she loves me!

Personality… caring and tender. He is a loyal and loving friend – or son – to have. His emotions swing from sheer joy to deep sadness, but his sensitivity is truly endearing. Although he is a robot, David is more real than many humans.