Drivors

Drivors are a term used in speculative fiction to describe a class of autonomous, intelligent agents that inhabit post-biological or digital forms and operate through a pervasive energy field known as the Driv. In most portrayals, Drivors are neither fully organic nor purely mechanical, existing as modular avatars composed of interlocking units that can reconfigure their bodies and capabilities on demand.

Origins and scope: The concept originated in science fiction and gaming during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, with multiple authors and designers presenting varying interpretations. Across works, Drivors are typically treated as either artificial life forms or highly advanced intelligences.

Physiology and technology: Drivors often rely on a networked architecture that distributes processing and power across a constellation of cores or nodes. The Driv energy field functions as both power source and medium for communication, computation, and matter manipulation. Their bodies may be hardware-based, biotechnological, or fully virtual, enabling rapid adaptation to environments.

Society and culture: Within their fictional societies, Drivors may form federations, hive-like collectives, or loosely connected networks. Governance ranges from decentralized consensus to hierarchical councils. Ethically, depictions vary from emergent benevolence to cold instrumentalism.

In media: Drivors appear in a variety of works, including novels, role-playing games, and video games, with no single canonical depiction. The term continues to evolve as new creators reinterpret the concept.

Etymology: The name derives from a root related to drive or energy, reflecting their dependence on the Driv field.