Synthetic Automatons, or the SAM series, are artificial humans that were originally created for long missions in deep space. They are primarily synthetic with some vatgrown tissue to complement the technology, such as muscle tissue for the more delicate jobs and some brain tissue for self-determining functions. Although they appear human, closer inspection reveals they are anything but; the skin is too smooth and lacks pores or hair, the eyes are fixed and do not dilate, and they do not sweat or breathe. But unless you get right up close and personal with the machine, it looks like the real thing.