Where live canaries have been driven extinct or are otherwise unavailable, mechanaries are used to detect dangerous levels of gasses in mines so that miners are protected. The added benefit of the mechanary is that it detects and notifies workers or employers of dangerous conditions by singing a mechanical melody instead of falling over dead, allowing it to be used repeatedly and saving the effort of having to procure additional canaries as mining operations expand. Creators of significant skill have been able to augment mechanaries to allow them to detect not only elements in the environment but also subtle diseases or afflictions of the body and even the mind. Such mechanaries are highly valuable and can sell for thousands of gold pieces to wealthy buyers who will pay any price to potentially extend their longevity.
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Mechanary is a creation of Kojima Matsumi.