Hostility detector

The stockmarket is looking bullish today.

In response to the arrival of the Maximals and the Predacons on Gaia, Drill Nuts created the hostility detector (憎しみ探知機 nikushimi tanchiki) so that he could use it to gauge whether any particular newcomer was a danger to the Insectrons or not. He ended up making two versions, both resembling an insect's head but with different antennae: the first version sports two regular antennae and its replacement features a stem topped by four twitchy "fingers".

Fiction

Beast Wars II cartoon

"Uh oh, my external spider sense is tingling!"

Drill Nuts demonstrated the hostility detector to Scissor Boy and Powerhug, but his invention's usefulness was brought into question by a succession of misreadings. First, the detector read Scissor Boy's skepticism as hostility. Then it didn't detect any hostility from Starscream and BB because rather than meaning to fight the Insectrons themselves, the duo tricked the trio into fighting the Maximals. The hostility detector made that scheme easier, because thirdly, it quantified Bighorn's aggression as infinite, which convinced the Insectrons to fight them. The Insectrons retreated when the Combatrons attacked both groups and Drill Nuts went to work on an improved, second version of his hostility detector. Friend or Foe? The Insect Robos Drill Nuts continued fiddling with the second hostility detector, implanting it with data on the Autorollers to specifically locate them. He took the detector with him when he and Powerhug went hunting for their enemies, but it initially and uselessly led them to Starscream and BB flying overhead. It was a while after that that the detector actually helped them track down the Autorollers. The success made Drill Nuts very proud of his masterpiece. Danger! Scissor Boy Drill Nuts may or may not have been inspired to improve on his original hostility detector some time later. Predacon General Offensive!