Okay, this is some major hair-splitting, and it's probably been asked before but I couldn't find an answer using the "search" feature.

When characters occupy the same square as an object, are they still considered adjacent to the object?

e.g. could a character stand on the Force Field generator and user barrier, or does he instead have to be in one of the 8 squares adjacent to the square the generator occupies?

The rules define characters as being adjacent by when they occupy adjacent squares, but doesn't mention if a character and object in the same square would be considered adjacent:

Adjacent Squares
Adjacent squares are squares on the map that touch a particular square,
including squares on the diagonal from that square. This means that most
squares have four adjacent squares on their sides and four adjacent squares
on their diagonals, as shown in Figure 4.
Characters occupying adjacent squares are adjacent to one another, as
shown in Figure 5. Characters and squares on opposite sides of walls or on
different elevations (see Terrain, p. 10) are not adjacent.

Specifically, I'm wondering if a character standing on the Force Field generator could still use it - that way protecting himself and the generator at the same time.

Force Field Generator:
This object allows an adjacent character to use Barrier as if the character had a range value of 0.

If this object is destroyed, any barrier terrain markers placed using Barrier granted by this object are removed from the game.

Objects under a character are not adjacent.

Check the nanobots ruling for clarification. Adjacent means NEXT TO, not UNDER. That's right...you can't use nanobots on an object underneath your character.

Confirming that being ON an object is NOT adjacent.

You have to be in one of the surrounding 8 squares.

thanks for the responses - I wasn't sure if I was being too "technical"