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Cybernetics[]

Don't like your outdated, obsolete stock anatomy? Just replace it with a whole whack of aftermarket parts- this is the marvel of Cybernetics! Cybernetics began life as simple, clunky-yet-functional limb replacements for amputees. Once the technology was perfected and it was the human body was much more modular in it's construction than first thought, commercial cybernetics took off- it may seem weird, but once some people got wind of amputees sporting boss mechanical arms and legs in place of their old extremities, surgical wards were flushed with wannabe cyborgs, all waiting in line for their boss new aftermarket bits.

Nowadays, some Cybernetic parts can be bought off the shelf, injected as nanotech that assembles itself internally and integrates itself in the patient's sleep; enhancements such as Hand-Eye Synchros, Anti-Radiation Dermis and the ever popular Gecko-Grip climbing pads can all be installed with relative ease. Other, more drastic augmentations still require surgery to install, but even so, such procedures rarely last more than an hour or two and have a success rate approaching 95%. Such augmentations include Internal Firearm Systems, Subdermal Armor Plating and Neural-Linked Decks.

Hand-Eye Synchros[]

Conventional neuro-science shows that had-eye coordination happens when input from the eye is sent to the brain, analyzed, and the results are sent to the hands for action; the invention of Hand-Eye Synchros has greatly improved this neural pathway and has opened the door to both greater dexterity in the now and the possibility of enhanced neural networks in the future.

Hand-Eye Synchros function by implanting small "way-point" chips in the user's body, typically near the frontal lobe, but the location of the chip itself is not crucial to its function. The chip is then connected to three areas: to the main nerves in the hand and arm, to the cerebral cortex, and to the back of the optic nerve near the brain. The chip receives all optical data before the brain does and, based off of data received from the cerebral cortex, can compute when it is necessary to intercept all optical data. When data is indeed intercepted, it is re-routed to the areas of the brain necessary for basic sight-based function; however, all data processing in terms of coordination is from then on handled by the chip itself. As calculations are made, movement data is sent to the hands and arms, which then carry our their natural function of movement. More expensive systems can be implanted into the legs and torso for increased mobility, with the most expensive models now capable of replacing 82% of all coordinative functions.

Because this neural chip is both much more quick and accurate at processing information, a person with Hand-Eye Synchro implants can both react and, in some instances, move faster than anyone without.

Anti-Radiation Dermis[]

In the modern age, radiation can come from a number of places and for a number of reasons outside of warfare or sectarian violence; many choose to have anti-radiation implants nano-surgically grafted onto the skin. These implants make the skin almost impervious to most common forms of radiation and resistant to many uncommon forms, such as thermo-nuclear.

These implants, after a small period of time ranging from one week to one month, meld with the user's dermis, resulting in skin that grows the implants naturally, thus eliminating the need for re-implantation in the future.

These implants, however, do come with small prices. Because the most common form of radiation is ultraviolet (or solar radiation), this radiation signature gets blocked the most often, resulting in a permanent pasty-white complexion for a lack of activated melanin. Also, most formal X-ray or radiation-based imaging technology, used primarily for medical application and for security, is ineffective on a person with anti-radiation dermal implants.

Gecko-Grip[]

Internal Firearm Systems[]

Internal Firearm Systems allow you to instantly familiarize yourself with a wide variety of firearms (providing that the weapon is compatible with the brand, make, and model of the Internal Firearm System that you are using). It does this by utilizing several different internal implants connected to a sub-cranial implant that both powers and provides a central hub that directs the activities of each implant. A basic, no-frills version of an Internal Firearm System is composed of a sub-dermal implant in the hand, a sub-corneal implant, several intramuscular implants, and a nerve impulse actuator located in the wrist. The sub-dermal implant is the device which relays information about the gun to the sub-cranial implant via an integrated RF chip in the gun. The sub-corneal implant both increases the speed that the eye can move at by 50% and displays information about the firearm being held (i.e. remaining ammunition, type of ammunition, etc.). The intramuscular implants uses small electrical impulses to constrict and release muscles in the arm to minimize the impact of recoil. Finally, the nerve impulse actuator allows a single-shot firearm to become a virtual submachine gun by constricting and releasing the trigger finger several times a second. All firearms manufactured within the past fifteen years are required by law to be compatible with the Ultima Internal Firearm System and there is talk of a massive retrofitting of several older models of guns. Recently third-party after market devices have appeared on the black market. One of the most popular third-party devices is a security system that allows only the original owner of the gun to fire it. It does this by blocking all but a single NIID code(neural implant ID) that is unique to every person with an Internal Firearm System.

Subdermal Armor Plating[]

The installation of subdermal armor plating is both costly and time consuming. Unlike simpler implants, the mass of the armor plates is too great to be synthesized by nanobots, so they must be surgically installed. Once the armor is in place, nanobots are injected into the patient to integrate the armor with the patient's muscles, ligaments, and skin. The cheapest sets of armor have few plates, are fairly bulky and obvious, and also decrease mobility--though not more than an external set of armor. Mid-rage armor has more, better articulated plates and is virtually undetectable. The most expensive armor offers complete body coverage, and an advanced endoexoskeletal (EES) system which locks the plates together when subjected to impact, transferring the force throughout the EES and sparing the user.

While wearing subdermal armor plating the user must still protect their skin from the dangers of cuts and burns, but projectiles, concussive blasts, energy strikes, and puncture wounds are effectively neutralized. Tetrakevlar armor is a popular choice to protect the skin, as it can be fashioned into normal civ clothing. And isn't discretion what subdermal armor plating is all about? Most corpers have subdermal armor plating installed, because (tetrakevlar) business suits look so much smoother then external armor. It probably also helps that the Corporation is willing to foot the bill...

Neural-Linked Decks[]

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