Post by God Mike on Mar 25, 2012 16:32:40 GMT -5
Mechanical Augmentation (Cybernetics)
Most planets are incredibly technologically advanced. The galaxy has centuries of advanced technology at its disposal. Among them is the ability to replace and, for a price, modify and enhance the body. Cloning is expensive and illegal on most planets. Some limited regeneration of limbs is considered acceptable but there are medical dangers involved with a science that had, for obvious reasons, not seen much development (We are speaking, of course, of the Bakaanian scandal where a man grew two arms where once was one two hundred Earth years ago). For the majority of galactic citizens, cybernetic replacements are the cheap, effective, legal, and safe solution to unfortunate and severe physical injuries.
For those willing to make the sacrifice of flesh and expense, the body can be 'upgraded' to allow for additional skills and abilities. Some are very innocuous, the Shepherd chip issued to military service members for instance (A chip that allows for increased focus). Others involve modifying the limbs and internal systems of the potential patient. As with everything in the galaxy, this comes at a potential price, in credits and in the potential loss of self. Someone could easily go too far in attempting to be 'more human than human.'
When flesh fails, and sometimes even before that, cybernetics takes over. Prosthetic limbs and replacement organs powered by batteries and controlled by electrical impulses are the low end of these procedures with sophisticated cybernetic hardware designed to improve or augment the recipient's body and mind at the high end of the scale.
Physiopharmaceutical Augmentation (Behavioral Conditioning)
Physiopharmaceutical augmentation is a type of augmentation only used by few. This type of augmentation consists of psychological conditioning, a process of behavior modification by which a subject comes to associate a desired behavior with a previously unrelated stimulus, and specific pharmaceutical drugs for enhanced capabilities and absolute loyalty.
The two major flaws of this type of augmentation is the physical change and the depigmentation of the skin of the subject that turns it into albino, with pale skin, light red eyes and black hair, and the alteration of the vocal cords, giving a robotic voice.
Nano-augmentations (Nanites)
Nano-augmentation is the most advanced form of human augmentation. It uses nanites to give people the ability to do things that they couldn't normally do, for example, seeing in the dark, turning invisible, having immense strength, immunity from toxins and physical trauma, and more. The Omar (a nomadic people living on the desolate and uninhabitable Earth-2) are an example of extreme nano-augmentation (they have been so heavily nano-augmented that they no longer resemble humans at all, rather cyborgs with no skin and respirators for faces, the exact opposite of what the nanotechnology was created for). Nano-augmentation is the advanced equivalent of physiopharmaceutical augmentation and mechanical augmentation.
Unlike its predecessor, nano-augmentation is both physically and mentally painless. It is very discreet, leaving almost no marks on the body, and is more efficient. However, it is almost impossible to find a person compatible with nanotechnological augmentations (the result of any unsuccessful operations was death). Nano-augmentation could not be realistically used unless the augmented were to be cloned and have their genetic code specifically written to accept them, or the genetic code could be rewritten in a living organism, which was not possible until the 2070's on Earth.
Most planets are incredibly technologically advanced. The galaxy has centuries of advanced technology at its disposal. Among them is the ability to replace and, for a price, modify and enhance the body. Cloning is expensive and illegal on most planets. Some limited regeneration of limbs is considered acceptable but there are medical dangers involved with a science that had, for obvious reasons, not seen much development (We are speaking, of course, of the Bakaanian scandal where a man grew two arms where once was one two hundred Earth years ago). For the majority of galactic citizens, cybernetic replacements are the cheap, effective, legal, and safe solution to unfortunate and severe physical injuries.
For those willing to make the sacrifice of flesh and expense, the body can be 'upgraded' to allow for additional skills and abilities. Some are very innocuous, the Shepherd chip issued to military service members for instance (A chip that allows for increased focus). Others involve modifying the limbs and internal systems of the potential patient. As with everything in the galaxy, this comes at a potential price, in credits and in the potential loss of self. Someone could easily go too far in attempting to be 'more human than human.'
When flesh fails, and sometimes even before that, cybernetics takes over. Prosthetic limbs and replacement organs powered by batteries and controlled by electrical impulses are the low end of these procedures with sophisticated cybernetic hardware designed to improve or augment the recipient's body and mind at the high end of the scale.
Physiopharmaceutical Augmentation (Behavioral Conditioning)
Physiopharmaceutical augmentation is a type of augmentation only used by few. This type of augmentation consists of psychological conditioning, a process of behavior modification by which a subject comes to associate a desired behavior with a previously unrelated stimulus, and specific pharmaceutical drugs for enhanced capabilities and absolute loyalty.
The two major flaws of this type of augmentation is the physical change and the depigmentation of the skin of the subject that turns it into albino, with pale skin, light red eyes and black hair, and the alteration of the vocal cords, giving a robotic voice.
Nano-augmentations (Nanites)
Nano-augmentation is the most advanced form of human augmentation. It uses nanites to give people the ability to do things that they couldn't normally do, for example, seeing in the dark, turning invisible, having immense strength, immunity from toxins and physical trauma, and more. The Omar (a nomadic people living on the desolate and uninhabitable Earth-2) are an example of extreme nano-augmentation (they have been so heavily nano-augmented that they no longer resemble humans at all, rather cyborgs with no skin and respirators for faces, the exact opposite of what the nanotechnology was created for). Nano-augmentation is the advanced equivalent of physiopharmaceutical augmentation and mechanical augmentation.
Unlike its predecessor, nano-augmentation is both physically and mentally painless. It is very discreet, leaving almost no marks on the body, and is more efficient. However, it is almost impossible to find a person compatible with nanotechnological augmentations (the result of any unsuccessful operations was death). Nano-augmentation could not be realistically used unless the augmented were to be cloned and have their genetic code specifically written to accept them, or the genetic code could be rewritten in a living organism, which was not possible until the 2070's on Earth.