The pssi technology platform accomplishes this by intercepting and transducing afferent (from sense organs to brain) and efferent (from brain to glands and muscle) nerve signals using smarticles embedded in the body, turning the mind into a “brain in a box” that can either be presented wholly synthetic reality or a mix of reality and augmented reality. Critical in this technology platform is the ability, when pssi is installed in the nervous systems of a host, to control the motor functions of the body, enabling a proxxi to control and protect the body of the user while the user is in synthetic space and/or protect the body in the event of any danger whatsoever.
Pssi enables the user to directly plug his or her mind into the informational flow of the multiverse, filtered and aided by their proxxi. It also enables the user to create phantoms (additional fingers and hands in virtual spaces, directly attached to their neural system) as well as to remap their sensory system—for instance, to remap your skin to the surface of the water when surfing, or to trigger the hair in your back to stock trades so you can “feel” the stock market.
Pssi-kid
The first generation of children born on Atopia who grow up with the pssi stimulus embedded in their nervous systems from birth. They are a part of the final clinic-trials phase of pssi as a medical device. Cognix Corporation carried out these trials on Atopia as they wouldn’t have been able to receive approval for this, and many other trials, in any other jurisdiction. Pssi-kids grow up seeing very little difference between this world and purely synthetic worlds.
Slingshot
An off-center rotating platform weapon that can sling thousands of pellets a second, at speeds of up to several miles-per-second, at incoming targets—sort of like a souped-up Gatling gun/rail gun combination. This is based on real research—imagine dropping a ball bearing into an empty beer can, and then holding the can at its base and wobbling the can around in concentric off-center rotations. The ball bearing would rapidly accelerate around the circumference of the inside of the can at high speed for very little motion or effort on your part. That’s the idea, but on a much larger scale. Atopia uses batteries of slingshot, as well as a mass driver cannon (that doubles as a passenger transport) and a range of drones and other weapons systems to defend its physical assets.
Smarticle
These “smart particles” are the physical basis of the pssi-technology platform, nano-scale devices (about the size of a virus) that enter into and suffuse through the body of a host, automatically latching themselves along the axons of nerve cells. They derive their power from the heat of the body. Once in place, they create a sensor-communication-transduction network within the neural systems of the host, communicating and modifying nerve signals in real time. A user can typically install a smarticle network within his or her body by simply drinking a glass of water containing trillions of the invisible-to-the-eye devices. They are so small they can also float in the air, buffeted and held aloft by Brownian motion of air—on Atopia, the entire environment, air, water, etc., is infused with smarticles.
Splinters
Synthetic intelligence meta-cognition constructs, which are like simulated versions of “you” (packed with as much of a user’s memories and cognitive models as needed) that are sent out to investigate something or monitor an event. These splinters report back to the user in highly compressed user-specific sensory and memetic constructs understandable only to the user who owns the splinter. Imagine your best friend winking at you when someone enters a party—based on your unique shared memories and knowledge of each other, that wink—which contains only a single bit of information—forms the basis for a huge amount of conveyed information. A splinter is like this best friend, a shared memory version of you with whom you can send out and communicate.
Synthetic reality
An older term for virtual reality that actually takes the concept further. Rather than being virtually there, a synthetic reality can be actually and completely there, with full physical sensation, yet created wholly within an intangible environment—it could be thought of as “virtual reality 2.0.” Importantly, it does not need to totally replace reality, but can often be used to create an augmented reality or seamless bridges from reality to augmented reality to wholly virtual reality—the term encompasses all these modes.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank my beta readers (and I’m sorry if I don’t have all your surnames!) Dennis, Adi Sagi, Alan Shearer, Alison Hidge, Ann Christy, Justin Killam, Antoinette, Ashley, Austin McConnell, Stephen, Alex Henriksson, Bill Derb, Bill Mather, Amber, Bruce Keener, Pamela Deering, Lance Barnett, Craig Haseler, Chris Wojdak, Chrissie, Cody Parks, Dave Edmonds, Dan Norko, Esther Fraser, Scott, Alistair Gellan, Haydn Virtue, Dan, Jae Lee, Jennifer, Jon, Josh Brandoff, Joy Lu, Julie Schmidt, Allan Tierning, Ken Zufall, Lowell, Laura, Tationna Lowe, Fern Marburg, Michel, Marcus Brito, Meg Born, Chee, Olesea, Patty Gee, Phil Grave, Portia Gillespie, Justin, Rachel Wills, Loretta, Rob Linx, Rob, Sara Dieros, Josh Saliba, Shabnam Perry, Steve Siracusan, Adam, Sheila Conners, Aaron Smith, Lori Travers, Clayton, Josh, Tomas Classon, and Tom Power.