Implants and What Do They Do?

[jatay3]

I was interested to notice that limited use of implants(surgically implanted electronic devices that interface with the brain) was a possibility; at least the technology is theoretically available despite cultural prejudices. I noticed this because I remember they were in both Vattas War and in the Prince Roger series; in the later they could actually suborn the brain.

Now I would like to know, what advantages do they confer that a simple palmtop does not?

 

[far-trader]

...what advantages do they confer that a simple palmtop does not?

Discreteness for one. And I wouldn't misplace it (unless the old "I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached." were wrought to the fatal incidence )

(I have no idea how that last bit of turn of phrase arose in my brain, nor if it is even the least bit correct, but it sounded kinda cool )

 

[Icosahedron]

The obvious benefit of sci-fi implants is that they are a 'seamless' interface. They are accessed at the speed of thought without having to poke and prod at them with a finger/stylus, calling up endless menus.
You just know what you want, and there it is.
Just don't get anywhere near an EMP...

 

[Vile]

Implants do wonders for your self-esteem.

 

[Vargas]

Just don't get anywhere near an EMP...

Or a microwave oven.

 

[jatay3]

Implants do wonders for your self-esteem.

Sort of the way landing on top of a mountain in a heliocopter will help your self-esteem when talking to a Sherpa?

 

[jatay3]

The obvious benefit of sci-fi implants is that they are a 'seamless' interface. They are accessed at the speed of thought without having to poke and prod at them with a finger/stylus, calling up endless menus.
You just know what you want, and there it is.
Just don't get anywhere near an EMP...

Why would their search function be more efficient then a handheld one?

 

[Captain Midnight]

You can use them in situations where your hands are otherwise occupied, and you don't have to worry about the way the output is routed to you -- your screen won't get dirty, and nobody can peek over your shoulder to see what you're doing.

There's also a question of just what is contained in the implant -- is it just a communications link, or is there actual processing power involved? Can you just use it as "Google whispers in your ear", or will it provide image enhancement for whatever your eyes are seeing? What information can it access -- can it just get you an Internet connection (and is it broadband?), or can it handle the feed from your optical and auditory nerves? What forms of access to the outside world are possible, and can it be subjected to a denial-of-service attack?

 

[far-trader]

It wasn't implanted, but there was a pretty cool wearable computer on TV a few years back. The dude had a camera and hud on his glasses, face recognition software, and a search plugged into his database. He'd approach someone, the computer would would scan the face, search, and cough up the data on the hud and he'd (almost) instantly have the person's name etc. right there. No more awkward "Who are you?" moments

Extrapolate that and it becomes very cool, and very scary. Just picture the breakdown of society if the system crashes. And ponder how wrong it can go when you think about the really bad spelling and grammar errors the internet has already spawned on us with universal spell checkers...

 

[Spinward Scout]

It wasn't implanted, but there was a pretty cool wearable computer on TV a few years back. The dude had a camera and hud on his glasses, face recognition software, and a search plugged into his database. He'd approach someone, the computer would would scan the face, search, and cough up the data on the hud and he'd (almost) instantly have the person's name etc. right there. No more awkward "Who are you?" moments

I wonder if that was the MIT Lab. Here's the MIT 'wearable computing' web page. I don't think it's been updated in years, tho. Their 'Brief History of...' page only shows to 1997

http://www.media.mit.edu/wearables/lizzy

 

[Icosahedron]

Why would their search function be more efficient then a handheld one?

Because the search function is restricted by the mode of access. You have menus and pushbuttons because they are convenient for eyes and fingers.

If you take eyes and fingers out of the loop, more efficient interfaces become possible - and before you ask, I don't know what they might be, because they haven't been invented yet.

When we figure out how to do a neural implant, an appropriate access method will suggest itself.

 

[Peter Schutze]

Since wikipedia has been available Ive always regarded the basic computing implants as giving the implantee a permanently available wikipedia function .... I might even give them a clue what to put into the real wikipedia's search function depending on the situation.
better implants coupled with related skills mean they can temporarily gain skill levels or get cut some slack in other ways eg you know the basics of lasers from your implant and since you have several skills in FGMP-15 lets say you have level 2 rather than 0 for this model weapon if you basically skip an action to scan up on the differences

 

[far-trader]

I wonder if that was the MIT Lab.

Yep, I'm pretty sure it was now that you mention it. Thanks for the link!

 

[mbrinkhues]

Actually the Implants in "Vatta's War" are a very good example of what could be done with such things even in the Traveller setting. They are

+ Data storage/retrieval (Implant PDA)
+ Phone/Radio/Datalink (To Ship, Station etc, assume good firewalls)
+ Show data "HUD style" by interacting with the optical nerve
+ Work with external systems to provide guidance in a station etc by projecting "virtual guide"
+ Can match faces etc. that the user sees
+ Allow "augmented reality" by superimposing data
+ Are controlled by thought

All that without wearing any stuff and in an (almost) unbreakabel and relatively discreet package.

My guess is the implant can also act as a translator

 

[Grognard]

There is an article on Implants in one of the Travellers Digests if I remember correctly....sounds just like the Elizabeth Moon version.......