7th Medical Brigade, 67th Medical Detachment - Biotechs & Overview

[Luna]

7th Medical Brigade, 24th Combat Support Center, 67th Medical Detachment - Forward

"The Valkyries"

 

 

Biotechs - An overview

A Biotech is the name given to any prosthesis or artificial body part within the Federation. They include the following categories:
-Optical Biotechs (Prosthetic Eyes)
-Limb & Appendage Prosthesis (Artificial arms, legs, hands, feet, fingers, toes)
-Maxillae Prosthesis (Artificial jaw / Dental prosthesis)

 

There are currently three tiers of Biotech ranging 1-3, with T1 being the cheapest and therefore most common and easily attainable category. Each tier holds significant advantage over the last, with much of this being primarily cosmetic. 

 

How they work:
First and foremost, all Biotechs must be authorized and approved by the Trooper's respective Commanding Officer or the Chief Medical Officer and forwarded to the unit's Medical Division. Once appropriate authorization forms have been completed and reviewed, a prefabricated prosthesis is then ordered.
For limb prosthesis, highly detailed measurements of the installation site are first taken and a prefabricated prosthesis is then modified and custom fitted to the host. During surgical installation of the biotech, a small neural implant is installed within the host's brain. Its primary role is to serve as a conduit and help communicate the host's natural brain system with artificial limbs that are able to be controlled by the nerve system as though they were an actual part of the human body. In more advanced models, this neural biochip is also responsible for creating tactile sensation and allowing the host to have complete tactile sensation via their biotech.

Due to the presence of this biochip, all hosts with an implanted neural chip must receive an injection once a month to prevent rejection by the body. This is administered at any and all Federation medical facilities free of charge.

 

Neurodenazine: 
Used to fend off auto-defficiency syndrome on implanted biotech neural chips. This is effectively a build-up of glile tissue surrounding the biochip that has been inserted into the host's brain, acting similar to that of a tumor. Once this build-up of glile tissue has occurred, the neural chip can no longer carry out its role as a conduit between the brain's natural systems and the biotech. The end result is the body rejecting the implant in a very violent and painful manner. Due to the dependency on this drug, it is highly sought after by the black market and is one of the most lucrative forms of illegal cargo carried by smugglers. It has been a significant topic of protest and anti-government pushback, often viewed as yet another way the Federation asserts its dominance and control over its population.

 

Optical Prosthesis:
An Optical Biotech is an ocular implant or 'artificial eye' that is most often installed in hosts who have suffered extreme trauma resulting in the irreparable damage or loss of one or both eyes. A highly sophisticated piece of equipment, a microprocessor within the implant converts visual data into electrical activity that is then transfered to a neural chip implanted in the host's brain. This chip interprets the data and converts it into discernable patterns of light  and dark on a RED-GREEN-BLUE spectrum that is then sent via pulses of electrical data through the optic nerve directly to the brain. The end result is perfect sight akin to that of normal human capability. Prior to installation, the recipient can choose between one of five preset colors for added realism. These colors include blue, green, light brown, dark brown, grey. 

 

Tier 1 Biotech:
Tier 1 Biotechs are constructed of an advanced lightweight polymer derived ceramic material coated in a honeycomb lattice of graphene. T1 prosthesis operate as a fully functional replacement limb, capable of immediately acknowledging disruption in localized nerve endings and responding to extremely subtle movements. Like all Biotechs, it fully integrates itself with the host's musculoskeletal system through the installation of a neural chip. This is the most easily attainable biotech and the cheapest to produce, making it the most commonly used. A T1 biotech offers the full functionality of a normal limb, however, does not have any tactile sensation - meaning the user does not have a sense of touch or temperature perception.  This biotech can be detached and removed by the user if necessary.

 

Tier 2 Biotech:
Tier 2 Biotechs are constructed of a significantly stronger carbide-coated titanium alloy that has significantly more strength and weight than that of its T1 counterpart. T2 prosthesis operate as a fully functional replacement limb capable of immediate response to even the most subtle of intended movements. Like all biotechs, it fully integrates itself with the host's musculoskeletal system through the installation of a neural chip. This is a more advanced but still relatively attainable biotech for the majority of the Federation's military personnel and citizenry. A T2 biotech offers the full functionality of a normal limb with light to moderate tactile sensation and temperature perception. Additionally, this limb is coated in a thin layer of synthetic skin derived from a silicone-rubber material. This biotech can be detached and removed by the user if necessary.

 

Tier 3 Biotech:
Tier 3 Biotechs represent the cutting edge of technology and the pinnacle of artificial prosthesis. They are constructed from the extremely complex combination of tungsten and boron nitride that is tri-layered in a honeycomb-lattice of graphene. The end result is an extremely lightweight but hard alloy that is non-brittle and extremely durable, capable of withstanding much of the damage found on a battlefield. Like all biotechs, it fully integrates itself with the host's muscoloskeletal system through the installation of a neural chip. This is an extremely advanced and sophisticated piece of equipment that is both expensive and difficult to make, making them far less common than lower tier counterparts. A T3 biotech has full functionality of a normal limb, complete with full tactile sensation and temperature perception. Additionally, it is coated in a live epidermis, the tissue derived from key stem-cells and lab-grown. This biotech cannot be removed without surgery or significant trauma. 

 

Known Weaknesses:
Both Tier 1 and 2 Biotech implants as well as Ocular Prosthesis are susceptible to the effects of an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) and upon coming into contact with such will trigger an automatic preemptive shutdown, resulting in a total lock-up of the affected limb or deactivation of the Optical biotech. This state of lockdown will remain in place for approximately eight minutes while the system undergoes a full diagnostic and restart. This diagnostics period can be aborted and bypassed by holding down on the manual reset switch found inside of a small port within the prosthesis. This will trigger a reactivation following a period of 30 seconds.