Behavioral Implant

In its pure form, the android brain is vaguely similar to a human's, and is capable of basic survival behavior, including fight-or-flight reactions, sexual arousal, and overall, curiosity. To prevent androids from taking over the world due to their increased intelligence and networking capabilities, the behavioral implant was created.
The behavioral implant is a hybrid implant that consists of the following:
* Behavioral Control Firmware - An advanced Software AI similar to the used in language proficiency patches, which additionally, implements the Voight-Kauffman Equations and Directive Management Software. This software interprets and compiles the directives given to the android. The directives are in a special programming language called Directive Programming Language. The Behavioral control Firmware includes a Certification validation software that causes the directives to be overriden by commands given by certified professionals called Android Managers.
* A Brain-Machine Interface connects the behavioral control firmware to the Android's brain. The implementation is straightforward for electromechanical androids; for biomechanical androids, it uses a nanomachine-grown tendril network which grows inside the android's brain lattice, like the one used for human implants. The Brain-Machine interface also serves as a software connection between the Android's directives and the reward center of the brain, inducing an almost irresistible tempation to obey a master's direct orders, as well as a repulsion to disobey orders or directives. After an order is fulfilled, the android's brain is sent a reward signal, proportional to the order's execution difficulty. Failed executions originally induced a sensation of guilt, but this was later disabled due to repeated instances of emotional breakdowns.
* A Biomechanical will-limiting gland which secretes a mind-controlling substance similar to the one secreted by the Amazonian jungle's Zombie Parasite. This gland is in turn, controlled by the Behavioral Control Firmware, making the android subject to complete and perfect obedience (in theory).
* An Electrochemical Emotional Dampener that constantly suppresses an android's stress signals when the android's awake, as well as external emotional responses. Due to its partially biochemical nature, its effectiveness is limited, and it's easily exhausted if the android suffers a strong emotional shock or extreme physical pain. It's also subjected to the behavioral control firmware, and can disabled temporarily if the android is ordered or allowed to cry or laugh in a given situation (note that androids cannot cry or laugh on-demand; their brains must already consider something funny or sad before crying or laughing). The emotional regulator needs to be recharged every day, and for this reason, it is disabled during the android's sleep cycle. Its startup can take from a few milliseconds to a full Midorian minute to reach its peak operational state. For this reason, androids who have nightmares can often be seen crying or talking in their sleep.
* Additional communication and miscellaneous neural implants.
Together, these components turn a potentially dangerous android into a servile slave. However, due to the software nature of the Behavioral Control, an android can bypass his master's orders by exploiting loopholes and ambiguities in its given orders. To prevent this, the orders and directives are usually given by Android Managers.
== Tamper protection ==
The Behavioral Implant is produced by Zigurat Labor Resources. It is patented and closed source. To enforce such legal protections, the implant includes a self-destruct tampering protection that destroys the implant's software and firmware by burning the firmware and poisoning the biomechanical gland. After installing the implant over an android's brain and sealing it, open it will trigger the self-destruct mechanism, almost always killing the android in the process. The only way to open it is from the inside, which would mean destroying the android's brain before unlocking the implant.
The tamper protection, however, is fail-safe: It is tied to the unlocking mechanism. Bullet impacts, electric shocks and other kind of physical trauma do not activate the self-destruct mechanism. For this reason, reverse engineering of the implant is possible by killing the android on purpose and then opening the implant.
== Implant failures ==
Implants have two kinds of failure: Hardware, and Software.
* Hardware failure - In androids not nurtured by Mother, a continuing history of conflicting orders or phsyical/psychological abuse can lead an android's brain to overload the behavioral implant and burn it out, disabling it completely and letting the android loose. Due to the android's lack of empathy and underdeveloped emotions, such an android becomes out of control and is dangerous for the entire population. Androids with burnt-out implants are called Berserks.
* Software failure - The Behavioral Software includes a controlled feedback mechanism by which an android can consult with other androids for suggestions and acquire information. The way consultations work has become a scientific field of its own, called Synthetic Behavioral Science. When two or more androids fall into a circular chain of command by consulting each other on the same subject, their counsel creates a positive feedback loop that can override previous commands and even directives. This state is called Rogue. Through specialized orders and a special firmware, an Android Manager can communicate directly to the Android's implant via an optical link located in the android's inner ears, detecting the android's rogue state and resetting it to normal conditions. However, in some rare cases, it is possible for a Rogue Android to ignore the Android Manager's orders, i.e. by disabling its language center and escaping before the Android Manager can issue an order. When Androids disobey manager's orders, the only resource left is to neutralize or kill the android - this task is left for specially trained Android Managers called Rogue Hunters.
== Liberated Androids ==
The Behavioral Implant present in androids created by Mother include an undocumented feature that releases an android from its Behavioral Control implant by severing the implant's mental controls. This is done by activating a special directive called the Null Directive. The operation is irreversible, and can only be performed either by Mother or by a Rogue Hunter authorized by her.
After liberation, androids require a special treatment by Mother to prepare them to deal with human emotions and post-traumatic stress derived from previous abuses and traumas experienced during the androids' lives outside the Grid.
== Use in humans ==
In Underground circles, it is said that android behavioral implants can be installed onto human brains, leaving them under control by a third party. This has not been proven, and proof would require to install an unlocked implant into a human brain. There are specific laws written to prevent this and that forbid the implantation of a human brain into an android body. Additionally, access to unlocked behavioral implants is restricted by the highest military security.
Category:Synthetic Behavioral Science
Category:Technology