Cybernetics

In the vibrant, cyberpunk world of this city, the term "cybernetics" encapsulates any cybernetic technology permanently integrated into the living human body, particularly those that interface with the central nervous system. While cybernetic prosthetics originally had practical and medical purposes, they've evolved into a matter of lifestyle choice. Today, cybernetics are as commonplace as tattoos or jewellery, embodying a fusion of technology and personal style. The possession of trendy cybernetics has become an integral facet of culture, where uniqueness is just another form of currency, and style reigns supreme.

While cybernetics are still expensive, they are affordable by most of the middle class to some degree, and even by the poor in some situations. The working class, especially professionals, often have two or three implants of some kind. Cyberoptics are useful for recording meetings. Cyberaudio with boosted sensitivity could be useful for eavesdropping on gossips in the executive lounge. While the world of Cyberpunk is a much more violent society, there are plenty of non-violent everyday uses for Cybernetics that make them desirable to almost everyone. Installing cybertechnology is generally considered a major purchase (like buying a laptop or a TV or a car), but is within the means of most people.

## Guidelines

Cyberparts and technology for body modification CAN'T:

* Grant immortality

Cyberparts and technology for body modification CAN:

* have all sorts of aesthetic customization
* look like original body parts {skin, color, touch, etc.}
* enhance reflexes, senses, flexibility and/or strength to a degree
* replace organs with the exception of the brain
* allow the user to store small objects

### Some tips and clarifications:

All cyberparts  vary in price, not only for accessing to them, but keeping the maintenance and they need to take in consideration things such as practicality and the condition of the residual body port, among others. This means that cyberparts cannot give you things such as horse legs, the skull of an animal, or anything among those lines.

## Getting Wired

Acquiring cybernetics in this city is a relatively straightforward process. From minor enhancements to major installations, you can find cybernetics almost anywhere. Chain stores offer quick and often affordable installations for basic cybernetics. These establishments can also provide upgrades, repairs, and adjustments to existing cybernetics.

More complex and specialized installations might require a visit to a hospital and involve recovery time. Quality varies according to your budget, with mall stores being considered mid-range in terms of quality. For high-quality installations, specialist clinics are the go-to choice. However, those in desperate or criminal situations might turn to "ripperdocs," underground medtechs who offer cheap installations but with a significant compromise in quality and medical ethics.

cybernetics installation involves using nanotechnology to establish a direct interface between the cyber module and the body's nervous system. There are virtually no limits to how much of the body can be modified. However, it's worth noting that full body conversions, which involve replacing nearly every part of the body except the brain, often lead to a condition known as "cyberpsychosis," making such conversions rare and perilous.

### Linear Frames

Linear frames are advanced exoskeletons resembling contoured body armour. They surpass the limitations of conventional cyberlimbs because they don't rely on the organic body for support. These frames grant superhuman strength, enabling feats like lifting small cars or bending steel bars with ease. However, they have their drawbacks, such as reduced swimming ability and slightly slower reflexes.

Linear frames come with a substantial "humanity cost," often ten times or more than that of a standard cyberlimb. This cost can lead to cyberpsychosis, making linear frames a considerable decision.

### Body Plating

Body plating involves grafting armour plates onto the body's surface. Unlike subdermal armour, these plates are visible on top of the skin, giving the appearance of a metallic exterior. Body plating can be installed in sections or cover the entire body, even being integrated into linear frames and other cybernetics .

The armour consists of multiple layers and is porous, allowing the skin and the underlying biological body to persist. From the outside, individuals with body plating resemble robots, although the aesthetics can be customized to a significant degree. This cybernetics not only offers superior damage resistance compared to subdermal armour but also allows for creative and stylish designs.

### Full Body Conversion

In the most extreme cases of full body conversion, the spine, brain, and adrenal systems are transplanted into a fluid-filled support sack. Nutrients are delivered through an IV or derived from processed food, routed to the support sack. The metal body frame is powered by a rechargeable battery, while the skin is composed of chrome-embedded RealSkinn. A neural net connects sensors in the skin to the brain, providing enhanced sensory feedback. This level of modification represents the pinnacle of cybernetics technology, but it comes with significant physiological and psychological implications.

## Examples of Cybernetics

A list of some typical types of cyberware:

### Fashionware

Fashion options (changing color, making them glow, ect). They can even include weapons or tools.

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### Implants

**Voice Synthesizers**: These replace the vocal cords. The standard unit will replicate a human voice (just one, though it would not need to be your original voice). Additional upgrades can allow a wider range of voices, the ability to evade cyberaudio lie detection, simulate other people's voices, or even simulate things like musical instruments.

**Nasal implants**: Standard nasal implants will replicate the human range of the sense of smell. For an additional cost this sensitivity can be boosted. You could also add filters for drugs and poison, or a chemical analyzer.

**Gill Implant**: Installed in the throat, these are artificial gills which will function as well in water as human lungs do on land. The effectiveness is reduced in polluted water, and damage is still possible if the pollution is toxic enough. Gill implants are only effective for around 4 hours.

**Independent Air Supply**: This allows the person to go without breathing for up to around a half hour, depending on the amount of activity. They are an artificial organ implanted inside the body.

**Subdermal Armor**: This is actual body armor implanted under your skin. While not immediately noticeable, people can still detect it with careful observation. This is a step above Skinweave, but not as durable as an actual cyberlimb.

**Subdermal Pocket**: A small storage space implanted inside a natural limb. Cyberlimbs can also have these as an option. Subdermal pockets are designed to go unnoticed, and are accessed with a pressure-sensitive seal. They are commonly used by couriers.

**Radiation detector**: This could be implanted in any part of the body, and has a range of around 30 feet. Most of these are very basic, similar to a Geiger counter (though the audio is internal to the person only).

**Radar or Sonar implants**: These are implants in the skull that allow for the use of personal radar or sonar. Radar uses light (radio waves) while sonar uses sound (pressure waves). The range is limited to 50 or 100 meters, depending on the technology.

**Motion Detectors**: These are not cyberoptic implants. They function by sensing vibrations. They can be mounted in the palm or heel. They will only give general information, like intensity and direction.

**Contraceptive Implant**: Yes, these are still a thing. And they are very reliable. Typically implanted under the arm pit, and are effective for years.

**Adrenal Boosters**: This is an artificial organ that can boost reflexes without the use of drugs. Usable about three times a day (it is not always on... it has to be triggered).

**Sexual Implants**: These exist. Use your imagination.

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### Cyberoptic

**Cyberoptics**: A standard cyberoptic will have all of the resolution, color sensitivity, and frame rate of an organic eye. Cyberoptics often look borg-like, with external lenses and other hardware. But they do not have to... they can be made to look exactly like real human eyeballs. As with all technology though, packing it into a smaller area increases the cost as well. Standard Cyberoptics can include real time instagram-like filters (like seeing the world in black and white, for example). In addition to this, they can be upgraded with many options. Including but not limited to:

* Telescopic vision
* IR/UV (in theory you could make them sense any wavelength in the EM spectrum, but IR/UV are the most common and the most useful) - Thermographs are the most popular option
* Lowlight (unlike the above options, this one uses normal visible light)
* Video recording (though it will not record audio unless you also have cyberaudio installed)
* HUD overlays (want a stock marquee in your field of view 24/7?)
* Anti-dazzle (to avoid being blinded)
* Targeting scopes (think Robocop)
* Micro-optics (like a microscope in your eyeball)
* Weapons or tools (Dart guns, surgical lasers, etc)

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### Cyberaudio

**Cyberaudio**: Standard cyberaudio will replicate perfect hearing in the human range. In addition to this, it can be fitted with enhancements, such as:

* Enhanced sensitivity (ultrasonic, infrasonic, or just slightly above or below human range... it will not allow you to detect any EM emissions like radar, but it might allow for the detection of sonar)
* Audio Recording (which can sync with visual recording in cyberoptics)
* Lie detectors (Voice stress analyzer)
* Radio or Phone links (with options for encryption as well) - Wide band radio scanners and tight beam communication also available as additional options
* Bug detector (specifically designed to expose bugs nearby)
* Level damper (the cyberaudio equivalent of Anti-dazzle)

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### Cyberlimbs

**Cyberlimbs**: These have all of the same functionality of normal limbs. They are able to sense pressure and temperature. By default, they will still be obviously artificial (though there are options to make them look natural... a'la the Bionic Man). Because cyberware is something of a status symbol, people will often dress it up to make it stand out more. Chroming is a popular option. American/European/Asian cyberlimbs are generally no bulkier than their natural counterparts. They can be fitted with a number of options, including weapons. All cyberlimbs are much stronger and much more damage resistant than their natural counterparts. Even more so than Bioware-enhanced limbs. More information can be found on the Cyberlimbs page.

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## History

### Generation Zero

At the start of the 21st century, medical prostheses were mainly implants used to replace parts of the body, such as a teeth, facial bone, palate, or joints. Cyberware in the modern day was the evolution of prostheses. In order to save human lives medical science created artificial heart valves, extremities, or vertebras; this to allow the patients who suffered from severe body trauma to function normally in society.

During the First Central American War of the early 1990s, the development of cyberware increased significantly when thousands of American soldiers were coming home severely injured. Medical cyberware became more sophisticated and widespread as technology progressed. Japan and Germany were at the forefront of development and research as the medicine was evolving. However despite the amazing innovations in the medical field and how widespread the cyberware was becoming, it was still expensive. The first prosthetic arm didn't have any fingers, instead it had a crude gripper and the arm as a whole was heavy. These primitive designs of the 1990s are known as the Generation Zero designs.

### Generation One

The postwar medical cyberware prosthesis development helped to speed up the miniaturization process. Reinforced spines and joints were first designed for workers, air filters grafted in the upper respiratory tracts for those working in polluted environments. Cybernetic enhancements were also produced for warfare during this Industrial Cyberware Revolution during the 2010s. The first crucibles that were designed these combat implants was the Second Central American War, as well as the Second and Third Corporate War. In the US the megacorporation, Militech, enhanced their soldiers enabling their bodies to increase their carrying capacity and direct connections to personal motion trackers and range finders.

An arms race began between private armies that belonged to megacorporations such as Arasaka that still continue in 2077. Generation One cyberware is often found in black markets, usually found in the possession of poor citizens who can't afford anything better. Generation One is usually made of metal and plastic.