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Everydaytech
Everydaytech
Image from Bernd Helfert

Everydaytech is technology that is used by the average modosophont in the course of an average day. It is both common and commonplace and often given little thought by those who use it. Most often such technology is taken for granted within the cultural and technological milieu it is operating in even if that same technology would be considered wondrous or awe-inspiring by beings from a different location or an earlier time.

 
Articles
  • Adaptive Mimetic Materials  - Text by John B
    A piece of matter designed to gather specific biometric traits of a being and store them for later recovery or broadcast/narrowcast to a dedicated recorder. The most common is the adaptive mimetic material handle, which samples both palm print, finger prints, bio-electrical signatures, and sweat chemistry amongst bionts. With careful design, such materials can gather similar abiometric data from cyborgs and vecs, mapping the specific frequencies released by actuators, relative actuator strength, precise beam lengths, etc. This is often used as a cheap security measure.
  • Adbomb  - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, based on original by Michael Beck
    Subliminal memebot broadcast devices, scattered them around a designated area, they release a message into the brain of everyone in the area, usually an advertisement. Banned throughout much of the Civilized Galaxy, they are widely used in market state free zones such as the NoCoZo, and out towards the Periphery where the reach of the noetic and other big ai states is not very strong.
  • Aerovac foam  - Text by Johnny Yesterday
    Aerostatic Vacuum-Pneumatic Cell Foam, a material that is often used in vacuum dirigibles and other large-scale buoyant vehicles and structures.
  • Ainstinct  - Text by Todd Drashner
    Artificial (later Artificially Intelligent) instincts first developed during the mid-Interplanetary Age.
  • Aircar  - Text by Todd Drashner
    Small personal aircraft often used for short to medium range transportation on planetary surfaces or within habitats and megastructures.
  • Alcohol II  - Text by Daniel Harle
    One of the first biologically active systemic nanotic injections, designed to keep a 'reasonable' (non-fatal) level of alcohol in the blood stream and to scavenge the unpleasant biochemical byproducts of alcohol metabolism.
  • Animarec  - Text by Michael Beck
    Recordings of a person's general personality type, their madnesses, and sanities, and all those tiny little neuroses that make up who we are interacting to determine what we do. They can only be made thanks to the power of neural-recording nanotech, and in some cultures and polities they are a standard part of any marriage agreement or hiring somebody.
  • Anti-Infector - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    Hylo- or bio-nano device that provides immunity against various forms of goo, madverts, and other mentally and physically annoying phenomena
  • Antisound  - Text by Johnny Yesterday
    Technology with the ability to nullify sound.
  • Arachnoweave  - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    Fabric created using biomimemetic synthesis of spider-silk proteins. Strong yet subtle and light, used for a variety of purposes, including police and military body armor, sporting clothing, and fashion statements.
  • Art Generator Software  - Text by Domagoj K.
    A class of software that allows users to easily create visual art.
  • Artificial Muscles  - Text by Steve Bowers
    Artificial muscle analog material often used by robots and other machines, and by sophonts such as cyborgs and vecs. There are many types of myomer with a wide range of strengths and resistance to damage, from simple memory polymers to so-called Ultimate Muscles.
  • Artificial Soil  - Text by Steve Bowers
    Utility technology that is used in place of, or in combination with, soil.
  • Aura (nanotech)  - Text by John B
    A temporary nanotic infusion designed to reveal EM radiation as a 'glow' to users.
  • Autotailors  - Text by Michael Boncher
    Specialized autofabs that produce clothing.
  • Babel 'Fish'  - Text by Sethbord
    A genetically engineered computer designed to fit into or around the ear of a modosophont. As well as translation duties the Babelfish can act as an information provider and cultural guide.
  • Bacca - Text by Anders Sandberg
    Family of crops derived from the tobacco plant through gengineering during the Solsys Era and later. Designed for use in space hydroponics, different strains produce livestock feed, vegetables, drugs and decorative flowers. Especially common is Qianxuesen, a bacca vegetable eaten, generally either boiled or mashed, by terragen bionts.
  • BAESFTLA (Extensible Matter)  - Text by Johnny Yesterday
    Biaxially Extensible Scrolling-Folds and Telescopic-Lamellae Architecture.
  • Bamaglider  - Text by Peter Kisner
    Bamagliders are explosive filigliders. These range in composition. Some are merely normal filigliders with carbonated or nitrous oxide injected filling. Others are non-edible filigliders that produce a small fire-cracker explosion at a safe distance from the appropriate pheromone source. Additionally, like the poisiglider, there are some maliciously designed bamagliders that explode with damaging force in close proximity to a particular pheromone source.
  • Bespoke Moravec Design  - Text by Ryan B
    A phenotypic design philosophy for Vec clades that advocates modular design of body parts.
  • Bioforge  - Text by Todd Drashner
    A biological factory or manufacturing device capable of creating a wide range of biotech products.
  • Biomachine  - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and AI Vin
    Any machine or device based on organic components rather than inorganic mechanisms.
  • Bionano, Bionanotechnology  - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    Any molecular nanotechnology based on such biomolecules, genetically modified micro-organism or other biotech.
  • Bucky Spiders - Text by Steve Bowers
    Small spidersplices with adapted spinnerets producing buckyfibre on demand - controlled by bionano (mostly Zoeific clades) or hylonano neural implants - used in small scale construction and the manufacture of fabrics.
  • Cargo Gel  - Text by Todd Drashner
    Utility fog based device used for transporting cargo in a wide range of environments from planetary surfaces to interstellar spac
  • Carpetbeast  - Text by John B and Stephen Inniss
    Typically an animal-derived neogen or splice designed to thrive as a living carpet or rug, usually for use by human nearbaselines or similar bionts. Some varieties, in addition to being soft and warm, and of a pleasant colour and texture, produce pleasant scents and sounds such as a musky scent and a purr. Most are self-cleaning, sometimes with the assistance of mite to insect sized neogens. These creatures are usually sessile but some variants are capable of slow movement and a few are capable of shaping themselves into items of furniture.
  • Cerebral Siren  - Text by John B
    This device samples some 10,000 well-distributed neurons throughout the player's brainpan. It responds with a specific tone and texture when each neuron fires, producing a pseudo-rhythmic tonal surf effect. With significant biofeedback training and lucky placement of the neural sensors, a being can control anywhere from approximately 20% to the record 72.94% of the various textural tonal effects. This soundscape is usually quite calming and peaceful, unless there are unlucky placement of the filaments.
  • Chemicanalyzer  - Text by Tom Mazanec
    Handheld chemical analysis tool.
  • Chromatoclothes  - Text by Mike Parisi
    "Smart" clothing that mimics the chromatophore firing patterns of certain species (most notably Bitenic Squids) that use chromatophores for communications.
  • Cimri - Text by Anders Sandberg
    Kitchen MRI tool, used to check temperature, texture and juiciness of food by nuclear magnetic resonance.
  • Cleanliness  - Text by Pran Mukherjee
    In a world of ultra-tech carpets, remote-control bodmods, and other computer-controlled gadgets, cleanliness is not simply a matter of taking a shower every day.
  • Clone  - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    A biological organism asexually reproduced or bionanonically copied from another cell or genome or a template thereof. A clone is genetically identical to its original.
  • Cluetab and Cluedriver  - Text by Thorbørn Steen
    A common method for fastening surfaces together.
  • Cognitive Diuretic  - Text by John B
    A 'rebranding' of so-called 'truth' drugs such as sodium pentathol.
  • Commclothing/Commskin  - Text by iancampbell
    Commclothing or commskin addresses a problem with high levels of computational technology, and specifically direct neural interfacing: the problem of getting large amounts of data in and out of a sophont's body, whether a biont or a vec.
  • Crest - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    Symbiotic nanotech device that serves as a sign of one's station or rank within an organization or collective as well as conferring upon the owner privileges relating to that organization, such as file access, special protocols, restricted templates, hyperturing advice.
  • Cyberdemocracy  - Text by Ryan B
    Government by means of direct representation, and/or participation, via technological means (Internet, IPN, or LocalNet)
  • Direct Neural Interface (DNI)  - Text by Ad Astra, updated by Ryan B
    Ubiquitous technological implant for connecting a sophont's brain to their exoself, the Net, nearby artifacts, and other beings.
  • Duct Tape 2.0  - Text by Sethbord
    Commonly used roll of reusable tape.
  • Ear, The  - Text by John B
    "The Ear" is used by baselines to indicate if they are under surveillance by active sensors or via active transmissions.
  • Effector Frame  - Text by Todd Drashner
    Type of handtech device using utility fog based 'limbs'. Often used by sophonts working in non-angelnet conditions to generate a variable number of limbs, 'smart' anchor lines, grippers, etc.
  • Emulation Suits  - Text by Tony Jones
    Software that interfaces, translates and/or emulates between virchworlds and so allow virtuals from one world to exist and communicate meaningfully with those from another.
  • Environmental Optimization Protocols   - Text by Todd Drashner
    Specialized software coding designed to modify a sophont's local environment for maximum comfort and enjoyment.Modosophonts
  • Envirosuit  - Text by Stephen Inniss
    Advanced 'living', form-fitting synanotech suits that allow the wearer to move freely and interact as if in er home environment in surroundings that might otherwise be uncomfortable or even fatal.
  • Exocortex  - Text by Avengium
    External processing systems linked intimately to a user's mind.
  • Exoskeleton  - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    An external skeleton as found in arthropods, or a suit of protective sealed powered armour worn as clothing, or similarly protective modifications or augments of the body.
  • Flo-stone  - Text by Todd Drashner
    Nanotech based material used for flooring and originally designed to simulate the look and feel of marble or ceramic.
  • Fluent Veil  - Text by Todd Drashner
    Smart fabric veil worn by many citizens in the Solar Dominion and some other polities.
  • Flugumes - Text by Peter Kisner
    A genetically engineered instrument derived from various legume varieties, typically used by baseline or near baseline humans, but more as a humorous prop than a seriously taken musical apparatus. During the early 2300's the composer Mlarr Bigglemun did come up with a Flugume Suite in the tradition of P.D.Q. Bach that gained widespread popularity among more renowned baseline musicologists.
  • Fog Swarm Projection - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    A rl projection of physical objects and entities through the behavior of trillions of foglets. Fog swarms can be seamlessly merged with virch environments to create a continuum from totally virtual to totally rl.
  • Friendzines  - Text by Tony Jones
    A form of electronic media, not entirely unrelated to the madvert, but rather more benevolent, they are a combination of electronic magazine, news source and companion, combining an expert system optimized towards research and information storage with another expert system tooled towards interpersonal interaction with a specific user.
  • Geckotech  - Text by Johnny Yesterday
    Use of nanoscale hairs (setae) to provide adhesion by Van der Waals forces.
  • Genematode  - Text by Steve Bowers
    A neogen/splice nematode-like defence system as an antiviral/antibacterial agent.
  • Genemod  - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    Genetic modification. Can be somatic (designed not to be heritable), germline (capable of being inherited by offspring) or both. Genemods are designed to alter a bionts body at a fundamental level, "reprogramming" their capabilities and responses to the environment.
  • Genestick  - Text by Todd Drashner
    Various compact genetic analysis and engineering devices.
  • Genotypic Augmentation - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    Modification or augmentation that effects only the genotype of the gametes and descendants of an organism. Genotypic augmentation is biological or genetic modification or augmentation that effects only the genotype of the gametes and descendants of an organism. It does not alter the characteristics of the user, or of clones from the user's somatic cells, but it does modify that of all of the user's offspring. Contrast with phenotypic augmentation.
  • Ghost Interface (alias Washu pad)  - Text by Peter Kisner
    Device in which the computer holographically projects an interface screen in some area near the user. The screen can be "touch" sensitive, with the computer monitoring phalangial position in relation to the projected image, or view-screen and "keyboard" can be separate projections. Ghost interfaces are usually activated either by a command word or easy hand gesture.
  • Glow-Orb Cactus  - Text by David Hallberg
    A relative to the Lantern plant.
  • GluStik - Text by John B
    Small device which is used to temporarily adhere any two surfaces together, and also to release such adhesion.
  • Golem (bot) - Text by Anders Sandberg
    Utility mesites (heavy foglets) animated by an AI controlling them. They are usually makeshift constructions thrown together when an transapient being is in urgent need to manipulate the physical world but lacks an avatar nearby and simply commandeers whatever hardware is around, shapes it into a being and sets to work. Under favourable circumstances and with the right software add-ons, a modosophont ai can produce a 'stock' golem from an array of templates, but of course cannot match the improvisational skill of transapient AIs. Golem is a term from from Old Earth Jewish mythology.
  • Gourd Houses  - Text by AI Vin
    A biotech house grown from a vine-like plant.
  • Groundborne Independent Quadrobile (GIQ)  - Text by Thorbørn Steen
    Ground transport with four independently powered wheels.
  • Handtech  - Text by Stephen Inniss
    Technology that replaces, or augments, biological limbs, or acts as manipulators for aioid entities.
  • Happy Tongue - Text by John B
    Common device used by those who can't afford good tasting food. It is a nanotech dose that coats the throat, palate, teeth and tongue to simulate the texture and flavor of a preferred food. It is usually available in week-long doses, but permanent implants are also available for an increased cost.
  • HOGfoot Wheels  - Text by Johnny Yesterday
    a robotic appendage design that enables agile rolling-based locomotion and, in conjunction with legs, walking, running, and climbing.
  • Identicard  - Text by M. Alan Kazlev; based on original by Kevin Self
    Identification and data storage device widely used during the Information Age.
  • Immunemetic - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    Neural nano-device that provides a CNS filter to screen out subversive memetics. Does not work against high toposophic subversion.
  • Injector Serpent  - Text by David Hallberg
    A variation of the Live Jewellry-theme for ingesting drugs.
  • Inoffensive Bodies  - Text by iancampbell
    This trend among some sophonts involves a series of augmentations intended specifically to suppress the sometimes subjectively unpleasant or embarrassing features of biology.
  • Internalnet - Text by Ken Clements, in Anders Sandberg's Transhuman Terminology
    An information network inside a living body, for example between nanochondria, bionic implants or external wearable computers.
  • Knowsense  - Text by Tony Jones
    An intuitive knowledge interface allowing a biont to access data almost instinctively.
  • Lantern Plant  - Text by David Hallberg
    A gnarled, bonsai-like potted plant with ivy-like reddish-green leaves.
    It produces large, trumpet-like flowers that are transparent, hard as glass and point upwards. At the bottom of the flower a series of glands produce a flammable liquid, not unlike kerosene. A long, spongy stamen can be set alight and used as a wick.
  • Laundry, The  - Text by Daniel Eliot Boese
    An everydaytech facility for cleansing, repairs, custom alterations, and more
  • Leg Wheels  - Text by Johnny Yesterday
    Hybrid devices using both legs/limbs and wheels.
  • Liquid Clothing - Text by Michael Boncher
    A high tensile strength liquid is stretched inside a hoop with an internal reservoir inside the tube of the hoop. Using nanites to control flow and fitting, a sophont steps inside the hoop and pulls it up, coating their body with the liquid which quickly forms into a design and coloring programmed into the hoop's computer control. When the outfit reaches either the shoulder or neck, the user presses a button and the hoop cuts the liquid free allowing it to form on the body. This method can also be used to make instant gloves, boots, pants or other body coverings on limbs. This is also very useful for crises in space or on the water, as well as a large variety of social uses and industrial uses as well. Often this type of clothing incorporates automated systems that increase a worker's efficiency and safety by amplifying the power, speed or precision of eir movements. A standard hoop for plebhu use is 175 cm in diameter, but larger and smaller hoops for other Clades are also quite common.
  • Live Jewellry  - Text by David Hallberg
    The use of gengineered creatures for personal adornment, for example; beautiful, brightly colored snakes as bracelets, necklaces or hairbands; colorful beetles worn like brooches or as earrings and so on.
  • Living Paper  - Text by Brian McKinley
    A computer or supercomputer resembling a sheet of paper, Interplanetary Age to recent.
  • Living Tattoo  - Text by Todd Drashner
    A form of decoration that consists of one or more species of gengineered micro-organism being introduced into the skin (or fur, or feathers, or onto the shell, scales, or carapace) of a sophont and then induced to develop in a manner that results in a visible pattern or image being displayed.
  • Lynk  - Text by Todd Drashner
    Lynking - the act of linking different locations by telepresence via high-grade utility fog, often as part of an angelnet.
  • Medicyte  - Text by Ryan B
    Generic term for all types of invasive microscopic robots used in medicine.
  • Memory Box - Text by Todd Drashner
    Data storage unit used to contain the mind-state. Also contains a digitized copy of the owners biocode to allow the nano- construction of a new body if the original is destroyed. A standard memory box is a rectangular solid approximately of dimension 3x1.5x.75cm. Memory boxes are typically copied at least three times and the copies kept in separate locations. They are also built to be as close to indestructible as their owners can afford. A standard design typically involves multilayer buckytube shells interspersed with foamed ceramic thermal insulation.
  • Memory Grubs  - Text by John B
    These relatively short, damp wormlike creatures were created deliberately in the 33rd century AT to fulfil a role - to help baselines organize and recall memory better.
  • Microbot - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    Autonomous device on the microscale (10-6 m); larger than a nanobot but smaller than a macroscopic bot (the limit is usually set somewhat arbitrarily at one millimeter). Microbots are used for a variety of tasks such as monitoring, repairs, nanite transport and production and smart materials.
  • Milk Tap  - Text by Tony Jones
    also known as the microdairy
  • Mindlet - Text by Fernando Peña D'Andrea
    Small program that runs on hosts mind or hosts brain's plug-in hardware. Used to perform several tasks that are server-specific in several virch environment, like authentication. Some servers will require such authentication even before letting the mind make contact with their internal environment, and thus upload such applets.
  • Mini-bot  - Text by Todd Drashner
    Nanotech-based collapsible robot.
  • Mnemonet - Text by Todd Drashner
    Biocybernetic network of nanodevices grown in an organic brain and working to constantly record the owners brain activity and memories. The contents of the network are periodically downloaded to a central file and integrated into the mind-state stored there. If the owner dies for some reason, the mind-state is activated and instantiated in a new body to continue the life of the original. Mnemonets are also used to expand the memory of the user when the original organic memory has reached its limits due to the length of the users lifespan. In the more advanced systems, mnemonets designs are written into the gene-code of all citizens so that they develop as part of the natural growth process of a fetus and child.
  • Morphable Pressurized Tensegrity Cells  - Text by Johnny Yesterday
    A technology for producing rigid polymorphic materials and structures that have a low density
  • MultiModal Personal Rapid Transport  - Text by Steve Bowers
    Otherwise known as People Pods, these small vehicles can utilise a number of different modes.
  • Muschine  - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and AI Vin
    Subsentient biomachines. Widely used in the Zoeific Biopolity and elsewhere.
  • Nail-tool  - Text by Mike Parisi
    Popular cybernetic (or occasionally bioborg) implant, common among medium-tech biont clades, and those who like to do their own engineering and surgery. Nail-tools consist of telescoping, fractal micro-manipulators that extend from the ends of the user's regular digits.
  • Nano-flywheels  - Text by John B and Steve Bowers
    Mechanical energy stored as angular momentum at a very small scale.
  • Nanobot  - Text by M. Alan Kazlev; amended by Stephen Inniss and Ryan B
    A hylotech, biotech or syntech bot that uses nanoscale mechanisms and manipulates objects on the nanoscale. By convention nanobots are less than one micrometre in size; larger bots enabled by nanotech are referred to as mesobots, cytobots, or microbots, or if they are still larger then they may be called as mitebots, synsects, or simply bots.
  • Nanoflex  - Text by Todd Drashner
    Paper-like programmable matter; a multi-purpose, omni-flexible nanotech effector system still used in many parts of the Terragen sphere.
  • Nanomedicine First Aid Kit (N-FAK)   - Text by Ryan B
    Automated nanomedicine kit.
  • Nanoskin - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    Bionano or hylonano augment or application that completely covers the wearer/user's skin, forming a second dermal layer and providing environmental protection and intelligence augmentation.
  • Narco-Symbiont  - Text by Mike Parisi
    Also known as Naco-Sym or NarSym. Any small gengineered life form, which affixes itself to a subject's body, and supplies em with small, regular amounts of endorphins or some other pleasure-inducing substance.
  • Olfactory Array  - Text by Johnny Yesterday
    A device used to detect volatilized and fluid-phase chemical compounds suspended in air, or another fluid medium
  • Omnicraft  - Text by Todd Drashner
    Versatile mode of transport designed to operate and provide accommodations in a wide range of environments from planetary surfaces to interplanetary space.
  • Omnimed   - Text by Ryan B
    Small white pills containing totipotent medibots
  • Omniphobic Materials  - Text by Johnny Yesterday
    A class of materials that resist being fouled by all foreign substances that impinge upon their surface.
  • Omnitool   - Text by Ryan B
    General class of hand-held technology capable of performing a variety of functions either on demand or after some internal reconfiguration.
  • Optical Phased Arrays  - Text by Luke Campbell and Steve Bowers
    An optical phased array (OPA) uses phase technology to produce a wide range of optical images and emissions.
  • Other Self  - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    Bionano wetware consisting of drugs and bionanites that causes temporary personality alteration.
  • OxyFruit  - Text by John B
    Astragen capable of producing pressurized 'pods' (also the seed) of O2 when in contact with oxygen bearing materials and a specific wavelength and intensity of light.
  • Passcoder - Text by John B
    Device that interfaces with common locking mechanisms acting like a ring of keys. Can be anything from an addition to the network adapter, to a ring, to a key, to a card to any of a multitude of less common forms.
  • Pencomp  - Text by John B and Todd Drashner
    Networked processing device allegedly very popular in the period leading up to the Technocalypse, and definitely for some time thereafter.
  • Personal Autopilot  - Text by Selden,
    A Personal Autopilot is a standard exoself feature accessed through a DNI interface which provides the conscious ability to delegate mundane tasks to a sub-persona or stand-in, while the user's primary consciousness is concentrating on something else.
  • Personal Medical System - Capabilities   - Text by Ryan B
    Artificial medisystems have a number of standard capabilities.
  • Personal Medical Systems (Medisystems)   - Text by Ryan B
    Artificial medical systems within the body of a biont.
  • Personal Transport Technology  - Text by Terrafamilia, Ryan B (wing pack)
    Some modes of personal transport that became possible during the Solsys Golden Age.
  • Pigment Technology  - Text by Johnny Yesterday
    Passive, (often solid-state) colorants used in everything from the shells of marine creatures to the hulls of spacecraft
  • Pimple Socket - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    A microscopic interface socket by which a biont can use cyberware (e.g. DNI) without appearing like a "buttonhead". The name cames from the fact that the socket itself is surrounded by a small bump or pimple that allows the user to find it even without augmentations.
  • Pivoting Aerodyne Utility Bot  - Text by Johnny Yesterday
    General-purpose flying robotic platform.
  • Pneumatically Supported Structure (PSS)  - Text by Johnny Yesterday
    Materials and structures that derive their rigidity from contained gas pressure.
  • Power Shoes - Text by Jorge Ditchkenberg
    Shoes that at night walk by themselves and connect to an energy source, and in the daytime supply their user with energy. Especially popular with children, who are often too small to carry a longer-term energy supply and who might otherwise forget to connect to an external source.
  • Programmable Matter, Smart Matter  - Text by Steve Bowers
    Matter which can change its physical properties on command
  • Programmable Quantum-Dot Arrays  - Text by Johnny Yesterday
    Array of variable quantum dots that are incorporated into the surfaces of electrically or photonically conductive nanostructured composite films and nanofibers, capable of creating surfaces and composites with a wide array of optical and electrical characteristics
  • Quantum-random trigger  - Text by Johnny Yesterday
    A quantum-random trigger is a device for producing truly random behavior
  • Reality Room  - Text by Todd Drashner and Stephen Inniss
    Imaging and entertainment technology in use during the 4th and 5th centuries AT.
  • Reseal  - Text by John B
    The civilized galaxy's version of Old Earth 'duct tape'.
  • Road Root  - Text by Michael Walton
    Self-repairing biotech road and highway systems.
  • Robot  - Text by M. Alan Kazlev; some additional material by Stephen Inniss
    A programmable hardware or software device, agent, or expert system, either non- sub-turing, or dedicated turingrade, that follows certain instructions in order to perform tasks autonomously. A physical (hardware) robot mechanical manipulators and sensors. A robot may perform a physical task normally done by a biont, often with greater speed, strength, efficiency, and precision. Although vecs are sometimes also called robots (because of similarity of appearance), robots differ from vecs in that they are less cognitively flexible, and lack or have only limited initiative. Most vecs would respond to being called "robot" the way most sophont bionts would respond to being called "animal".
  • Safety Blades  - Text by John B
    A common implement in most work areas. These are knives with smart matter cutting surfaces and various sensor capabilities. The basic premise is a device which will stay ever-sharp and ready to cut, but will not cut unless it is held in a living hand, nor will it cut a living being.
  • Security Bush  - Text by ROM 65536
    Antipersonnel guard-plant and defence weapon.
  • Self-Repairing Clothing  - Text by Steve Bowers and Juan Ochoa
    Smart, active clothing which rejects dirt and repairs moderate damage.
  • Sepiiform Remotes  - Text by Ithuriel
    Robotic devices shaped like squid or cuttlefish
  • Shivverskate  - Text by John B
    A relatively recent fad. the Shivverskate stores a moderately impressive amount of kinetic energy in molecular flywheels and releases it as a standing sonic wave beneath itself, allowing a relatively frictionless interface with the ground in a standard-gravity environment. Useable for transport or as a weapon.
  • Shower in a Bottle - Text by James Ramsey
    Active nanite gel that is used to clean the body of bionts. Uses body heat and organic dirt from cleaning for energy. The gel in the shape of a sphere is placed somewhere on the body. The gel then spreads out to cover the being's entire body. Once finished the gel reforms into a sphere which then can be placed in the carrying bottle.
  • Simm  - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, modified by Steve Bowers
    A subsentient virtual entity created to populate a virchuniverse, or to interact with real-life sophonts using augmented reality. Unlike copies, simms rarely have rights.
  • Slidewalks and RiverRoads  - Text by Stephen Inniss
    Moving walkways — transport for passengers and other objects.
  • Smart Dust - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
    Scattered meso- or nano- bots used as an invisible surveillance device.
  • Smartex  - Text by Michael Boncher
    "Smart" latex rubber.
  • Spraywear  - Text by Michael Boncher
    Form of clothing was originally developed as an effort to pack protective gear into a small area for use in emergencies. It has since become a popular form of outerwear for many sophonts.
  • Sun Scutter - Solar Thermal Bioship  - Text by Rhea47
    The Sun Scutter is a type of low speed interplanetary bioship powered by a solar thermal rocket.
  • Surgicon  - Text by Ryan B
    Ancient and highly versatile medical/augmentation technology, also known as a HealStrip, Corrector and Active-Dressing.
  • Symbionic - Text by Glenn F. Cartwright
    Possessing a direct, neural interface between the brain and the environment
    Symbionics developed during the later information and early interplanetary periods, and for the first time allowed the biont mind to directly channel wireless, virtual reality information directly to the cortex, bypassing conventional sensory channels. This enabled complete and seamless virch participation, and virch realities that for the first time were indistinguishable from physical (rl) reality.
  • Synbiome - Text by iancampbell
    This term refers to the complex of geneered and neogenic commensal organisms, nanomachines and nanoscale communications pathways present in most sapient bionts, which first became available in high-tech polities. The word came about as an extension of the word "microbiome", a term for the large number of micro-organisms (with a few just about visible to unaugmented human eyesight) that inhabit most, if not all, biological organisms. The synbiome usually incorporates the biont's nanomedical system among its functions. A synbiome also includes a signalling system, designed to alert the host biont to requirements for minerals and other substances not required by unaugmented bionts.
  • Synsects  - Text by Stephen Inniss
    Small bots, or occasionally cyborg/neogen or synano constructs on the scale of arthropods. They exhibit artificial instinct (as opposed to artificial intelligence), and are capable, like insects of considerably complex emergent behaviour. They are a ubiquitous in most modern mechosystems.
  • Technoanimism  - Text by Stephen Inniss
    A common memeplex that reached currency in the Interplanetary Age with the advent of sentient and sapient ais, bots, and vecs and widespread gengineering and provolution.
  • Technoshamanism  - Text by Stephen Inniss
    A natural outgrowth of technoanimism. Technoshamanism is the art of understanding and negotiating with the ubiquitous sentient, sapient/sophont, and pseudosophont or pesudosentient items and beings that are encountered in day to day life by a typical modosophont in the Civilized Galaxy.
  • Temporary Bodies  - Text by Michael Boncher, revised by Steve Bowers 2015
    Bot or biobot body that is used to temporarily house the mind of a virtual person or any other discorporate entity.
  • Thanatology  - Text by Steve Bowers
    The study of life and death as experienced in the Sephirotic Empires.
  • Vac Trains  - Text by Todd Drashner
    Fast train transport in evacuated tubes to reduce atmospheric resistance.
  • Virchbuilder Packages  - Text by Tony Jones
    Types of software used to create virtual worlds.
  • Vuser  - Text by Steve Bowers
    Biological (or otherwise embodied) sophont who uses interactive technology to enter a virtual reality scenario.
  • Wallflowers  - Text by Thorbørn Steen
    Genetically modified flowering plants for architectural display.
  • Washer, Dryer, Automatic-Ironer  - Text by Ryan B
    Everyday Tech in the late Information Age
  • Wer-water  - Text by Todd Drashner
    Colloquial term (originally a brand name) for a class of programmable drinks
  • Wer-weave  - Text by Todd Drashner
    Smart matter cloth.
  • Zipper  - Text by John B
    Small cutting device for opening the amazingly resilient packaging materials common in any mid to high tech part of the Terragen Sphere.
 
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Development Notes
Text by Todd Drashner

Initially published on 31 December 2007.

 
Additional Information