The Mech Touch - Chapter 7427: Historical Neural Interface Research

Chapter 7427: Historical Neural Interface Research

Chapter 7427

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Neural interface technology possessed a lot of depth and layers.

Ever since it became the bridge between potentates and mechs, neural interface technology gained a huge amount of importance.

The MTA decisively staked its claim onto this core tech, preventing others from recklessly experimenting with it any further.

Though selfish, the mechers mostly had good intentions in mind. By maintaining a strict monopoly on the development of neural interface technology, they prevented other scientists and engineers from making mistakes and endangering unwitting customers.

However, Ves could not ignore the fact that the MTA had also stifled the development of neural interface technology in the process.

As an innovator himself, he knew that experimentation often resulted in failure.

Without any special advantages, many inventors had to explore blindly, never knowing whether their next idea could lead to fortune or catastrophe.

Normal innovation was relatively harmless. Although the creators involved may end up wasting a lot of time and resources, they at least understood how reality worked a little better than before.

Even failure produced valuable data, if only to inform the parties involved what did not work.

Many innovations sprung from failure.

It could be through a simple process of elimination. Perhaps an inventor tried out 99 different ideas, each of which failed through different means. Yet the data and calculations also illuminated 1 idea that actually turned out to be viable.

Other innovations could emerge from sudden inspiration. Ves was most accustomed to this means of inventing new stuff. He might work on a mundane piece of tech, but suddenly became inspired to try out a new variation or direction that might end up yielding greater rewards.

Both instances did not happen often across the mech industry, but given its size still happened frequently enough to guarantee the steady growth and evolution of mechs.

One of the few exceptions to this rule was neural interface technology.

Accidents related to mundane components such as armor systems or sensor systems would simply cause the mech to malfunction or perform worse than normal. The mech pilot was not at risk unless the fault was particularly

severe.

Not so for neural interfaces. Due to its direct connection to the brains of mech pilots, even a minor fault could induce permanent damage, potentially causing loss of piloting ability or even death!

Such accidents happened particularly frequently during the first and most chaotic years of the Age of Mechs.

Naturally, the MTA moved quickly to nip this problem in the bud.

If Ves charted the advancement of neural interface technology to other mech-related techs, then it would appear as a very gentle slope compared to the much steeper inclines of energy shields, armor systems, flight systems and

more.

It couldn’t be helped!

Whereas the MTA permitted mech designers and other researchers to explore many different facets of conventional technologies related to mechs, the powerful superorganisation ruthlessly stamped out any unauthorized or overly adventurous explorations in the field of neural interface technology!

Most of the ‘innovations’ in neural interfaces ended up being incremental in nature. They took the form of small optimizations and reluctant incorporation of adjacent technologies.

It was as if neural interface specialists were too afraid to take a single step further.

Making the wrong move could easily cause them to lose their precious certifications!

This had led to a suboptimal circumstance where both interest and human resources heavily lagged behind other mech-related fields!

Many mech designers did not even think about improving neural interfaces.

This was odd as they normally thought about squeezing every bit of performance in other mech components!

The MTA clearly engineered this circumstance just to minimize the amount of accidents related to neural interface experimentation.

Yet it also prevented the rise of many neural interface specialists whose reckless but valuable experimentation might have led to colossal improvements.

Ves found it ridiculous that the mech industry never qualitatively improved the ability for low-aptitude mech pilots to control their mechs more effectively!

He did not think it was an impossible task. Technology could always find a way. In his opinion, the main reason why such innovations never came to pass was because the mechers erred far too much on the side of caution and heavily restricted development in this sector.

The mechers actually went a step further. They not only shrunk this sector and arrested its advancement, but also restricted access to old and historic research on neural interface technology!

Back then, the Big Two had not yet emerged. Humanity had conquered half the galaxy but became increasingly more divided into bitter rivals.

With the Five Scrolls Compact secretly stoking conflict behind the scenes, many humans did not care too much about restricting dangerous forms of R&D.

They were too greedy about the gains to care about the occasional accidents!

The neural interface sector during this volatile but high-flying age looked completely unrecognizable to a child of the subsequent ages!

It was not necessarily larger, since neural interfaces had yet to produce a killer application that achieved widespread popularity.

However, neural interfaces have already found use in a number of valuable applications.

This niche technology therefore attracted plenty of researchers who faced few restrictions when it came to tinkering with new devices.

They just needed to be powerful enough to withstand the consequences or find a patron that could provide them with sufficient protection.

So long as their unstable products did not produce too many fatalities, they could easily continue with their dangerous projects!

This was a wild period of time. Neural interface specialists recklessly incorporated both unsubstantiated ideas as well as dubious alien tech into their implementations, thereby producing wild and unpredictable outcomes!

When the Big Two rose and began to consolidate their power across human space, they did not look kindly upon the dangerous technologies that had proliferated across the many colonies.

They not only suppressed the distribution and use of dangerous neural interface designs, but also confiscated as much of the design data as they could get their hands on.

This was yet another reason why the neural interface sector produced such anemic innovation over the centuries.

How could the neural interface researchers of the Age of Mechs make substantial progress when they lacked access to so much historical accumulation?

It was like trying to run a marathon with a crippled leg!

While Ves had hoped that the Red Association became infected by the openness of the Age of Dawn and reverse this policy, the mechers of the new frontier hardly budged on this stance.

Sure, the RA reluctantly revealed the existence of ‘complete neural interfaces’ and deployed an increasing number of ‘true mechs’ to provide a counterweight to the rise of so-called qi cultivators, the mechers had hardly moved any further when it came to this sensitive tech.

This was also why Cormaunt Hempkamp specifically requested access to this forbidden research database.

He lacked inspiration and did not possess enough depth in his own field of specialization to complete his assigned task.

Though Ves could reject the Journeyman’s request and insist that he rely on his own ingenuity to find a solution in the darkness, this was not a reasonable request.

Perhaps Cormaunt might be able to cobble together an experimental solution if he had access to the Mech Designer System, but Ves did not want to make this happen too easily.

Cormaunt Hempkamp had to earn the right to become a user.

For this reason, Ves readily embraced the man’s proposal.

“I do not foresee any problems when it comes to helping you gain approval to access the database that contains information related to historical research into neural interface technology.” He said. “As a tier 2 galactic citizen, the normal rules do not apply to me anymore. My relationship with the Transhumanist Faction is also good enough that the mechers will not impose too many demands. Nonetheless, everything you do will reflect on me. I will effectively become your guarantor. That means that I will bear responsibility for every injury or death that your experimentation will produce. Do you understand the gravity of the situation?”

The atmosphere in the meeting room grew thick as the others realized the magnitude of the situation.

As mech designers themselves, Alexa and the others roughly understood how any innovation related to neural interfaces could be fatal.

Every mech designer was raised with the lesson that it was taboo for their products to harm their customers!

Mech pilots must possess unflinching faith that mech designers served their needs.

This was the bottom line of the mech industry.

The MTA and the RA absolutely could not accept the rise of rogue mech designers who single-handedly tarnished the reputation of all mech designers!

If Ves vouched for Cormaunt’s research and it ended up causing any mech pilot to lose their mind or die, then it would not just be Cormaunt that suffered the consequences.

Ves would be dragged down just as hard, and his reputation might take such a hit that he would be barred from conducting research and development for the foreseeable future!

This was not a trivial matter. Cormaunt understood the implications of the burden that Ves had to bear if he accepted his proposal.

Nevertheless, the Journeyman did not back down. He stared into Ves’ eyes and showed no signs of fear.

“I need the data, sir.” Cormaunt Hempkamp slowly stood up and responded with a determined voice. “I need to read the reports and logs that explain the thought processes of those ancient scientists in detail. Only by learning how they have created neural interfaces between humans and a diverse array of machines will I be able to fulfill your original assignment in a short amount of time. I can promise you that I will take great care to prevent any unfortunate accidents. While I cannot rule out this outcome entirely, I will never move too quickly. I shall apply for Director Gloriana to personally supervise my research activities.”

That did it. Ves lost much of his hesitation. If there was one individual in the Design Department that could force Cormaunt Hempkamp to remain cautious and be as meticulous as possible in his experiments, it was his wife.

Gloriana would never tolerate any reckless research activity under her watch!

Though she could do little to prevent her own husband from exploring the most insane research directions, her power, rank and prestige were more than sufficient enough to shut Cormaunt’s research down!

Ves smiled in response. “That is a good condition. I will inform Gloriana myself after this meeting. Be prepared to face intense scrutiny and be ready to account for each and every design choice you make. If she takes this responsibility as seriously as I think she will, then her oversight will not be that much more lenient than that of the mechers.”

Though all of that sounded rather harsh, Cormaunt still exhibited a lot of relief.

“I only want to obtain a chance. I thank you with all my heart for giving me this opportunity. I will not abuse your trust in me. The greatest remaining problem is the matter of test subjects. If I want to test my theories, I cannot avoid the necessity to conduct experiments in reality.”

That caused Ves to frown.

This was indeed a very thorny issue.

“It is too early to consider this matter. Let’s wait until you have made greater progress before we consider the need for test subjects. If Gloriana cannot solve this problem, then you can come to me. I can probably arrange something… though the price will be significant. Human life is still sacrosanct in this age. You may have to rely on volunteers, convicted criminals or test subjects who have already passed their expiration dates.”

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