Neural interface technology possessed a lot of depth and layers.
Ever since it beca the bridge between potentates and chs, neural interface technology gained a huge amount of importance.
The MTA decisively staked its claim onto this core tech, preventing others from recklessly experinting with it any further.
Though selfish, the chers mostly had good intentions in mind. By maintaining a strict monopoly on the developnt of neural interface technology, they prevented other scientists and engineers from making mistakes and endangering unwitting custors.
However, Ves could not ignore the fact that the MTA had also stifled the developnt of neural interface technology in the process.
As an innovator himself, he knew that experintation 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 ti 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 ans. Yet the data and calculations also illuminated 1 idea that actually turned out to be viable.
Other innovations could erge from sudden inspiration. Ves was most accustod to this ans of inventing new stuff. He might work on a mundane piece of tech, but suddenly beca inspired to try out a new variation or direction that might end up yielding greater rewards.
Both instances did not happen often across the ch industry, but given its size still happened frequently enough to guarantee the steady growth and evolution of chs.
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 ch to malfunction or perform worse than normal. The ch 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 ch 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 chs.
Naturally, the MTA moved quickly to nip this problem in the bud.
If Ves charted the advancent of neural interface technology to other ch-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 ch designers and other researchers to explore many different facets of conventional technologies related to chs, 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 incrental 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 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 ch-related fields!
Many ch designers did not even think about improving neural interfaces.
This was strange as they normally thought about squeezing every bit of performance in other ch components!
The MTA clearly engineered this circumstance just to minimize the amount of accidents related to neural interface experintation.
Yet it also prevented the rise of many neural interface specialists whose reckless but valuable experintation might have led to massive improvents.
Ves found it ridiculous that the ch industry never qualitatively improved the ability for low-aptitude ch pilots to control their chs 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 ca to pass was because the chers erred far too much on the side of caution and heavily restricted developnt in this sector.
The chers actually went a step further. They not only shrunk this sector and arrested its advancent, but also restricted access to old and historic research on neural interface technology!
Back then, the Big Two had not yet erged. Humanity had conquered half the galaxy but beca 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 ca 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 ti. Neural interface specialists recklessly incorporated both unsubstantiated ideas as well as dubious alien tech into their implentations, thereby producing wild and unpredictable outcos!
Though the vast majority of experintal products either stalled or outright crashed, there were instances where at least a few of them managed to produce substantial improvents.
Ves did not know this for certain, but he could pretty much guess that the most modern implentation of neural interfaces was built on the bones of all of this reckless experintation!
He found it to be a sha that the MTA worked so hard to confiscate and restrict access to all of this wild and exotic research.
Their suppression had been so effective that not even the Terrans and the Rubarthans dared to hide away too much of their own experintal research on neural interfaces.
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 chs 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 beca infected by the openness of the Age of Dawn and reverse this policy, the chers 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 chs' to provide a counterweight to the rise of so-called qi cultivators, the chers had hardly moved any further when it ca 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 experintal solution if he had access to the ch Designer System, but Ves did not want to make this happen too easily.
Cormaunt Hempkamp had to earn the right to beco a user.
For this reason, Ves readily embraced the man's proposal.
"I do not foresee any problems when it cos 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 anymore. My relationship with the Transhumanist Faction is also good enough that the chers will not impose too many demands. Nonetheless, everything you do will reflect on . I will effectively beco your guarantor. That ans that I will bear responsibility for every injury or death that your experintation will produce. Do you understand the gravity of the situation?"
The atmosphere in the eting room grew thick as the others realized the magnitude of the situation.
As ch designers themselves, Alexa and the others roughly understood how any innovation related to neural interfaces could be fatal.
Every ch designer was raised with the lesson that it was taboo for their products to harm their custors!
ch pilots must possess unflinching faith that ch designers served their needs.
This was the bottom line of the ch industry.
The MTA and the RA absolutely could not accept the rise of rogue ch designers who single-handedly tarnished the impeccable record of safety that chs had established for over 400 years!
Fortunately, Cormaunt Hempkamp had never exhibited any sign of recklessness since he beca a mber of the Larkinson Clan.
This should not be a surprise. The chers only granted certification to work on neural interface technology on careful and ticulous individuals.
While that did not stop Cormaunt from growing more adventurous as he aged and experienced too many setbacks due to all of the restrictions, such shifts usually unfolded over many decades.
He was still young enough that he should still be reasonably law-abiding.
At least Ves hoped that was the case.
"I understand the gravity of the situation, sir." Cormaunt Hempkamp slowly stood up and responded with a determined voice. "I need the data. 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 assignnt in a short amount of ti. I can promise you that I will take great care to prevent any unfortunate accidents. While I cannot rule out this outco 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 Departnt that could force Cormaunt Hempkamp to remain cautious and be as ticulous as possible in his experints, 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 eting. 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 chers."
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 this opportunity. I will not abuse your trust in . The greatest remaining problem is the matter of test subjects. If I want to test my theories, I cannot avoid the necessity to conduct experints 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 co to . I can probably arrange sothing… though the price will be significant. Human life is still sacrosanct in this age. You may have to engage in more clandestine research in order to get what we want."
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