Post-Turn 2: Technological Innovations, 2350-2370
Milke
the roman empire fell in 1918
Technological Innovations, 2350-2370
GS-1 Blixthammar Reports:
►Enhanced air- and water-filters, recyclable: Our scientists have managed to devise mobile and quick-deployable air and water recyclers that would facilitate and ease the complications of deploying temporary habitats in an airless environment. Our Chief Science Officer was inspired to this endeavor after reading classic science-fiction novel *The Martian*, in which protagonist Mark Watney struggles to jury-rig his habitat's bulky and fragile life-support systems to work with his rover over a long journey. These new modular, re-deployable life-support systems would have made Watney's journey to Schiaparelli crater much safer and more feasible, and will surely help real colonists in ensuring their safety and convenience in airless environments.
GS-2 Belayev's Redemption Reports:
►Hardcoded Motivator: A thorough analysis of the rogue droid has confirmed what we already long expected: The behavior the droid exhibited was as a result of hardcoded 'motivators' inserted into its codebase - an entirely artificial, human-made addition, likely intended to imitate what the editor thought would pass as a 'sentient droid'. We have developed self-tests that would be able to detect these motivators in an HIAI.
►Brain-Computer Interface: Further research and gradual innovations in brain-computer interface technology has yielded yet another victory for the field of bionics - our scientists, using old and new techniques, have devised a brain-interpretive interface that would allow those with robotic limbs (and those controlling machinery) to use their thoughts as a controller. The devised chip interprets certain brainwaves and sends corresponding commands to connected machinery, allowing a mostly-intuitive, motion-free method of controlling robotic limbs and machinery. Nonetheless, the tech isn't perfect, and healthy testers described discomfort and nausea when operating certain types of machinery and motion schemes, such as maneuvering thrusters or forklifts. For amputees, though, the tech is a perfect fit.
GS-3 Saint Joseph Labre Reports:
►Antimatter Technologies: Attempts to further pioneer the existing science of antimatter production and containment has not led to any significant advancements - it seems that antimatter will continue to avoid real feasibility for the coming future.
GS-4 Gaia Reports:
►Improved Recycling: We have made improvements in metal and plastics recycling that will allow a 10% increase in efficiency from previous recyclers, bringing the most efficient recycling process up to 85% efficiency. However, this efficiency comes at no insignificant cost, and its predicted that often, like most previous methods, simply disposing and replacing will be come the more economical norm when we reach the surface.
►Nutrient Paste: Nutrition scientists have devised an almost-ideal dried ration paste converted from contemporary hydroponics foodstuffs which has a shelf life longer than the human lifespan. Unfortunately, there is no aiding in the terrible taste of the stuff, which scientists reported to be 'so bad, the taste acquires you.' It will, however, keep you alive in an emergency.
GS-5 Britannic Reports:
►Agent Eden: Revisions and further tweaks to Agent Emerald have produced a vitalizing agent that is much safer for the environment, and certainly safe for consumers. Nicknamed 'Agent Eden', the derivative vitalizing agent is estimated to be only 15% as ecologically damaging, although in turn it is only 20% as effective as Agent Emerald in boosting fertility and growth. Still, with these efficiencies, 'Agent Eden' makes for a fairly high grade fertilizer among competitors, and can be readily produced from the very products we grow in hydroponics.
►Biologically-Derived Polymer: In efforts to tackle potential part shortages, scientists have devised a moderate-strength bioplastic which can be fabricated specifically from our hydroponically-grown crops. Things like nuts, bolts, small hand tools, canvases and low-durability fairings can now be sustainably printed without running down our metal parts. However, our scientists don't recommend using the new 'BDP' plastic for anything that hinges on structural integrity.
GS-6 Future of Russia Reports:
N/A - No science labs aboard the ship.
GS-7 Xwytsau Reports:
►Nature's Machine: In a first, we have managed to devise a set of fully-implantable artificial reproductive organs. Though not exactly the most family-friendly discovery, it will go a long way to integrated the human brain with a fully mechanical body. With the use of cell-breeding chambers and synthetic 'canvas', scientists were able to demonstrate a fully functioning, self-regulating, sperm-producing penis which in addition to being fully capable of reproduction, is designed to be resistant against sexually transmitted disease. Its counterpart is the 'cybernetic womb', which, at least according to peer-reviewed simulations, is capable of producing eggs, accepting fertilization, and even possibly supporting a fetus to birth, all while monitoring the fetus's health, delivering the ideal amount of nutrients, and screening for potentially toxic substances (such as alcohol) or foreign pathogens.