As time went on, the number of participants in the Neural Implant clinical trials steadily increased. It was no longer just the original biologists who had developed the technology; a diverse group of scientists from various disciplines volunteered to join the trial.
The more people involved, the more comprehensive the experimental data became. After an extended testing period, it was confirmed that the implant indeed had no major functional flaws.
The test subjects universally demonstrated cognitive abilities far beyond those of ordinary people.
This was especially apparent in their raw mathematical computation. The massive reduction in computational load on their natural brains seemed to make their minds far more agile, which in turn indirectly boosted all other cognitive functions.
The participants’ linguistic articulation improved, they felt physically more energetic, their critical thinking became razor-sharp, and their physical reflexes sharpened. They were even able to instantly organize and cross-reference obscure details and draw incredibly accurate inferences in seconds.
The final result? An astronomical surge in the colony’s overall research capabilities!
Numerous complex problems that had plagued the scientific community for decades were solved in a matter of weeks.
Consequently, this groundbreaking scientific achievement fully captured the attention of the general public.
Debates raged everywhere, in cafeterias, living quarters, and public forums. Some fully supported the technology, while others remained deeply opposed.
Analysts were already furiously calculating what these implants could mean for humanity’s future: exactly how much their industrial capacity could increase, and how many years could be shaved off the construction of the Deep Space.
"Based on the current experimental data, the work efficiency and research capabilities of the test subjects have improved exponentially... Though, this overall improvement is difficult to quantify with simple metrics."
"To give a practical example: consider a standard advanced calculus exam where the student knows all the formulas. Normally, it takes about 120 minutes to complete, with an average score of 60%. Even a seasoned mathematician would need roughly 100 minutes to finish it, simply because of the brain’s natural processing speed limit."
"But in the hands of the implant testers, the completion time dropped to around 15 minutes, with an average score of over 90%!"
"And the only reason it took 15 minutes is that the physical speed of handwriting couldn’t keep up with their cognitive processing speed!"
Based on that statistic alone, countless students, researchers, and programmers were already clamoring to become Neural Implant test subjects.
Who didn’t want to be a genius? Who didn’t want absolute focus and a super-brain?
However, a significant faction believed that the microchip posed hidden risks and could potentially cause irreparable harm to human society. Captain Jason himself was among these cautious conservatives.
To address public concerns and dispel rumors, the Federation produced a special broadcast featuring several leading experts to thoroughly explain the functions and safety protocols of the Neural Implant.
At eight o’clock that evening, the broadcast went live. Almost every citizen gathered in front of a screen, watching with keen interest.
"What is there to even argue about? This is clearly a massive upgrade!" an alien consciousness muttered in a local bar, taking a metaphorical sip of beer in its host’s mind. Nobody else in the crowded establishment paid any attention.
"Good evening, everyone. I’m Victoria, and I will be your host tonight. We’ve invited the core members of the Neural Implant R&D team to directly answer your questions about this revolutionary technology..." On the screen, a blonde woman holding a microphone radiated a warm, professional smile.
"Viewers, if you have any questions you’d like our experts to answer, please submit them via the colony network on channel 10888."
She sat on the left side of the studio stage, facing the panel of scientists.
"Professors, please allow me to start with the most widely debated safety concern. Where does the Neural Implant draw its power? Does it contain a micro-battery? How safe is it, and could it be damaged or short-circuited by strong external magnetic fields or electrical currents?"
Hearing this question, Dr. Roman, who was seated at the center of the panel, leaned into his microphone.
"The Neural Implants we are using today are the culmination of decades of microcircuit research," Roman began. "They operate on extremely low power, roughly 0.1 to 0.2 watts, and are directly integrated with specific capillaries on the brain’s surface. Therefore, their energy source is the human body’s natural blood glucose, not a volatile chemical battery."
"As many know, the baseline human brain operates at around 10 to 23 watts. Adding an extra 0.1 or 0.2 watts is entirely negligible. The human body can handle the slight increase in caloric demand perfectly well."
"Regarding strong magnetic fields, we have fully accounted for that in the design. The chip is constructed entirely from anti-magnetic metamaterials and advanced graphite conductors; it contains virtually zero traditional metallic substances. The internal current is equivalent to natural bioelectricity, making it highly resistant to magnetic interference."
"So please rest assured, a standard magnetic field—like that of an MRI machine—will not cause any damage or malfunction."
"Furthermore, if a user enters an environment where the magnetic field strength exceeds the chip’s maximum tolerance such as an ultra-strong industrial field above 15 Teslas, the Neural Implant is programmed to automatically shut down. This is a hardcoded failsafe mechanism."
Dr. Roman gestured with his hands. "For industrial workers who need to operate in ultra-strong magnetic fields for extended periods, we will provide specialized, shielded protective helmets."
Victoria nodded, smiling. "So, it automatically shuts down if it detects a hostile environment. In that case... if the Neural Implant were to be physically damaged, would it negatively affect the biological brain?"
"...No," Roman shook his head firmly. "For strict safety reasons, the architecture is designed so that the biological human brain is the absolute master, and the Neural Implant is strictly an auxiliary slave component. If the chip breaks or shuts down, the user will experience no physical damage. However, their computational capacity will instantly drop back to a normal human baseline. Psychologically, it will feel incredibly uncomfortable, like suddenly walking with a severe limp."
"Which brings us to the next major concern..." Victoria immediately interjected. "Will users develop a physiological dependence on the implant? Like certain narcotics, is it physically addictive?"
Faced with this pointed question, Roman shook his head. "There is absolutely zero physical dependence. However, there will undoubtedly be a psychological dependence."
His voice rose slightly with conviction. "But I do not believe there is anything inherently wrong with that kind of dependence. The human brain is not a perfect machine. If we have a tool that can drastically improve its function, why shouldn’t we use it?"
"Think about your feet. We can walk much faster and safer when we wear shoes. Everyone wears shoes, and we have all become completely dependent on them. We take them for granted."
"I view the Neural Implant exactly like a pair of shoes. It is simply a tool, and we should look at it objectively."
"It will not change your core personality, your morals, or your baseline logic! You still have to learn. If you didn’t understand the underlying concepts of a complex physics problem before the surgery, you still won’t be able to solve it with the implant! We cannot emphasize this enough: it is just a tool that accelerates your raw processing speed. It will not think for you!"
Victoria seemed momentarily stunned by the blunt analogy, and viewers across the colony began debating the "shoes" comparison.
At that moment, Victoria received a prompt from her earpiece.
She glanced down briefly and pivoted. "Next is the audience Q&A segment. Several viewers are asking a similar question: According to Gödel’s incompleteness theorems, the instruction set of any CPU is inherently flawed, meaning every operating system inevitably has bugs. What happens if the chip is exposed to a malicious computer virus? Can the user be hacked?"
Would a digital virus cause severe brain damage?
Dr. Roman leaned back, and another cybersecurity expert on the panel leaned forward. "We have heavily prioritized that exact scenario. It is true; we cannot create a perfectly bug-free operating system. Because of this, all external data gathering is still performed entirely by the biological human brain through the five senses."
"The Neural Implant is strictly an isolated auxiliary processor. That architecture will never change. The chip cannot wirelessly download data directly from the outside world; it only receives data that the biological brain consciously chooses to feed it."
"Because of this air-gapped architecture, the probability of the chip receiving a malicious digital virus is virtually zero. It is impossible for a hacker to transmit a digital virus through a person’s biological eyeballs and optic nerve."
The explanation made perfect logical sense, and many viewers nodded in relief.
Safety was the ultimate priority, and this design essentially acted as a physical hardware firewall. Even Jason privately agreed that this specific restriction was absolutely necessary.
The expert continued, "However, while the chip cannot receive wireless digital information, it can transmit information outward via localized electromagnetic waves."
"This one-way transmission feature will trigger a revolution in human-computer interaction. The Neural Implant can interface seamlessly with industrial power armor, allowing the suit to perfectly mirror the user’s intended movements with zero latency."
"And not just power armor... it can be used to pilot spacecraft. It is essentially telepathic machine control! We are still refining the specific applications, but it is only a matter of time before it becomes standard."
Hearing this, the younger demographics watching the broadcast practically exploded with excitement.
"Electromagnetic waves..." Victoria, representing the more conservative viewers, asked with a hint of concern. "Will emitting these electromagnetic waves interfere with a person’s natural brainwaves?"
"Of course not!" the expert laughed heartily. "It’s essentially the same frequency as a primitive cell phone signal, but vastly weaker, since the entire chip only draws 0.2 watts of power! I’ve never heard of anyone’s natural brainwaves being scrambled because they held a cell phone to their ear."
"You don’t need to worry about that in the slightest!"