The Type-7 Chip, also known as the Nero Chip, was technology originally developed by the Paradise Foundation, specifically Ashley Tisdale and later Mary Hamilton. The device serves two functions: regulating Type-7 within a subject and allowing someone to access surface areas of their mind, allowing for a primitive sort of mind control.
Function[]
The Chip uses a small hypodermic-style needle to connect itself to a person through their skin, delivering a very small dose of Type-7 in the process. Due to the limited connectivity the ideal place for the Chip is the back of the neck as it allows for easier access to brain functions. The Chip, ideally flesh-colored to avoid detection, acts as a receiver to special remote control devices, though they can also be connected to laptops and even receive wireless signals, though their detection range is quite small. The application of the Chip ensures that any Type-7 in the person's system will effectively not pass through, keeping a person in suspended animation almost indefinitely. The Chip can allow a person to regain full control of their body, but with a quick signal the subject will freeze again. As Type-7 affects brain functions the Chip can be used to access them as well, though it is limited by the software guiding it. Replicant is the software that drives the Chip.
History[]
Ashley Tisdale first came up with concepts for the Type-7 Chip while still working for Stone Enterprises, but later offered to develop it for the Paradise Foundation. Ashley's Chips, the first generation, were highly flawed, the code required overly complex and the method of control unsophisticated, resulting in jerky, robot-like movements and no vocal activity. Though Ashley tried to improve on her design, it was Mary Hamilton who proved to be her better in spite of not being any better at electronics than Ashley. By understanding how the drug accessed the brain Mary was able to make programs far more efficient, smoothing out body motions and getting greater vocal control, though simulating emotion proved difficult.
After the collapse of the Paradise Foundation the International Temporal Enforcement Agency and both Scott Dawson and Ryoshi Tenzo attempted to improve the previous work done on Chips. While the ITEA was more interested in developing products that offered some kind of immunity, Tenzo in particular explored the possibilities of using wireless routers to offer real-time updates to the code in Chips, making controlling multiple subjects in a small area far more efficient and allowing for better emotional access. Ashley Tisdale also developed some personality programs to overcome the emotion problem.
Work by Ryoshi and Kyla Abonde eventually managed to add great progress to how Chips both appear and operate. A major advance came with Kyla Abonde managing to develop technology able to scan a human brain and create a basic AI program based on it, though open to modification and tweaking. The AI design does have faults but can make Chipped people now act much closer to regular people, and new progress in Chip designs make the devices much harder to detect.
Uses[]
As Chips regulate how the body handles Type-7, they are very versatile. The first fact is that using a basic remote one can control when a subject freezes or unfreezes without worrying about the amount of Type-7 in their body, just having to press a button. This also acts as an advantage when encountering Type-7 being used as a weapon as a person wearing a Chip can't be frozen as they already have Type-7 in their body, which is being controlled. Any excess Type-7 in a person's body is still processed normally so if one gets a large dose but doesn't remove a Chip until later they won't suddenly freeze.
The more advanced use for Chips is more sophisticated controlling. Chips can be programmed to act like receivers for television remotes, making TV-like commands work on whoever is wearing a Chip. Beyond that is a slave-like function where any orders verbally given are followed, but without specific instruction the resulting actions can be robotic and emotionless, the latter being an ongoing problem similar to true artificial intelligence. Commands can be pre-programmed or transmitted via a router, but the commands only mimic humans as well as the code allows, and data storage is a problem. The closest way one could replicate humanity using a Chip is using a router to transmit a sophisticated scan of a person's mind, programmed to show how the scanned person would react in certain situations. This still runs the problem of Chips having a poor wireless range and signal strength, thus it is believed that with current technology it is impossible to entirely fool someone into thinking someone wearing a Chip is a normal human, though with brief encounters it is possible if the subject has no reason for suspicion.
The advent of developing AI based on the scans of existing people's brains has managed to surpass expectations on the limits of Chips. While the software still isn't perfect and having a Chipped person act like they did before while still being controlled proves elusive longer encounters are possible which appear perfectly normal. Tapping into muscle memory has become more efficient, as while Chips can be programmed to give the unskilled certain skills like marksmanship if the Chipped person already has the desired muscle memory the results will be much better.
The Dream Machine project by Irvine McFarland has proven that the subconscious can be stimulated while an individual is Chipped. Not only can a Chip modify what images a person sees in their dream but it can even do sort of post-Chip suggestion. Removing a Chip can cause post-suggestion programming to activate, though the current level of this design is very simplistic and noticeable.