NEWS

Genetics: Cloning & VatGrowing

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FastJack

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« Reply #15 on: <02-05-11/0943:16> »
Cracking the awakened code and making it an augmentation that anyone could get (with the right cred, of course), not just those born with the ability.

That would be huge bucks and amazing PR.
+1

Show me a corp that wouldn't want to be able to turn ALL the SecGuards into mages and I'll show you a corp that ain't trying hard enough.

Dahrken

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« Reply #16 on: <02-07-11/0127:38> »
I was not thinking about the creation of Awakened clones, but more about the musings on "warform metahuman biodrones". What would be the point of that ?

Longshot23

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« Reply #17 on: <02-07-11/0330:56> »
Scary part:  in the Renraku write-up in Corporate Guide, there is an announcement of the Awakened gene 'being within reach' presumably of the science of genetics.  If this succeeds, it will be a significant shake-up of the SR world.  Think of the people who will want such a gene transferable by gene therapy - mage/adept wanna-bes, people who want massive Awakened armed forces, people who want every single person in the world to Awaken 'because it will make everything better' (yeah, those whackjobs).  As well, there are apparently people who will want this gene suppressed (if not totally eliminated). 

Might be a prime subject for a War! 2 book . . .

Reaper

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« Reply #18 on: <02-08-11/2305:06> »
Cloning the brain itself wouldn't pose any particular problem once you can clone the whole organism. However, making it viable for implantation later would present some unique challenges. The brain has to be stimulated in order to create somatotopic, retinotopic, and tonotopic maps. Olfactory receptor neurons won't send afferent processes to individual glommeruli within the  olfactory bulb without odorants present,etc. The point is, an immersive (sim)sensory environment is needed for all but the most basic neuronal development. The flesh is fairly cheap, but creating sensory maps, error correction of motor output, and basic learning will require a fairly sophisticated simsense setup and that just gets you to a brain that can operate on an animalistic level. Learning language skills, reasoning, (un?)ethical decision making will all require a medical facility and some serious time and cost.     
       

Longshot23

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« Reply #19 on: <02-09-11/0254:18> »
isn't the primary stimulus to the development of the brain . . . experience?  Which in turn requires the passing of time and effort?

The_Gun_Nut

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« Reply #20 on: <02-09-11/0915:39> »
With the right tools, that can be circumvented.  It would, however, require a lot of simsense and skillwire "training" in order to get the neural structure to the form desired.  The tech for that possibly exists, but is likely prohibitively expensive.
There is no overkill.

Only "Open fire" and "I need to reload."

Ultra Violet

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« Reply #21 on: <02-09-11/2055:44> »
Guys I need costs and prices! Cyborgs are devices you can buy in the stores of the world and the missing brain is a big big whole in the concept of idea.
How much would a trained cyborg brain cost?

I had another idea to that you can't buy the brain, you can only rent it, like a bodyguard. Maybe as a second contract on your buy of the drone/vehicle body. The idea would also grant them a kind of "metahuman rights".
The rent-a-brain idea would probably be the best way, without hard evidence of costs or prices for them as tool.

So my proposal is: Costs of the drone/vehicle modified for a CCU and monthy costs for the trained/wired bodyguard brain in the jar, which is 6000¥ per month according to the Bodyguard service costs in SR4A (see p. 314)

But that implies "day job" as standard quality for every Cyborg PC.

Your opinions?
« Last Edit: <02-09-11/2057:17> by Ultra Violet »

Reaper

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« Reply #22 on: <02-10-11/1607:36> »
Cyborgs qualify as sentient beings and thus there are certain legal obsticles to "owning" one. That aside, a CCU is 250,000¥. Add to this the cost of a delta grade facility, a full immersion lifestyle for at least several years and/or suppressive therapy for possible mental illness if you're using a child's brain versus a clonal one and you have a pretty decent price tag. I would assume that "renting" (hiring?) one would be more expensive than a run of the mill body guard because your normal day job bodyguard doesn't require a delta-grade facility to be created or have 2000¥ in weekly maintenance cost (augmentation pg 160.) That being said, having a cyborg around is good story fodder for everything from a highly esoteric campaign interested in what it means to exist to a funny cyborg and man odd couple (my lock of the week: this will become the new guy and a moneky movie genre).