11/06/2019 05:17 PM  Cybernetics and Transhumanism of Tony Stark THE FOLLOWING IS A MIX OF COMIC CANON AND MY OWN CANON. Really, it's me trying to make sense of the comics and add in a few fun elements. RECAP Tony Stark has always been something of a transhuman in mindset, having a long history body modification.  Some time ago Tony had been involved in a great superhuman Civil War (again), was killed by feminazi confessed rooster-head wall-crawling menace Carol Danvers.  While Tony's body spent several months in a coma, a contingency brain backup that Tony had made came alive as an artificial intelligence and filled in for him (LINK).  Later, Tony Stark revived in a newly cloned/reformed body. Upon his rival, the newly copied Tony had a new appreciation for what it meant to be digitally immortal and post-singularity, and determined he needed to discover an easier way than Extremis for everyone to share such a gift.  Plus, he had that AI to merge with again.  To that end, Tony and his AI extension teamed up to develop a new brain-computer-interface ("BCI" - LINK) called a "neural lace" and other minimally evasive cybernetics. Now, Tony Stark has a lace that allows him to plug his brain into external devices: cyberpunk style, baby!  Besides allowing him to control his armor mentally, this also allows Tony to sync with his AI-backup.  This means Tony can multitask and operate his company subconsciously, while still galavanting as Iron Man!  Man and machine together, future proof. NEURAL LACE Physical Specs Undoubtedly the most important and most invasive implant, the hub of all else, is the neural lace.  Physically, the lace is a graphene mesh of billions of nano-scale electrodes laid over the outer layer of the brain's neocortex like a net.  On the other end of these electrodes is an  array of memristors (@11:00 LINK) interwoven into the mesh for baseline processing/memory.  Over time, the brain begins to interact with and grow around lace, connecting synapses to carbon electrodes all on its own.  The brain accepts it as if it is additional neural tissue, feeding data directly in and out of the brain using the brain's own language!  On top of this base mesh, other components can be more easily added or removed depending on user preference, including in Tony's case...  ACIS processing, encryption chips, laminated graphene battery, additional data storage, telepathic/electromagnetic shielding, and leads to other cybernetics and external interface plugs. As time passes Tony's brain will adapt and grow more connected to the lace, increasing performance and bandwidth.  It only gets better from here... Security While others may choose otherwise, Tony's lace is air-gapped.  To interface with other machines, Tony must physically plug into secured StarkTech (such as a headset or Iron Man helmet) using interface ports well-disguised beneath the skin on his head. The lace is hardwire programmed to only accept commands from Tony, and is mostly graphene/carbon constructed to safely pass through metal detectors (and thwart Magneto...) as well as faraday shielded from interference.  It also hosts a low-power telepathy jammer and antenna (looking at you, Emma) that can allow telepathic communication while preventing intrusion (up until a point...  Relying on armoring up for more powerful psionic protection). TONY STARK'S SYNCING & MULTITASKING Time to plug in. Most of the time, Tony and his AI duplicate are separate and the AI is dormant.  While AI-Tony is completely capable of autonomous action (like attending meeting or picking up someone from their home), he tries to stay dormant when not plugged into meat-Tony in order to preserve a continuity of consciousness (ie, so they won't bump into each other's actions).  When plugged in and connected however the two sync updated memories and then act as one.  One Tony, two brains.  In fact, leveraging computer multitasking,Tony can be extremely productive this way, putting in the equivalent of 200-300 hour work weeks regularly.  While the meat-Tony is sleeping, playing video games, or just about anything else the Tony-AI can be answering emails, attending meetings, researching complex topics, designing inventions, or more.  All the updates are summarized and downloaded straight into Tony's brain via the lace, so he has memories of all the activities as if he'd done them himself. Tony will often sync by plugging himself into a special headset (LINK), a simple wire, or into an Iron Man armor helmet itself.  He even built a sleeping mask to allow syncing while he sleeps! SUBDERMALS While the Lace is clearly the hub of Tony's cybernetics, he has several accessory implants at the subdermal level, beneath or within skin, all easily installed and networked together for as much trouble as getting a tattoo.  In fact, Tony's teamed up with Riri Williams (LINK) to develop these, as she's taken to tech-tattoos as one of her passion projects.  These include: -Piezoelectric circuits and laminated graphene battery stamps over ribs generate power for implants -Inductive charging circuit on lower neck as auxiliary power source -Control console tattoo at inner wrist (LINK) for admin-only control of cybernetics suite -Hidden bio-monitoring sensor tattoos -Security lock-chip on left outer wrist -Bone-conducting universal translator behind ears (LINK & LINK) -Various emporary medical smart patches as needed (LINK) -Sternum mounting clips (to affix detachable arc reactor onto chest) (LINK) -Nanofleet support nodes in upper forearms. NANOFLEET While most Tony's implants are "standard" to what he envisions consumer products might one day become, his in particular also supports a small fleet of free floating nanobots (LINK & LINK), for additional health improvement, processing and security.  Even though Tony's body is somewhat replaceable now, he's still an extremely high-reward target so his security extends even down to the smallest corners! 0 Comments

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04/15/2018 03:19 PM  Armory Blog ARMORY BLOG With "hundreds" of Iron Man armors coming online (LINK & LINK), it's too labor-intensive to talk about each of them - especially since the Marvel Wikia already does such a good job at that already. So this blog outlines common practices in all the armors (ie, how shields work, security, ect...), as well as my custom RP-canon creations you won't find anywhere else!  For anything else officially canon, go check out the Marvel Wikia page (LINK). STANDARDS & PRACTICES Power Energy is derived from the Arc Reactor, which is an aneutronic LENR device most likely using helium-3 fuel (and maybe deuterium where applicable).  A new element ("Starkium"), might or might not be involved.   However, electricity doesn't go directly to the rest of the suit; the suit itself is powered by batteries, which the Arc Reactor charges.  This allows the suit a buffer to handle sudden changes in load, and a place to "absorb" external energies.  Usually these batteries include a central high-capacity SMES cell LINK integrated into the Arc Reactor, as well as smaller power cells distributed throughout the suit.  (Nanomachines have their own nano-scale batteries.) How's this effect roleplay?  Iron Man has a limited power supply which all his weapons, shields, strength, and abilities draw from.  Much like a Green Lantern, he has to watch his power level.  The Arc Reactor will gradually keep him charged, but if you deplete his armor's power faster than it can recharge, he's in trouble!  Shields Iron Man's force fields seem to function by using existing power to create spheres of zero-point energy (LINK).  These are not passive shields, they must be purposely activated and require more power to maintain the more stress they are subjected too. How's this effect roleplay?  The more damage Iron Man's force fields protect him against, the more it depletes his power supply!   Armor Integrity All of the armors are, well, armored.  Tony Stark uses an atomically-engineered recipe of advanced material sciences to create the suit's sturdy exterior shell with a very high compression-strength, as well as ridiculously effective internal padding.  The last time Tony specified the recipe, he said it was a blend of iron and platinum "nanoparticle bundles" (LINK)(so perhaps a unique alloy nanotube?).  When last stress-tested in the field, a relatively light Iron Man suit could barely withstand a pounding from a being with Thor-esque strength (LINK & LINK), though it mostly knocked him around like a helpless pingpong ball.  Graphene and carbon nanotubes are also used in the armor's construction (LINK).   It should be noted however that solid suits are generally stronger and more durable than ones made of liquid nanotech, but are less adaptable.  It's a trade off.  (LINK) Some suits have a varying capacity to self-repair if damaged.  How's this effect roleplay?  You hit it, it goes clang.  You hit it really really hard, it gets dented.  Pretty straightforward. Bleeding Edge Nanotechnology Stark once met a boy from the future, Iron Lad, who had a liquid armor which redistributed its mass to change shape to reconfigure into whatever the user needed.  Turns out Tony invented it, and some version of the technology will still be in use centuries from now!  The "Bleeding Edge" smart liquid is extraordinary strong and light, able to stop a howitzer shell with just a few pounds of material.  (LINK)  The fluid consists of morphing "nanoparticle bundles" creating "a fiberous wetweb of iron and platinum": implying it is not made of a fleet of separate "nanobots", but rather a consistent soup of nanotube-like structures woven together in lattice structures.  If so, this interwoven lattice explains why the Bleeding Edge is so much stronger than any fleet of nanobots (which break apart like legos compared to this).   Although amazing, it's still not as strong as solid armor material, pound for pound (LINK).  Entire armors can be made from Bleeding Edge fluid, or it can added to sturdier solid designs to give them more flexibility in key areas (such as gauntlets). Swarm Nanobots Swarm is a literal mist of nanotech-scale processors, with atomic logic gates, meant to be a competitive system to cloud computing (LINK & LINK).  Although the product largely failed in the consumer market, it's been revived as a support and security feature for Iron Man and Stark Industries.   As each individual bot featured nano-scaled Repulsor beams (seriously), a large quantity of them could project a distributed energy attack.  On a smaller scale, when embedded within/around the armor they are repurposed as a nanotech immune system, literally blasting any enemy nanotechnology attempting to compromise Iron Man.  Since they are wirelessly charged by nearby Repulsor tech (Arc Reactors)(LINK), they easily overpower other nanobots which have to carry their own limited power supply with them. How's this effect roleplay?  Iron Man has an immune response to enemy nanobot attacks.  (This was actually demonstrated, but never explained in the comics (LINK).  So this is my explanation for this canon feat.) Security This is what all of you really want to know about, isn't it?  How's this effect roleplay? -When assembled and functioning, the armors can only be operated by Tony Stark unless overrided by the attending A.I. (F.R.I.D.A.Y., J.A.R.V.I.S., ect...).  I don't care what dumb story you read once where a squirrel climbed in and steered it around like a scene from Men In Black.  A billion-dollar machine like the Iron Man armor would have better security than a freaken' cell phone.  You get in, you're surrounded by biometric sensors.  It's a hell of a lot harder to hijack than "swipe to unlock"   -Each individual piece has a "micro lo-jack" tracker, allowing Stark to track stolen tech (Iron Man vs Whiplash, Invincible Iron Man: Five Nightmares).  Often the suits include remote-shutdown signals so integrated and well hidden that even Dr. Doom fell for it (Iron Man: Legacy #5). -The labs themselves, where Tony makes these suits, are similarly well secured and laden with sensors to detect intrusion.  Plus, it's where Tony keeps all his suits, so if you do manage to get in, expect to be pummeled by the Iron Legion.   -The lab doors are unlocked via skeletal resonance scan.   -For cybersecurity, Tony relies on his own considerable hacking skills (LINK) bolstered by the considerable processing prowess of his A.I.s (LINK & LINK).   Also, in addition, he generously employs a talented technopath and world-class white-hat hacker, Jack Brand (LINK), to keep him up to date on the latest. Smartwatch With such a fluid and expansive armory, Tony keeps one of several low-profile smartwatch on his person as his mobile device, replacing his phone.  In additional to being able to talk to his A.I. and summon armors, the watch can also project holograms, track his biometrics, and more.   Some models transform into small lower-powered weaponry for self defense until an armor arrives.  Citing the Wakandan Kimoyo Beads as an inspiration, a prototype consumer model has modular links in the wristband, each serving a different function (LINK & LINK). Tony's current favorite is a "core" (the watch face) composing of a power cell and Bleeding Edge fluid, allowing it to reconfigure based on style or function (including deploying a palm-weapon), paired with the aforementioned wristband consisting of modular links. ORIGINAL ARMORS These are armors original to my specific canon.  If you're RPing with me, there's a chance you could see these in use.  All these concepts are made from either real life science, or with technology Tony provably has access too. Bleeding Edge, Mark II Mission Profile: Rapid response Drawbacks: Well rounded general armor  Durability 3/5 Speed 3/5 Weapons 4/5 Power Output 4/5 Adaptability 4/5 The first armor to be made of a liquid fleet of nanomachines, the Bleeding Edge integrated deeply with Tony Stark's biology.  As a highly-compressible liquid, the entire armor could retract inside Tony's body, literally Iron Man inside and out.  While not his most powerful armor, it proved to be very, very compact and versatile.  It could rearrange and transform itself, forming a wide variety of weapons from its mass.  Eventually Tony was separated from the suit, and replaced it with an external version.   Recently, the entire design was updated and rebuilt from the ground up.  This time, the entire suit compresses and folds up up into the Arc Reactor housing on the chest instead of in Tony's body, allowing the armor to be easily removed.  To help cram this bulkier version into such an impossibly small package Tony purchased some open-sourced Pym-Tech from Nadia Pym - whom he has a far better relationship with than Hank, and already having a pretty good familiarity with Pym Particles.   As the entire suit compresses into the chest Arc Reactor housing, the main reactor core and power storage are actually rather small in order to make room for everything else stored there.  To compensate, when deployed the suit builds supplemental Arc nodes all over to increase power output as needed.  The main battery is easily depleted, but also quickly recharged - making this suit a sprinter, not a marathon runner in battle. (OOC:  Cosmetically, the Mark II should look like the armor from the Infinity War film, however when needed I'll use proof pics from the comic version.  They're basically the same.) Hospital Armor Mission Profile: Medical Support Drawbacks: Low mobility  Durability 4/5 Speed 1/5 Weapons 2/5 Power Output 2/5 Adaptability 1/5 This suit squeezes the latest in medical technology (mostly pending approval by the FDA...) into a mobile person-shaped ambulance.  It is capable of basic surgery (via animated tendrils and morphing smart-metals to manipulate tissue), basic tissue regeneration (via tissue nanotransfection - LINK), dispensing first aid drugs and antidotes, inject and guide probes, sterilizing the interior and patient of harmful germs, and even proton therapy from the oversized Arc Reactor hub.  Advanced life support systems can substitute the patiences vital organs, keeping a grievously injured patient alive long enough to transport them to an advanced enough care facility.   (A similar armor, except built for war, was once built by Stark and seen in Iron Man v3 50, 53, 54, 55.) All those functions come at a huge drawback, however.  The suit is cumbersome and can't travel faster than the patient's condition will allow!  And even then, usually in a supine position, face up.  Thus, the suit has been extra-armored and given multiple turret-mounted pop up weapons for defense, adding to it's bulk.  Although, of course, it can adjust it's joint sizes to accommodate multiple body sizes and heights. Gotham Armor Mission Profile: Gotham City Drawbacks: Location specific Durability 3/5 Speed 3/5 Weapons 4/5 Power Output 2/5 Adaptability 4/5 This striking red, gold and black armor was designed specifically for use in Gotham City against frequent members of Batman's Rogue Gallery.  It is, in essence, a full-body utility belt.   Some of these preloaded countermeasures include: shoulder-mounted munition turrets with taser-bullets (for random thugs), 2 aluminum-rich nano-thermite micro-missiles (for Mr. Freeze), robust med/antidote kit (for Joker and Ivy toxins), full environment filtering, external CSI drones, freeze gas spray, telepathy-jammers, and Google (for Riddler).  And just in case the Rogues toss him a wild card, the forearms of the armor contain a limited reservoir of Bleeding Edge-style nanomachine liquid metal for adaptation. The armor also has limited stealth capabilities, though not as good as the full Stealth Armor.  Suit up is accomplished by prehensile pieces method.   Arctic Armor Mk II (aka "JotunheimBuster") Mission Profile: Super-cold environments Drawbacks: Location specific Durability 4/5 Speed 3/5 Weapons 4/5 Power Output 4/5 Adaptability 2/5 Most Iron Man armors can handle just about any natural cold conditions on Earth like the arctic, but this suit is meant for the extra-ordinary cold, like Jotunheim for example.  It makes use of aerogel insulation (LINK and LINK) to both reinforce the armor plating and keep out biting cold of hundreds of degrees below zero.  An ice-processing system can use local snow to generate drinkable water, oxygen, and hydrogen fuel; and a robust life support system paper clipped from the Space Armor (LINK) will let the user stay in there for awhile.  A beefy Arc Reactor supplies plenty of power to keep the user warm. Repulsor Beams were optimized for a Sisyphus cooling freeze ray effect, in case building a "Mei-wall" might be useful, making a hazardously cold environment even worse for Iron Man's enemies.  Conversely, the suit features several aluminum-rich nano-thermite micro-missiles for turning local ice into a deadly hazard!  Also features hydrogen-fed flame throwers and powerful lasers, because of course it does.  Standard Repulsers and Unibeam are standard though optimized for operation in the cold. Reboot Buster (aka "Cyberpunk") Mission Profile: Cyberwarfare Drawbacks: Specialized Durability 3/5 Speed 3/5 Weapons 3/5 Power Output 3/5 Adaptability 4/5 Iron Man is also prepared for the ever-escalating world of cyber-warfare.  Normally this war is waged at the server-side, but sometimes when facing enemies like Brainiac or Ultron, you just gotta get physical.   The suit has processing power on par with the Hypervelocity Armor (LINK), easily capable of hosting sophisticated A.I.'s, achieved through optical computing cores instead of traditional methods.  To interface with and/or hack outside networks, the suit does feature ejectable secondary electronic processors though (LINK) - creating a hardwired physical "air-barrier" against intrusion.  The suit's armaments are also based more around ECM methods (LINK), including EMP and signal jammers with directional meta-material lenses. Twilight Zone Mission Profile: Alternate Universe/Dimension jumping Drawbacks: Exploration non-combat suit. Durability 4/5 Speed 2/5 Weapons 3/5 Power Output 5/5 Adaptability 3/5 After years of tinkering with Negative Zone portal tech (LINK and LINK) from Reed Richards and paper clipped gateway tech from the Shi'ar empire (LINK), Tony Stark was finally able to build a multi-spectrum portal projecting device, for jumping between universes and dimensions.  The design is, however, a little bulky and power-hungry, necessitating a large integrated Arc Reactor.   Tony mounted his projector in an updated version of the Model 19 armor chassis (LINK).  Of course, universal exploration can potentially be even stranger and more dangerous than space exploration, so this armor was built for dependability over combat prowess.  The suit is made from a combination of liquid nanomachine material (mostly the yellow parts) and sturdy high-performance solid pieces (mostly the red parts), giving it a great blend of sustainability and adaptability.  Robust life support and supply storage is, akin to the Space Armor (LINK), are located on the backpack.  The suit's oversized computer systems can host an A.I. as well as a vast database of knowledge, which includes all episodes of Rick & Morty.  Weapons, however, are similar to the original Model 19 load out.   0 Comments

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