Direct Neural Interface
The Direct Neural Interface, called DNI or most commonly just 'Interface', is an application of medical Smart Dust, designed to operate inside a human central nervous system, from the brain to the spinal cord, and allow the user to directly interact with external computer equipment using their thoughts and receiving feedback directly into their brains.
In general the DNI is a mass of about 200 g or ten million medical Smart Dust particles that attach to and observer both single nerves and entire nerve clusters, as well as stimulate them in turn. These Smart Dust nodes are in communication with each other, forming an ad-hoc network that can communicate over a very short distance. They re using the environment of the brain to salvage power for their own operation.
The short range of the individual nodes necessitates an external transceiver unit to be worn by the user, usually around the ears or at the back of the head, for ease of operation.
Due to the highly individual connections of the brain on a low neural network level, a DNI has to learn how to interpret the users neural signature to be able to convert brain signals into usable control signals and to be able to return external responses to the brain. To do so, DNI nodes are capable of modifying their own code to a limited degree.
The highly individualised nature of the DNI does not allow an external attacker to 'take over' someone else through their DNI or even just modify their thoughts or memories.
On the other hand, it is possible to make backups of a brain, also called mind state, once the DNI has learned how to read the brain and the information in it, about six to eight months after it was installed, making human mind uploads simple.
Installing a DNI is simple as well. All it takes it for a future user to drink about 500 ml of a carrier fluid containing the DNI nodes. The Node migrate from the intestines into the blood stream and from the blood stream into the brain and spine. After about twelve hours, the first limited ad-hoc network is formed and can already interact with the brain, through general similarities of the human brain between individuals, allowing to begin 'tutorials' for the DNI use by the user.
Uploads¶
Uploads are backups or mind-states of an individual that have been instantiated into a virtual environment that emulates their brain, based on saved data from the DNI.
They may then be converted into full digital intelligences running natively on computer hardware.