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Internal Memo # 2437
Re: Current research projects
<<As requested, I include a list (shown below) of the current projects under development by my department. This is a list that my secretary compiled for me last week, so I have altered the list slightly. These amendments are shown in red.>>
Weaponry
• Bladed weapons
- Sharpening: Currently testing a number of methods to increase sharpness. The research team is working on achieving the utmost sharpness for a physical blade. Massive recent breakthrough; we have achieved a blade with an edge of a single molecule. As expected, this is capable of cutting through most materials. However, blade strength is compromised as a result. Requires frequent sharpening. Not capable of cutting through anything more substantial than a suit of heavy armour, but can easily sever bone.
- Strength: Currently working on a number of alloys to increase strength. A titanium weave drastically increases strength of blade, but also weight. Needs further research
- Handling: This is a result of the strength issue. Our scientists are working on decreasing weight, or balancing blades properly after strength modifications. Requires further research.
- Energy Blades: To further any sort of research in this field, a bladed energy weapon is required. This will not be easy, as those who wield them are often reluctant to part with them. Worth investigation. Having acquired one of these rare weapons, research has progressed very quickly indeed. It was a simple matter to analyze each material used, and the exact workings of a lightsaber. Prototypes have been constructed already, but due to the incredibly complex nature of the power source required, they cannot be built in the same manner as a standard lightsaber. These weapons only work on internally powered armoured suits, like the AX-1, AX-2 and the theoretical AU-T.
• Projectile weapons
- Effectiveness: Research is working on perfecting energy projectile technology. Is successful, could easily surpass kinetic weaponry. Requires work on energy loss over range, efficiency of energy use and damage done. Using a certain gas harvested as a catalyst for the reaction between a recently developed pair of compounds, we have achieved energy efficiency that could easily allow a pistol sized ammunition clip to provide well over a hundred shots, over sixty more than our nearest rival.
- Specialization: Currently in development are a number of variants on the standard blaster technology. We have developed a powerful sniper version, as well as a powerful repeater. The new energy efficiency means that new steps can be taken in the development of the repeater. In fact, it could easily be developed into a weapon only previously seen on mobile weapon platforms.
• Ship based armaments
- Projectile: Research is looking into increasing yield and decreasing size. So far, yield has been boosted, but downsizing has only managed to keep housing at a current size.
- Energy based: Currently, research teams are looking into a constant energy weapon. This could have a massive impact on how space battles are fought. It would have limited range, due to energy dissipation over distances, but could cause colossal damage. Energy required to power the beam is currently too demanding for military application. Breakthrough in energy efficiency allows the manufacture of this beam weapon on military ships. Requires field testing.
Defence
• Personal
- Armour: A massive breakthrough has recently been made, allowing advancement at a rapid pace in the field of personal armour. After a number of brand new compounds were created, following the discovery of a new, and rare, element, the weight/strength dilemma has been solved. Though the weight of the metal remains quite high, the protection it provides is far in excess of any other compound for it's weight. This materials strength allows for hidden weapons, as hollow pockets can be included without any real or significant dent being made in overall defense. Field testing of brand new armours can now be put into practise, once prototypes are constructed. Furthermore, having acquired a lightsaber, the exact workings of the energy blade have been analysed, and more than adequate defences are being developed. Shielding systems can easily be adapted to deflect Lightsaber blows, at the expense of deflecting only lightsaber blows, or short out the blade, by producing the exact opposite frequency of energy.
- Shielding: At the moment, a compromise must be made. A full body shield is possible, but only for short periods of time. However, a smaller shield is possible permanently. The size is similar to a buckler often wielded in pre-gunpowder societies. Research is required to increase efficiency and therefore size. We believe that the smaller shields merit more development. Full body shields are too ambitious as of right now.
- Impact Polymers: A completely innovative material, it had the potential to revolutionize armour completely. It is a poly-resin that is normally extensively flexible, but it becomes stiff when hit by a physical object. With enough of it, it is capable of withstanding small arms fire, or even greater caliber of bullets. However, against energy based attacks it is completely useless, and a projectile with sufficient force can still breach the material.
• Vehicle mounted
- Armour: A new alloy has recently been discovered that greatly increases defence against energy projectiles, by dissipating the heat and energy over a greater area. A suggestion has also been made for heat sink based defence. It is currently under development.
- Shielding: With a more efficient power source, the shields that can currently last around one to three minutes can be enhanced massively. Also, with a node system that covers only a specific area, shield efficiency can be boosted, however, this requires more powerful computers to accurately read scanners and pick up on which areas require more protection. This system can undergo further field testing when breakthroughs are made in the computing division.
Vehicles
• Transport
- Military vehicles: Little progress, other than the increased efficiency of the armaments. A new armour coating is currently in development that will allow energy based attacks to dissipate across a greater area, decreasing damage done. We hope to turn this coating into a woven in feature of all armours. This coating can be damaged (and therefore ruined) by projectile weaponry.
- Pleasure vehicles: aside from new aesthetic designs and new models of speeders, no real development to report.
- Transport vehicles: Research continues into increasing speed and durability, but no real progress to report.
• Stealth
- Invisibility: This was a very simple task. By affixing both cameras and projectors onto either side of the ship, real time images can be shown, allowing anyone to see through the ship, as if it wasn't there. This effect is not convincing when the vehicle is landed, especially in broad daylight, but in darkness or space, the effect is perfect.
- Electronic invisibility: This has been much harder to attain. There are a number of methods being attempted. The most obvious one is a manner of disabling all nearby ships sensors on a temporary basis. However, this is very unsubtle, and announces the ships presence as much as it conceals it. The second is to find a way of distorting any and all feedback to scanning systems, rendering them unable to detect the ship, but anything and everything else. This system is being looked into further, but has yet to make any significant progress.
Computing
• Artificial Intelligence
- As of this moment, only a few obstacles remain. Memory capacity has been dealt with using crystal and similar compounds, as has reaction time and computing power. However, size remains an obstacle. This form of AI is limited in that it is not totally sentient, and can be overwhelmed. It is also too large to be incorporated anywhere other than on large ships. Signs are promising as to the upcoming breakthrough to total sentience, and then several technologies (ship based shielding particularly) will be able to proceed rapidly.
- An interesting theoretical has been proven to be correct; Artificial Intelligence can be successfully created from the blueprint of a living human. These AI's are severely limited by the person they were copied from, but are capable of being used as exact, mentally identical, clones. It has yet to be seen whether this technique will allow for the AI to surpass the original, but it is certainly possible to modify and fundamentally alter this copy.
• Hacking/aggressive infiltration
- Research continues into more powerful and more advanced infiltration software. Teams are working on miniaturizing current technology, as well as more robust systems. Delivery is also being worked on. The team leader believes that a breakthrough is close. The newest coding of the Advanced Aggressive Infiltration Software (AAIS) has allowed for massive miniaturization. The tech is packaged as Discs, which function as extremely powerful computers on a small scale. Colours denote function, which are limited due to size. Each disks perform one to three tasks, dependent on initial programming. Adjustments cannot be made after production.
Medical Technology
• Synthetic Kolto Substitute
- By implanting a pair of Nano-houses (small, spherical objects that house nanomachines) into the human digestive system (the Colon to be precise), the nanomachines contained within are able to convert a large amount of the waste products of the digestive system, into a synthetic substance not dissimilar to Kolto. This product filters throughout the entire body. It not only repairs damage taken to the body, but also gradually undoes the damage that time causes to the body. However, it is a slow process, and works best on internal injuries, obviously.
These are not the only areas currently under development, but these are the most significant, and worthy of your attention. I hope that you are satisfied by the data provided, and more technical documents and reports are available at your request.
Yours,
Doctor Yhan.
Re: Current research projects
<<As requested, I include a list (shown below) of the current projects under development by my department. This is a list that my secretary compiled for me last week, so I have altered the list slightly. These amendments are shown in red.>>
Weaponry
• Bladed weapons
- Sharpening: Currently testing a number of methods to increase sharpness. The research team is working on achieving the utmost sharpness for a physical blade. Massive recent breakthrough; we have achieved a blade with an edge of a single molecule. As expected, this is capable of cutting through most materials. However, blade strength is compromised as a result. Requires frequent sharpening. Not capable of cutting through anything more substantial than a suit of heavy armour, but can easily sever bone.
- Strength: Currently working on a number of alloys to increase strength. A titanium weave drastically increases strength of blade, but also weight. Needs further research
- Handling: This is a result of the strength issue. Our scientists are working on decreasing weight, or balancing blades properly after strength modifications. Requires further research.
- Energy Blades: To further any sort of research in this field, a bladed energy weapon is required. This will not be easy, as those who wield them are often reluctant to part with them. Worth investigation. Having acquired one of these rare weapons, research has progressed very quickly indeed. It was a simple matter to analyze each material used, and the exact workings of a lightsaber. Prototypes have been constructed already, but due to the incredibly complex nature of the power source required, they cannot be built in the same manner as a standard lightsaber. These weapons only work on internally powered armoured suits, like the AX-1, AX-2 and the theoretical AU-T.
• Projectile weapons
- Effectiveness: Research is working on perfecting energy projectile technology. Is successful, could easily surpass kinetic weaponry. Requires work on energy loss over range, efficiency of energy use and damage done. Using a certain gas harvested as a catalyst for the reaction between a recently developed pair of compounds, we have achieved energy efficiency that could easily allow a pistol sized ammunition clip to provide well over a hundred shots, over sixty more than our nearest rival.
- Specialization: Currently in development are a number of variants on the standard blaster technology. We have developed a powerful sniper version, as well as a powerful repeater. The new energy efficiency means that new steps can be taken in the development of the repeater. In fact, it could easily be developed into a weapon only previously seen on mobile weapon platforms.
• Ship based armaments
- Projectile: Research is looking into increasing yield and decreasing size. So far, yield has been boosted, but downsizing has only managed to keep housing at a current size.
- Energy based: Currently, research teams are looking into a constant energy weapon. This could have a massive impact on how space battles are fought. It would have limited range, due to energy dissipation over distances, but could cause colossal damage. Energy required to power the beam is currently too demanding for military application. Breakthrough in energy efficiency allows the manufacture of this beam weapon on military ships. Requires field testing.
Defence
• Personal
- Armour: A massive breakthrough has recently been made, allowing advancement at a rapid pace in the field of personal armour. After a number of brand new compounds were created, following the discovery of a new, and rare, element, the weight/strength dilemma has been solved. Though the weight of the metal remains quite high, the protection it provides is far in excess of any other compound for it's weight. This materials strength allows for hidden weapons, as hollow pockets can be included without any real or significant dent being made in overall defense. Field testing of brand new armours can now be put into practise, once prototypes are constructed. Furthermore, having acquired a lightsaber, the exact workings of the energy blade have been analysed, and more than adequate defences are being developed. Shielding systems can easily be adapted to deflect Lightsaber blows, at the expense of deflecting only lightsaber blows, or short out the blade, by producing the exact opposite frequency of energy.
- Shielding: At the moment, a compromise must be made. A full body shield is possible, but only for short periods of time. However, a smaller shield is possible permanently. The size is similar to a buckler often wielded in pre-gunpowder societies. Research is required to increase efficiency and therefore size. We believe that the smaller shields merit more development. Full body shields are too ambitious as of right now.
- Impact Polymers: A completely innovative material, it had the potential to revolutionize armour completely. It is a poly-resin that is normally extensively flexible, but it becomes stiff when hit by a physical object. With enough of it, it is capable of withstanding small arms fire, or even greater caliber of bullets. However, against energy based attacks it is completely useless, and a projectile with sufficient force can still breach the material.
• Vehicle mounted
- Armour: A new alloy has recently been discovered that greatly increases defence against energy projectiles, by dissipating the heat and energy over a greater area. A suggestion has also been made for heat sink based defence. It is currently under development.
- Shielding: With a more efficient power source, the shields that can currently last around one to three minutes can be enhanced massively. Also, with a node system that covers only a specific area, shield efficiency can be boosted, however, this requires more powerful computers to accurately read scanners and pick up on which areas require more protection. This system can undergo further field testing when breakthroughs are made in the computing division.
Vehicles
• Transport
- Military vehicles: Little progress, other than the increased efficiency of the armaments. A new armour coating is currently in development that will allow energy based attacks to dissipate across a greater area, decreasing damage done. We hope to turn this coating into a woven in feature of all armours. This coating can be damaged (and therefore ruined) by projectile weaponry.
- Pleasure vehicles: aside from new aesthetic designs and new models of speeders, no real development to report.
- Transport vehicles: Research continues into increasing speed and durability, but no real progress to report.
• Stealth
- Invisibility: This was a very simple task. By affixing both cameras and projectors onto either side of the ship, real time images can be shown, allowing anyone to see through the ship, as if it wasn't there. This effect is not convincing when the vehicle is landed, especially in broad daylight, but in darkness or space, the effect is perfect.
- Electronic invisibility: This has been much harder to attain. There are a number of methods being attempted. The most obvious one is a manner of disabling all nearby ships sensors on a temporary basis. However, this is very unsubtle, and announces the ships presence as much as it conceals it. The second is to find a way of distorting any and all feedback to scanning systems, rendering them unable to detect the ship, but anything and everything else. This system is being looked into further, but has yet to make any significant progress.
Computing
• Artificial Intelligence
- As of this moment, only a few obstacles remain. Memory capacity has been dealt with using crystal and similar compounds, as has reaction time and computing power. However, size remains an obstacle. This form of AI is limited in that it is not totally sentient, and can be overwhelmed. It is also too large to be incorporated anywhere other than on large ships. Signs are promising as to the upcoming breakthrough to total sentience, and then several technologies (ship based shielding particularly) will be able to proceed rapidly.
- An interesting theoretical has been proven to be correct; Artificial Intelligence can be successfully created from the blueprint of a living human. These AI's are severely limited by the person they were copied from, but are capable of being used as exact, mentally identical, clones. It has yet to be seen whether this technique will allow for the AI to surpass the original, but it is certainly possible to modify and fundamentally alter this copy.
• Hacking/aggressive infiltration
- Research continues into more powerful and more advanced infiltration software. Teams are working on miniaturizing current technology, as well as more robust systems. Delivery is also being worked on. The team leader believes that a breakthrough is close. The newest coding of the Advanced Aggressive Infiltration Software (AAIS) has allowed for massive miniaturization. The tech is packaged as Discs, which function as extremely powerful computers on a small scale. Colours denote function, which are limited due to size. Each disks perform one to three tasks, dependent on initial programming. Adjustments cannot be made after production.
Medical Technology
• Synthetic Kolto Substitute
- By implanting a pair of Nano-houses (small, spherical objects that house nanomachines) into the human digestive system (the Colon to be precise), the nanomachines contained within are able to convert a large amount of the waste products of the digestive system, into a synthetic substance not dissimilar to Kolto. This product filters throughout the entire body. It not only repairs damage taken to the body, but also gradually undoes the damage that time causes to the body. However, it is a slow process, and works best on internal injuries, obviously.
These are not the only areas currently under development, but these are the most significant, and worthy of your attention. I hope that you are satisfied by the data provided, and more technical documents and reports are available at your request.
Yours,
Doctor Yhan.
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