Chapter 430 - 402 The Embryo of the Third Generation Prosthetics

[Conners: When the density of these hybrid lizard cells reaches a certain level, the user starts to transform towards becoming a Lizard Man.]

[Conners: We can keep this density at a very low range so that the cells will lean towards human transformation and then perish after a long period.]

[Conners: Broadly speaking, when the strength of the Prosthetics is about four times higher than normal, this situation occurs, albeit mildly.]

[Conners: If maintained at 1.3~1.7 times the strength, the user only needs maintenance every 30 years to ensure normal cell function.]

[Conners: Without maintenance, there wouldn’t be mutations, but the cells would accelerate in degeneration and die off, turning into first-generation Prosthetics with only basic functions within a year.]

The so-called maintenance is to use Lizard Serum at an International Gene Cooperation Company’s facility to enhance cell vitality.

From a business perspective, this limitation... is even better than what Bill had thought!

Because of this limitation, for those high-income groups with high demands, we can require more frequent care. Eventually, we might even develop new products to capitalize on their needs.

[Lille: What about the military field?]

In the military field, there was a change of speaker to the former Death Warrior, Michael.

This former Death Warrior had removed the mechanical body fitted by Cyber Technology Company, largely replacing it with cloned tissue Prosthetics of his own.

Clearly, he was the second human test subject of the second-generation Prosthetics.]

Michael tapped on the blackboard, summoning a human model on the screen:

[Michael: In fact, if the user is trained and resolute, we can directly implant a tiny Lizard Serum injector into the human body to maintain the vitality of these artificial muscles.

This allows the maximum stable output to reach six times the strength of an average human, and the instantaneous limit could even break through eight times or higher—though currently, I can’t predict where the limit lies.]

In Michael’s human model, there was also a core control unit similar to a rage component, showing his thought process was surprisingly aligned with the development of the rage components.

The numbers for stable output clearly exceeded those of the Lizard Rage Component Type 2 used by Jack, but the instantaneous limits were generally the same.

The reason being: Jack was not only using this type of artificial muscle but also had a full set of custom gorilla arms designed for boxers.

When the Prosthetics’ power reaches these numbers, the restrictions are not only at the cellular level anymore.

As the simulation devices continued to improve, various parts of the human model turned from colorless to green, then to yellow, and finally to red.

As the red color appeared, the power increase stopped.

[Michael: In the simulation, red is a sign of collapse—in this context, collapse includes but is not limited to the cells breaking the balance between lizardization and humanization to start out of control actions, excessive strength causing cell damage, and fractures.

In short, any scenario that might cause the mechanism to collapse.]

Firstly, we must understand that energy is not created from nothing; immense power requires material consumption—mass-energy conservation still applies.]

Controlled by Michael, the screen’s human model was supplemented with a small energy storage device.

[Michael: Based on calculations, I’ve added a high-energy fuel storage device here.

Unlike the first-generation Prosthetics, the lizardized muscle cells used in the second-generation Prosthetics can efficiently utilize biochemical energy, so we just need to stuff it with energetic organic material.]

Traditional second-generation Prosthetics also need energy to operate.

Take Electric Active Polymers as an example; this substance changes shape as electrical energy is supplied, effectively turning electrical energy into mechanical energy, which consumes a lot of electricity.

However, in the Cyberpunk Era, the energy density of batteries still hasn’t surpassed that of high-purity alcohol 2, so in military large-scale Prosthetics and Exoskeletons, alcohol 2 fuel or even some fossil fuels are mainly used.

Wealthy people can overlook this inconvenience: because most of their work is indoors and even if they go out, they have Floating Cars, cars to recharge.

Atlas’s Prosthetics are different; the lizardized cells have high efficiency in absorbing and storing biochemical energy, and just eating can replenish a significant portion of the energy consumed.

[Lille: Are there other reactions to electrical stimulation?]

[Michael: Of course, like normal muscles, these muscles can also respond to electrical stimulation and to a certain extent...]

[Michael: I’ve devised a method to overclock these muscles with overload current, but it’s quite inhumane. This algorithm, while preventing the cells from over-lizardizing, squeezes the physical limits of the muscle fibers to the utmost.

The user would feel... unimaginable pain.]

Michael pointed to the skeletal part again.

[Michael: After solving the energy problem, the issue is structural strength: our prosthetics strategy has abandoned bone cell strengthening to achieve higher muscle output and biochemical safety.

However, this also forces us either to let the implant user keep their original skeleton, which is too fragile, or to use metals and other composite materials, which significantly increase the intensity of immune reactions.

We need better structural substitutes.]

The issue Michael mentioned precisely illustrates the challenge of transitioning from second to third-generation prosthetics:

Although artificial muscles have replaced the power system, the structural system still heavily relies on outdated metal materials.

If lizard serum is used to cultivate bone cells, it would increase the density of lizard cells. It might be better to allocate the entire quota to artificial muscles and find other ways to enhance overall strength, as these structures do not require precision or force application and are simpler.

In the Cyberpunk Era, the third-generation prosthetics incorporated emerging composite materials such as carbon fiber and ceramics to address this problem, which now characterizes the majority of military prosthetics:

Stronger, lighter, more precise.

Lille, on the other hand, had something even better to replace structural components.

Dr. Otto appeared next to Michael and pulled up the main components of the Octopus Arm on the screen—

Indeed, as the development of the second-generation prosthetics was nearing its end, Atlas Group’s research on third-generation prosthetics had already begun.

[Dr. Otto: The material used in the Octopus Arm is well suited for making such a skeleton, and the graphene batteries can serve not only as structural components, explosion-proof parts but also as power sources.

And... I’ve found that we can also use some other biological materials as conductors.]

As he spoke, Dr. Otto showed Lille a forearm designed using the Octopus Arm materials—

There was already a finished product.

And the so-called other biological materials turned out to be spider silk.

In the manufacturing animation, several specially designed graphene batteries were assembled, with white spider silk extending outward from structural gaps, combining with muscle attachments to form a brand-new forearm.

Dr. Otto looked at the invention with satisfaction and relief:

Although this wasn’t his favorite research project, he had participated in the development of the entire hardware and software system.

Scientists and engineers exploring the frontier like them were like ships sailing in unknown seas—

No one would resist the appearance of fellow travelers; on the contrary, seeing so many peers working together and launching new equipment and technologies time after time...

This feeling was like discovering a new continent and planting one’s flag on it.

[Dr. Otto: We plan to start animal experiments next week.]

The slow technological progress in the Marvel World is due to the Ethics Committee, but the Cyberpunk World has no such restrictions.

This means that with just one successful experiment, industrially, Lille would nearly catch up with the giant companies in significant market technological gaps.

Next comes the fourth generation of prosthetics—Si Anweisitan is one of the fourth-generation prosthetics.

The next generation of prosthetics will sprint towards fully integrated, all-in-one prosthetics, enhanced neural components, and top-tier Prosthetic Eyes, among other advancements.

Of course, in the Cyberpunk World, the fourth generation of prosthetics represents not only higher performance but also purely lavish designs that display status and identity.

Little Octopus appeared in the Virtual Space, looking at a prosthetic made of the same material as its own but designed with a completely different philosophy, and poked Lille:

[Little Octopus: Big brother, can I try it out?]

Lille thought for a moment, "Maybe there’s a chance, but not right now."

The inspection of the prosthetics project had ended, and Lille took a moment to regroup, ready to move on to the next item:

The report from the advanced machinery department.

Relatively speaking, these breakthroughs are somewhat more crucial: they are related to the situation in Africa and the imminent challenges faced by the Atlas Group.