NerveLink

NerveLink was an experimental, early brain-computer interface system developed by BioCorp, which used the median nerve as a low-bandwidth interface to the brain via the right index finger. This was made possible by a gene-modification CRISPR agent, which reprograms part of the brain to accept the median nerve as a data input pathway, rewiring it to connect directly to the parietal lobe as if experiencing a lucid dream. However, the extent of the experiences were severely degraded by the limited bandwidth of the already-small allocation in the median nerve.

The system would work as follows: firstly, if they had not played before, a player would place their arm inside a BCI kiosk to receive an injection that delivered the CRISPR agent. The propagation of the agent across the blood-brain barrier would be painless, and take approximately five minutes. Then, a sharp, two-pronged metal connector would need to be inserted by the player deep into the tip of their right index finger. The computer would then stimulate the probes to send the game data to the player and they would enter a dream-like state. Once the CRISPR agent was administered to a player, it would effectively modify their brain permanently; this had the side effect of rendering their right index fingertip permanently numb, and excessively stimulating it could trigger seizures.

Legacy

The visceral and painful procedure required to participate in NerveLink gameplay hindered its initial launch, which failed to effectively be marketed. It only gained serious popularity in niche biopunk circles, as well as in some segments of the VR community. However, this did not completely spell the end of the technology. Later on, BioCorp signed a contract with a chain of North European theme parks, with NerveLink kiosks that were intended to provide a "virtual rollercoaster" experience. The kiosks were a very public disaster, with a multitude of facets, including the transmission of blood-borne diseases from patron to patron due to completely uncleaned shared probes; patrons experiencing seizures from catastrophic failures of the CRISPR agent; and patrons later experiencing hallucinations and limb dysfunction due to the rewiring of their median nerve for the system.

The disaster resulted in the immediate removal of the kiosks and the arrest of a number of BioCorp technicians based in North Europe. The company had its consumer medical license to operate in the European Union revoked. The bad publicity combined with the financial failure of the program caused the company to completely scrap it soon after, although the CRISPR advances they made paved the way for later, more advanced biomodding technologies.