Why did I hear "Initiate Enhanced Imaging" when I read this?

...afraid I don't get that reference

From an old sci-fi cartoon, Battletech. High-tech invaders had better weapons and sensor systems that topped everything in common use.
After protagonists got hold of it, the threat-assessment + targeting system changed the game, enabling talented pilots fight like elite warriors overnight.
Interface looked much like that from primary-view... HUD with near-TMI level of battle-relevant data.

Ah :)

*checks Wiki*

.....wait, '94 is "old" for cartoons now?

;)

A chip for situational awareness. Interesting.

Well, more than that, but..

You'll have to keep reading ;)

We're two pages til end of chapter -- but this is the last with Rick and Rose til the new chapter starts.

Also proof that ignorance is a bliss, too much knowledge makes you paranoid?

Well, with Wyatt, the likely breed type's known if not the specific version of the genetic design involved.

The rats? Bit harder to tell generally ;)

Yep. An expert system to partially compensate for her being a babe in the woods.

Yep. An expert system to partially compensate for her being a babe in the woods.

Now that HUD is disconcerting.

Targets locked...

I'm curious about the cybernetics in your universe.

Is there an age limit for certain cybernetics, or can you basically own any cybernetics you can legally have?

If a child loses an arm for example will it be allowed to have cybernetics that connect directly to the brain, or must it wait until its body is fully grown first.

I can imagine that a situational awareness chip is something every parent wants to have for their child.

Regarding age limits:

A lot of the surgery is done via pods such as the one Rose was found in. Nanites used to build in the connections rather than having to run wires manually - and as such there's not nearly the recovery time if things need to be adjusted. ....though obviously cost will enter into things, such as having to buy replacement arms as the child outgrows them. As with anything else, "How much can you afford?" becomes an issue.

.....but with the prevalence of biotech in the setting, for those who could easily afford such things can also usually afford a one-stop fix for them: Have a new limb grown/cloned and attached. Given Rose is thought (by Doc and herself) to be human, that she had pre-existing cyberware (arm and eye) is a bit of an oddity in and of itself.

As to the chip....

Well, there's more answers to come on what exactly the chip is....

;)

So kids can be chipped from an early age if their parents wish so.

If you see kids run away from a shady looking character you can almost be sure that, this person is registered in at least one police database and their Nanny chip told them to run. :D

Okay, that'd be a very useful chip! Though it might cause problems for individuals who ended up on a list through a simple mistake or misunderstanding. I've heard of people ending up on the sex offenders list due to urinating in public and getting caught by kids. =P One would hope the chip wouldn't label them all the same, but alert kids to the threat level.

Of course, having a chip that assesses threats for kids and warns them of unusual behavior in adults would go a long way toward helping them. Especially if it can alert the parents or other legal guardians in case of trouble. Or warn the kid if their signals are being blocked.

Won't ever be a perfect solution, but arming kids with knowledge is rarely a bad idea. Just so long as they have the proper moral education as well, so they don't misuse what they know for bad ends.

I'm not a transhumanist nor a bit fan of cybernetic modification.

Even so, I kinda wish I had a chip like that. I'm just not sure it's so useful for deescalation so much as evisceration. =P The safest way to win a fight is to avoid it. Though not always the smartest.