AldousH wrote:
Apple_in_my_Eye wrote:
To all alien units: we have a security breach. Engage protocol X-1 immediately. Leave no survivors.
On a more serious note, it does seem a bit primitive that we still use switches and joysticks rather than some direct-brain-interface to control machines.
It requires a lot of concentration. They tried it on jet fighter simulators and it didn't work out.
For actual flying, yes. A 100% mind-controlled flight system would be disasterous. All you'd have to do is do something to distract a pilot for five seconds and his plane goes down. You could also fry the interface with a well-placed EMP, it might even fry the pilot's brain as well, and even if it didn't he'd be a crater on a mountain in Afganistan by the time he realises what happened. It would even be possible to reverse-engineer the hardware into some kind of psionic amplifier which would basically do the reverse of the aircraft's BCI, sending out wireless signals that transmit into errant brainwaves through the BCI. The result is a devastating aerial denial system that can turn an entire squadron of fighters into shrapnel rain.
Of course you can still use them for minor tasks such as targeting. I think having a system that targets enemy aircraft by thought could be useful, just make sure you have a backup in case the system fails.
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