[hr][center][h3].// A U G M E N T A T I O N S //.[/h3][/center][hr]
Welcome to the world of 2047, where supertech has advanced the world to levels of tech that humans are wildly unprepared for. The presence of Type 1M (mutant) superpowers led to an explosive growth of tech beyond the wildest dreams of any futurist, leading to a renaissance of body modifications and improvements. Certain superpowered creators and developers learned early on the value of their advanced materials and engineering, and built empires out of metal and composites. This has led to what some call "the twin pillars of augmentation": internal cyberware, and external exorobotics. Also present in the world (to a lesser extent) are biowares.

[hider=CYBERWARE]
Cyberware is defined in dictionaries as "prostheses which replicate human limbs, or hardware implanted in the human body to provide additional function." Ranging from replacement arms and hearts to synthetic muscle enhancements to neural laces, cyberware is popular for its form-factor and ease of use. Most cyberware is designed to be user friendly wherever possible, since few would wish to have an arm which they couldn't easily control. When enough money is involved, bleeding-edge materials and processes are used to reduce cyberware weight and improve functionality. The limitations of cyberware are power supply and (for high-end wares) production costs.

Most low-end cyberware relies on a charging port for an external power source, with limited operation time being the biggest downside for affordable wares. For some cyberwares where external charging is unfeasible (such as neural laces, adrenal stimulators, etc) an internal power-diverter draws glucose, proteins, or desired neurotransmitters from the body and stores them for later use. Oftentimes this results in the cyberware's owner being forced to consume far larger amounts of food than a non-augmented human, or risk falling into various states of disarray. Still other wares use piezoelectrics, finely threaded through joints to provide constant charging for those on the move, and a host of other charging technologies have been shown to have potential.

The top of the line cyberware uses bespoke power sources from the heavy-hitters of supertechnology. Solar wave absortion, exotic matter converters...regardless of the trademarked, technobabble name stamped on the tin, the most expensive of cyberware has no issue running night and day with no rest. Naturally, few ever find the funds to purchase augments of this caliber: corporate security, government superprojects, and very very wealthy individuals.

While not a superpower, being capable of fully integrating with cyberware is a genetic plus that not all humans are born with. Others can still wire up, but special drugs are sometimes required to prevent the rejection of the metal and synthetic muscles. Some of these drugs are better for the body than others, and many of them are incredibly addictive.

Despite this, cyberware is some of the most popular technology around. Many find the allure of becoming superhuman to be all be irresistible.[/hider]

[hider=EXOROBOTICS]
Exorobotics make up the other half of augmentation. The primary benefit of exorobotics is their total lack of regard for physical limitaions. Exoarmor can fit inordinate amounts of tech into various nooks and crannies, while cyberware will always be limited by how much foreign material a human body can store before breaking down.

Power supply is rarely an issue for Exorobotics. They can carry massive batteries, and the most expensive of them can implement miniaturized fusion reactors. Supertechnology is sometimes present in exorobotics, but the prevailing attitude among developers is "why bother?". Miniature fusion, while expensive and complicated, has been all but mastered, and it frequently provides all the power a single human could ever use.

Exorobotics are generally heavy, bulky, powerful, and hard to control. Certain militaries and police institutions have a group of soldiers which dedicate their time to taming the beasts that are powersuits. As with all augments, the high-end exorobotics developed for military use and corporate security uses supermaterials to reduce weight and improve response time, while still providing an immense amount of protection.[/hider]

[hider=BIOWARES]
Biowares are present in the world, but have yet to be sufficiently developed for widespread integration with society. The holy grail of body augmentation, biowares provide the benefits of cyberware, without any messy surgery, maintenance, or possible acute rejection system. Even in a world of supergeniuses and superscience, replicating and improving the human body as if it were the body itself is a slowly-progressing behemoth.

Biowares are also limited in their benefits: no flesh will ever replace the raw stopping force exoroboticsts can provide, for example. Still, the dream of a body-pure, post-human society is still alive.[/hider]