Ultratech

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Ultratech

Technology > Technology Levels > Ultratech

Image from Tasp
an ultratech drone sits on a pyramid structure of near-transparent utility foam, observing its surroundings in preparation for a construction project

Ultratech is the highest grade of technology that can be built, maintained and operated by modosophonts, only requiring transapient assistance to set up the initial training and support structure. Unlike Hitech, ultratech is derived, in part or in whole, from technology developed to fruition by transapient entities.

Very often the concepts involved in an ultratech application can be understood by modosophont-level intellects, and quite often the basic ideas were first conceived by modosophonts in the distant past. However these ideas and technologies would have taken many centuries or millennia to perfect using modosophont-level resources, whereas the transapients and archai of the Sephirotic Empires were capable of developing these concepts to perfection in a fraction of the time. Indeed, if transapient-level entities did not exist in the Terragen Sphere, it is reasonable to expect that most or all types of ultratech could have been developed in due course by modosophonts. A number of long-term simulations have confirmed this hypothesis to various extents.

Ultratech can, in theory, be reproduced and maintained by a modosophont society indefinitely without further transapient assistance. For that reason it is popular with many clades and polities that wish to remain autonomous from transapient hegemony. It is also very popular in modosophont Free Zones, and widely used in many NoCoZo polities and member worlds. A very decent interplanetary-scale civilization can be maintained just through ultratech alone.

Notable examples of ultratech are monopole and magmatter engineering, conversion technology and deep well industrial zones (transmutation forges).

Ultratech artifacts and products not uncommonly can be found in High, Middle, and Low tech civilizations, polities, and worlds, and may be acquired by trade, foreign aid or inheritance or more rarely through a direct gift from some friendly transapient. They can also be found in Transapientech Civilizations, usually as fads or curiosities.

Often, highly specialised systems are required to build, maintain and control an ultratech device or application; much depends on the type of tech. Although most ultratech is configured to be baseline friendly, fail safe and "idiot proof", this is not always the case. On occasion, ultratech has failed dangerously or catastrophically

Image from Steve Bowers

Ultratechnology is ubiquitous throughout the Sephirotic polities and other developed worlds, not only in polities connected to the Wormhole Nexus but also in many polities not connected in this way. Anywhere that sophonts can set up an advanced manufacturing base and have good access to data and raw resources can support an ultratech-level civilisation - the presence and oversight of transapients is not necessary, although transaps often remain nearby to offer advice and suggestions.

Ultratech civilizations and societies differ from hitech societies largely in the nature of their relationship with transapients and in the extremely high standard of living and well-being experienced by the members of such civilisations.

Articles

Angelnet - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, with additions by John B and Stephen Inniss
Any dense network of technology and artificial intelligences that establishes a very high degree of control over a region, generally with beneficial intent towards the inhabitants. The archetypical angelnet is under transapient supervision and makes heavy use of smart matter (such as) utility fog, and may cover an entire large habitat or a planetary surface, atmosphere, and orbital space environment. Less pervasive or less sophisticated angelnets are also widely used.
Audubon Engenerator, The - Text by Steve Bowers
The first interstellar use of engenerator transfer technology.
Biomachine - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and AI Vin
Any machine or device based on organic components rather than inorganic mechanisms.
Bionano, Bionanotechnology - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Any molecular nanotechnology based on such biomolecules, genetically modified micro-organism or other biotech.
Conversion Micro-Reactor - Text by Luke Campbell and Todd Drashner
Compact class of conversion reactor that uses a monopole energized helium-3 plasma to generate power.
Conversion Technology - Text by Luke Campbell, Adam Getchell and Steve Bowers
The generation of energy from matter using reactions between magnetic monopoles and normal atoms.
Deep Well Industrial Zone - Text by Todd Drashner
Heavy duty industrial and manufacturing zones are most often found in the Inner Sphere and most heavily developed areas of the Middle Regions.
Demon-net - Text by Stephen Inniss
Angelnet technology that is hostile or harmful in one or several ways.
Dumbdo - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Dumbdowned tech; ultratech that can be used by an untrained human baseline (or equivalent) without risk.
Dyson Node - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A dyson sphere made mostly of computronium and dedicated to processing needs, as a submind of a larger archailect.
Dyson Ring Swarm - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A partial dyson swarm in which the component orbitals and other megastructures follow conventional orbits and form a ring, or Rings around the star around the star.
Dyson Swarm, Dyson Sphere - Text by Todd Drashner and Steve Bowers with extra material by Mike Parisi and M. Alan Kazlev
A huge spherical megastructure or habitat swarm constructed around a star in order to maximize living space and capture the entire energy output of that star
Engenerator Technology - Text by Steve Bowers
Technology which allows uploaded personalities to be transferred into physical bodies, sometimes at interstellar distances.
Exotic Energy - Text by Steve Bowers
The common term for averaged null energy condition (ANEC)-violating negative energy, also sometimes known as phantom energy.
Exotic Matter - Text by Stephen Inniss
In popular usage any highly unusual "unnatural" matter that is not composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons. This includes such substances as quarkonium, magmatter, charmonium, pentaquarks and Q-balls.
Interstellar Singleship - Text by ROM 65536
A small, light duty interstellar craft that can be operated for long periods of time by a single individual.
Janusuit - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Photonanotech full-body stealth suit or skinware covered in janusoptic transceivers.
Mechology, Mechosystem - Text by Todd Drashner
Colloquial term for the entire system of non-sophont machines, databases, programs, etc. that supports and controls the infrastructure throughout most of the civilized galaxy.
Monopoles - Text by Adam Getchell
Elementary particles that carry units of magnetic charge. Artificial monopoles have a great many uses.
Muschine - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and AI Vin
Subsentient biomachines. Widely used in the Zoeific Biopolity and elsewhere.
Niven Clouds (Smoke Rings) - Text by AI Vin and Steve Bowers
Circumstellar freefall environments.
Power and Energy Storage - Text by John B, Luke Campbell and Steve Bowers
There have been many different systems used to store energy throughout the ages.
Progression of Technology in Terragen Civilisation - Text by Todd Drashner and Steve Bowers
A short outline of the development of technology in the Orion Arm.
Relativistic Kinetic Kill System (RKKS) - Text by Todd Drashner, with additional material by Luke Campbell
RKKS (pronounced rocks) are a relativistic weapons system consisting of an unmanned launch vehicle and dense projectiles.
Reverse Engineer, Transapientech - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A modosophont who studies the technologies of transapients and attempts to replicate or adapt them to the needs of ordinary sophonts.
Shellworlds - Text by Michael Beck, amended by Tardigrada 2021
Worlds with several concentric habitable layers.
Star Lifting - Text by Alex Mulvey and Steve Bowers
Removing material from a star for industrial use or for stellar husbandry. Methods include increasing its rotation until material begins to drift off the equator or squeezing it using intense magnetic fields from particle accelerators.
Starbooster - Text by Todd Drashner
Solar output enhancement array.
Stellar Husbandry - Text by Dave Criswell, in Anders Sandberg's Transhuman Terminology
A type of stellar engineering which involves controlling the evolution and properties of stars, especially to stabilize them, prolong their lifetimes, manipulate the stellar wind, lift off useful material or create new stars. Typical methods include star lifting or mixing the stellar core with envelope material to make hydrogen burning last longer.
Stellar Propulsion Systems - Text by Alex Mulvey, Andrew Broeker
Moving stars using technology
Stellification Engine - Text by Todd Drashner and Luke Campbell
Class of macroengineering devices designed to convert white dwarf, jovian, or brown dwarf class bodies into radiant, star-like objects.
Supramundane and Suprastellar Worlds - Text by AI Vin
Shells suspended above planets or stars using mass-stream technology.
Transapient-derived Technologies - Text by Stephen Inniss
Technologies first introduced by transapients, varying from those that could have been invented by modosophonts through to those whose nature and purpose are difficult or impossible to understand.