Soul Translator

The «Soul Translator» (ソウル・トランスレーター), abbreviated as STL, is a 4th generation FullDive machine invented by Higa Takeru at Rath. Unlike its predecessors, the machine connects to a human's Fluctlight (i.e. consciousness or soul), instead of the brain.

Background
The Soul Translator’s design is largely based on Koujiro Rinko’s design for the medical-use MediCuboid, which in turn was based off the high intensity and output scanner that Kayaba Akihiko used to copy his consciousness onto the Internet permanently.

The STL was constructed for the purpose of being used as a method of creating a highly adaptive Artificial Intelligence (AI) to be used for Project Alicization, under the guise of «Maritime Exploration Development». Unlike previous methods of creating such AI, which relied on the use of existing computer architecture for the AI to accumulate experience via simple questions and answers, the AI that is developed for Project Alicization is based on the structure of a human’s brain, in order to create an AI with awareness and the adaptability level of a human. As the STL is capable of scanning, and thus copying, the structure of a human’s consciousness, called a «Fluctlight», the machine was successfully used in cloning a human’s soul and the creation of an AI with the capabilities of a real human.

Appearance
The basic design of the Soul Translator is rather similar to its predecessor, the MediCuboid, though several times larger than it. The STL is a very large rectangular cuboid machine that, along with the console and cooling equipment, can take up an entire large room, nearly reaching the ceiling at the top. The outside of the machine is not dyed, is made from aluminium and gives off a dark grey-silver glow and mechanical feeling. The machine also has a logo of the manufacturer, just the simple words «Soul Translator» in English on its side and a large number on top. Like the MediCuboid, the STL comes complete with a 3 meter long gel bed attached, where the user lies down and a protruding helmet-like interface that completely covers the user’s area above the shoulders.

Fluctlights
According to the «Quantum Brain Dynamics» theory in the Sword Art Online universe, an «Evanescent Photon», in other words, a light particle that acts as a quantum unit of the mind, exists within the microtubules of a nerve cell. The light particle exists in a state of indeterminism (meaning a state where actions might happen without apparent causes) and fluctuates according to the probability theory. A collection of these particles, a «Quantum Field» which Rath has given the name «Fluctuating Light» (abbreviated as «Fluctlight» (フラクトライト)), is what comprises the human consciousness, in other words, the human soul.

Fluctlight Translation
The Soul Translator is capable of recording the spin and vector of each photon within the microtubules and thus translate the information stored within the Fluctlight into a form readable by computers or the other way around - translate the information stored within a computer into a form readable by the Divers.

However, unlike the NerveGear and AmuSphere, the STL does not use polygons for the 3D models it creates. Instead, the STL uses a new method, called «Mnemonic Visual Data» (optical memory information) to realize the sensations of the virtual world. The STL maintains and disposes of the Fluclight's five sensory information in the Fluctlight's short-term memory region and inserts new information of what the avatar sees, hears and so forth, creating the illusion of Diving into the virtual world.

Though the STL operates by manipulating a person's short-term memory, the inserted memories do not necessarily need to be that of the Diver's. As, the Mnemonic Visuals of humans seem to have a common structure, it is possible to insert memories that belong to other people or are even created from scratch into a person's Fluctlight, allowing the Diver to experience even things that he or she has never imagined and allowing designing worlds that can greatly differ from real life.

Memory Storage
The 5 STLs in existence are connected to a special quantum computer system called the «Light Cube Cluster». A single massive central cube, called the «Main Visualizer», exists within the cluster and stores the extensive Mnemonic Visuals Data of Underworld, allowing all the residents of Underworld to exist within the same memory (virtual world).

Fluctlight Acceleration
The Soul Translator has a unique ability called Fluctlight Acceleration (FLA). As a person’s sense of time is subjective: in a moment of emergency the body produces adrenaline that makes the time flow seem slower for the person, while time seems to fly fast when engaged in a relaxing talk, research was made into how the person’s sense of time is controlled by the Fluctlight and it was discovered that flowing at the core of the Fluctlight is a pulse that acts as a «Thought Clock Control Signal».

As the brain rarely makes full use of its capacity at processing information during non-critical moments, it is possible to accelerate the thought control signal to handle calculations faster, thus making the flow of time seem slower to the person. During a dream the Fluctlight is sped up to deal with the large amount of memories accumulated over the day, thus making a dream of several minutes feel like it has lasted for several hours. This principle is applied by the Soul Translator, as it is capable of using electric signals to trigger neurons in a way that results in various biological phenomenon, accelerating the Fluctlight’s thought control rate (called Fluctlight Acceleration rate or just FLA rate), and thus accelerating the Fluctlight’s sense of time by up to 5,000 times that of the real world.

However, there is a problem with using such a high FLA rate. The Fluctlight does seem to have a lifespan of its own, which is estimated to be around 150 years, due to the accumulation of light particle usage for memories. Therefore, when a real human is FullDiving via the STL, the FLA rate is set to no more than 1,500 for safety measures and a real human should not spend more than 30 years in accelerated state.

Realism
As the Soul Translator renders the virtual world via Mnemonic Visuals, in other words, via memories, instead of polygons, this virtual world is practically indistinguishable from the real world, as every object within the virtual world is at the same level as the real thing in the user's consciousness.

Trivia

 * In the web version, Fluctlight Acceleration is called Subjective Time Rate Acceleration (サブジェクティブ・タイムレート・アクセラレーション) or STRA