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Spoiler Alert: This article or section contains details about plotlines not covered in the anime. Do not proceed unless you wish to be spoiled. |
Yuuki using the Medicuboid.
The Medicuboid (メディキュボイド, Medikyuboido?) is a 3rd generation[1] piece of FullDive technology developed for medical purposes to improve the quality of life and help treat terminally ill patients. It is one of the many FullDive innovations that are not made for entertainment.
Background and Development
The Medicuboid was developed by the government with information provided by Koujiro Rinko. The Medicuboid was not designed as a continuation of the AmuSphere, but as an extension of a modified version of the NerveGear that was used by Kayaba Akihiko.[2] The Medicuboid is being developed for commercial use in hospitals, but currently is only used to treat patients in terminal care.
At the end of Mother's Rosario, it is suggested that the information for the Medicuboid was actually provided by Kayaba Akihiko, who had gotten Rinko to send it to the developers.
Testing
Konno Yuuki was the first and so far only mentioned tester of the Medicuboid. Her family was asked if they wanted Yuuki to participate in the clinical trials at «Yokohama North General Hospital». This proposal bothered the family, but Yuuki probably agreed to it because of her expectations of this unknown, virtual world it offered. The trial machine used for testing is one that requires much maintenance and must be kept and used in an area free of dust. During testing, data from the patient and machine was collected for a few hours per day, leaving Yuuki with the rest of the day to travel and explore various, virtual worlds. Yuuki was in a machine for three years and provided sufficient data to complete the testing period and begin manufacturing a practical product for hospital use.
Appearance
The Medicuboid is described as a full bed with a white, cube-shaped helmet covering almost all of the user's head, leaving only the lips and chin exposed. There is a monitor embedded in the side of the machine, which most likely indicates the user's vital signs, and above this is a plain logo «Medicuboid».
Prototype Number One
The Medicuboid's first prototype, the «Medical FullDive Tester One» (MFT1), was a misshapen machine made up of the already-commercialized gel bed and a headgear with tens of cables in a variety of colors drooping onto the floor from it. There was also an extensive array of monitoring equipment around it.[3]
Features
The Medicuboid user's environment.
The Medicuboid has a stronger electromagnetic output than both the NerveGear and the AmuSphere, so it can make muscles completely numb and cancel out the spinal reflexes - making it possible to avoid using anesthetics, which still have a small-but-rare risk. It has many more pulse-generated components than the NerveGear and its CPU far surpasses the processing speed of the AmuSphere. These superior specs can enhance the in-game abilities of the user, although Asuna does not suspect that this is the source of Yuuki's amazing skills.[4] The user can communicate with the outside world through the speakers installed in the Medicuboid. During speech, the screen on the machine will display the message "user talking".
Known Users
- Yuuki (Deceased)
Trivia
- At the end of Mother's Rosario, Doctor Kurahashi tells Asuna that the initial testing is complete and negotiations with the manufacturers are being held about a more practical product.
- The original design of the Medicuboid and the Soul Translator came from the machine that Kayaba Akihiko used to upload his brain onto the Internet and subsequently kill himself.
- In Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment, the Medicuboid was used by Asada Shino as a means of therapy for her Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which was the result of having shot a robber to death.