Legacy BCI systems find new life as niche tools, adapted and maintained by small communities, and resisting obsolescence.

Imagined Future Scenarios

Brain-Computer Interfaces, Probable Futures, Long Term (5 - 10 years)

Scenario Generated from 'Kill the "user": Musings of a disillusioned technologist' - Pastagang.cc

Future Arc and Implications

Grow Arc

Social Impact: Niche BCI communities expand and attract enthusiasts, fostering specialized subcultures.

Technological Impact: Legacy BCI systems are incrementally improved, creating a slow but continuous stream of minor innovations.

Ecological Impact: Increased resource consumption by growing BCI communities contributes to e-waste and energy demands.

Economic Impact: A self-sustaining circular economy emerges around legacy BCIs, driving small-scale repair and upgrade markets.

Political Impact: Light regulation allows BCI communities to thrive, but without significant governmental safety oversight.

Narrative: Legacy BCIs continue to find new applications and dedicated users, contributing to a diversified technological landscape.

Collapse Arc

Social Impact: Loss of critical infrastructure isolates BCI communities, leading to fragmentation and resource scarcity.

Technological Impact: Supply chains for legacy BCI parts disintegrate, hindering maintenance and innovation.

Ecological Impact: Uncontrolled e-waste dumping from abandoned BCI systems causes localized environmental pollution.

Economic Impact: The BCI repair and upgrade market collapses, leaving users with broken, irreplaceable technology.

Political Impact: Governments lack the resources to regulate or support BCI communities, resulting in neglected systems.

Narrative: The breakdown of global systems causes the decline of legacy BCI communities due to resource scarcity and technological stagnation.

Discipline Arc

Social Impact: BCI usage becomes highly regulated and monitored, restricting access to established networks.

Technological Impact: Standardization efforts focus on maintaining a select few BCI models for controlled applications.

Ecological Impact: Centralized BCI waste management systems control e-waste and minimize environmental impact.

Economic Impact: Government-controlled BCI resource allocation ensures equitable access and prevents market manipulation.

Political Impact: BCI usage is linked to social credit scores; access is granted based on adherence to societal norms.

Narrative: Strict government control ensures the preservation of legacy BCIs for specific purposes and with limited individual agency.

Transform Arc

Social Impact: BCI technology merges with spiritual practices, leading to new forms of consciousness exploration and community building.

Technological Impact: Radical repurposing of legacy BCIs creates unexpected applications, challenging conventional uses.

Ecological Impact: Biocompatible BCI materials and designs emerge, reducing the environmental impact of replacements and upgrades.

Economic Impact: Decentralized, open-source BCI designs empower individuals and communities to create their own custom solutions.

Political Impact: BCI access becomes a human right, challenging centralized control and promoting individual autonomy.

Narrative: Revolutionary advancements in BCI technology and consciousness reshape society, empowering individuals and fostering spiritual growth.

Product ideas generated based on this scenario

BCI Open Source Legacy Library (BOSLL)

A comprehensive online repository hosting schematics, software, and community-sourced repair guides for all known legacy BCI systems. Includes user forums and collaborative troubleshooting tools, promoting knowledge sharing and extending BCI lifespans.

Retro-Fit BCI Game Jam

A regular online and in-person event where developers and BCI enthusiasts create new games and applications specifically tailored to legacy BCI systems, pushing the boundaries of their functionality and expanding their user base with engaging, novel experiences.

BCI Survivalist Kit

A physical kit Containing essential tools, pre-programmed microcontrollers, basic electronic components, and training materials required to perform basic repairs and maintenance on legacy BCI systems in the absence of a functioning supply chain.

BCI Decentralized Knowledge Network (DKN)

A mesh network-based communication system that stores and distributes critical repair information and system documentation for legacy BCIs, operating independently of centralized internet infrastructure. Allows users to share knowledge and troubleshoot problems even when official support is unavailable.

BCI Controlled Task Performance Certification

A mandatory government-administered training program and certification process that restricts BCI usage to pre-approved tasks and applications. Access to more advanced BCI functions is tiered and directly dependent on completing specialized training modules, ensuring users act within socially planned parameters.

BCI Eco-Compliance Credit System

BCI users gain social credit by participating in government recycling programs. Strict accountability protocols and rewards for handing over obsolete BCI tech for centralized recycling or designated refurbishments.

BCI Mind-Body Integration System

An open-source platform and development kit that allows for the modification and repurposing of legacy BCIs to facilitate meditation, self-exploration, and the direct experience of altered states of consciousness. Emphasizes ethical and safe exploration of inner realms.

BCI Biocompatible Open Design Initiative

A global collaborative effort to develop and share open-source designs for biocompatible BCI components, using sustainable materials and manufacturing processes. Empowers communities to create personalized, eco-friendly BCI solutions that integrate seamlessly with the human body and the environment.

Projects inspired by this scenario

What if convenience becomes a cage?

Samdruptse: The Persuasion Interface: This project interrogates the potential of neuromarketing-enhanced e-government to create a society where compliance is effortless, raising critical questions about autonomy and control.

What if our emotions became the ultimate truth filter?

Echo Chamber: A speculative design project that explores a community’s strive for informational autonomy in a world grappling with the aftermath of manipulative neuromarketing.