I handed over to another world

Chen Lin's attention was attracted by an isolation cabin in the corner of the laboratory.

Through the translucent cabin wall, one could vaguely see a body that looked almost human floating in the culture fluid.

"This is……"

Chen Lin narrowed his eyes slightly.

Wang Chengwu immediately understood and lowered his voice and said, "President, this is the Nirvana project that you specially approved. It has now progressed to the seventh generation of bionic bodies."

Chen Lin nodded slightly and signaled the other researchers to leave.

He and Wang Chengwu came to a hidden control console. As Wang Chengwu passed the identity verification, the wall slid open silently, revealing a larger secret laboratory.

“We used the latest quantum neural network technology.”

Wang Chengwu called up a set of holographic data, "These bionic bodies not only have the same appearance as humans, but more importantly--"

He pointed to a bionic man who was being tested. It was performing three complex calculations simultaneously, but its eyes still retained a unique human look.

“They have self-awareness?”

Chen Lin's voice was somewhat solemn.

"Not exactly."

Wang Chengwu replied cautiously, "What we have created is 'pseudo-consciousness', which can perfectly simulate human emotional responses and thinking patterns, but it is still program-driven in essence."

Chen Lin walked slowly towards the testing area, his eyes falling on the bionic man who was performing delicate operations.

Its fingers assemble nanoscale components with amazing precision.

"What is the average operating accuracy of the seventh generation?"

Chen Lin asked.

"It reaches 99.9997%, which is more than 300 times that of ordinary humans."

Wang Chengwu called up a set of comparative data, "The most important thing is that they can work continuously for 240 hours without rest, and..."

He switched the screen to show a bionic man working in a space environment. "In extreme environments such as vacuum and strong radiation, their performance is completely unaffected."

Chen Lin nodded thoughtfully: "What about the intelligent machines? I remember last quarter's report showed that their maintenance costs were very high."

“That’s exactly the point.”

Wang Chengwu's eyes lit up. "The daily energy consumption of a standard intelligent machine is eight times that of a bionic body, and engineering intelligent machines also require dedicated charging stations. The core energy we provided before is no longer enough for these engineering intelligent machines, and bionic bodies..."

He pointed to the nutrient compartment in the corner of the laboratory: "It only needs to be replenished with special culture fluid regularly to maintain operation. More importantly..."

Wang Chengwu lowered his voice and said, "Their appearance makes it easier for ordinary people to accept them. As you know, there have been voices of opposition and accidents where the intelligent machine program went wrong at the Mars base before. Afterwards, the public has a strong resistance to intelligent machines in mechanical form."

Chen Lin walked up to a bionic man who was undergoing a cognitive test.

It was performing three tasks simultaneously: solving a complex math problem, translating in five languages ​​in real time, and accurately answering random questions asked by testers.

"Memory capacity?"

"Each unit is equipped with 1EB of quantum storage, which is 1000 times the size of the human brain."

Wang Chengwu added, “It also supports cloud synchronization, so knowledge updates only take a few minutes.”

Chen Lin's gaze became profound: "I remember that twenty years ago, the Pioneer exploration ship failed to complete the exploration mission of Alpha Centauri because of the life limit of the crew."

"That's right." Wang Chengwu said excitedly, "Theoretically, the bionic body can work for more than 200 years, and..."

He called up a video showing an android simulating an interstellar travel scenario.

"They can enter a dormant state on their own, and because their memory carriers are modifiable, they can also withstand the psychological effects of long-term space travel. We have done virtual tests, and after waking up from 50 years of continuous dormancy, their cognitive functions are completely normal."

Chen Lin gently touched the glass of the incubator: "Where is the emotion simulation system?"

"The fourth generation has broken through the 'uncanny valley' effect."

Wang Chengwu showed a video of an emotional response test. "They can show appropriate emotional responses, but their judgment is not affected by emotions like humans."

At the other end of the laboratory, a bionic man is undergoing extreme environment testing.

It moved steadily forward through a simulated Martian sandstorm, its bionic skin automatically regulating its temperature.

"Protective performance?"

"The outer layer is a new type of biomaterial that can self-repair tiny injuries."

Wang Chengwu explained, "In the event of serious damage, the core consciousness data can be transferred to the backup body within 30 seconds."

Chen Lin walked to the main console and called up the cost analysis report.

The chart clearly shows that the long-term input-output ratio of the bionic project far exceeds that of traditional intelligent machinery.

"President, look at this."

Wang Chengwu opened an encrypted folder and said, "This is a special model we designed for the deep space exploration program."

In the picture, a streamlined bionic body is simulating an asteroid mining mission. Its arms can be transformed into a variety of tools, and its eyes have multi-spectral scanning capabilities.

"The most important thing is..." Wang Chengwu's voice was filled with undisguised excitement, "They can be mass-produced. Once the prototype passes the test, we can produce enough for the colony ships within three months."

Chen Lin stared at the test data quietly, with a complex light flashing in his eyes.

The exploration ship that was forced to return twenty years ago and the great missions that could not be completed due to the limitations of the human body may have finally found a solution.

“Keep moving forward with the project.”

Finally, he said, "But the ethical review must be strict. The design of these bionic people cannot be seen in public yet. For many people, this kind of thing is an unacceptable concept. Therefore, this thing must be fully mature before it can be used."

Wang Chengwu nodded solemnly: "I have already established a triple consciousness firewall, as well as Zhulong's real-time monitoring system, which should ensure that there are no major problems. We will continue to advance this project later."

Chen Lin took a last look at the bionic people who were undergoing tests and nodded slightly.

……

Chen Lin returned to the Chixiao and stood in front of the holographic projection. He tapped the control panel with his finger: "Zhulong, I need a detailed comparative analysis report."

The majestic mechanical dragon head of Zhulong appeared in the air: "Retrieving relevant data...Analysis completed."

Groups of holographic tables unfolded in the center of the lab, flashing a pale blue light.

“First, the basic cost comparison.”

Zhulong's voice was calm and precise. "The production cost of a single standard omnic is 487 million Red Dragon Coins, while the cost of a seventh-generation bionic body is only 215 million Red Dragon Coins."

The chart clearly shows the cost structure of the two: "The metal skeleton and power core of the intelligent machine account for 63% of the cost, while the biological culture and neural connection technology of the bionic body only account for 38%."

Zhulong added. Chen Lin nodded slightly: "What about the maintenance costs?"

"Based on the operational data of the past five years," Zhulong pulled up another set of charts, "Intelligent machines require an average of 12.7 Red Dragon Coins per month for maintenance, including parts replacement, energy replenishment, etc. On the other hand, bionic bodies only require 3.2 Red Dragon Coins, mainly for culture fluid replenishment and regular inspections."

On the chart, the red intelligent machinery maintenance curve is high, while the blue bionic body curve is steadily maintained at a low level.

"Lifespan?"

"The design life of a standard intelligent machine is 15 years, and the actual average service life is 9.7 years."

Zhulong's data is accurate to two decimal places. "The design life of the bionic body is 50 years. The earliest prototype has been running stably for 8 years and 3 months, and the performance degradation is only 2.3%."

Wang Chengwu added: "Moreover, the bionic body supports modular upgrades, and the core consciousness can be transferred to the new body. In theory, it can be used indefinitely."

Zhulong continued to analyze: "In terms of task adaptability, the bionic body performs better."

"Take the Mars base as an example. The failure rate of the intelligent machinery is 3.2 times per thousand hours, while the failure rate of the bionic body is only 0.4 times."

A set of comparison videos began to play: in a simulated Martian sandstorm, the joints of the intelligent machine were quickly stuck by the sand and dust, while the bionic body successfully completed the task with the help of its self-cleaning skin.

“The most significant advantage is energy efficiency.”

Zhulong showed a set of surprising data, "Under the same mission volume, the energy consumption of intelligent machinery is 7.8 times that of bionic bodies, which will save a lot of energy storage space in long-term space missions."

Chen Lin stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Then why did we insist on using intelligent machines before?"

“Three main reasons.”

Zhulong responded quickly, "First, the early bionic technology was not mature enough; second, the Ethics Committee's restrictions; third..."

Zhulong paused and said, "Intelligent machines are easier to control. They have no concept of 'fear' and 'hesitation'."

The laboratory fell into a brief silence.

Chen Lin's eyes wandered among the data charts, finally stopping on a special set of numbers.

"This data is very interesting." He pointed to a set of comparison curves. "When bionic bodies collaborate with humans, their task completion rate is 42% higher than that of intelligent machines."

"Yes." Zhulong confirmed, "Humans prefer to cooperate with partners in 'human-like' form."

“And in long-duration missions, this psychological advantage translates into practical benefits.”

Wang Chengwu interjected, “Moreover, bionic bodies can enter human living areas without the need for special protection, which is a huge advantage in colonization missions.”

Zhu Long continued to add: "According to simulation calculations, if a standard colony spacecraft is fully assisted by bionic bodies, it can save 23% of the load space and extend the cruising range by 17%."

Chen Lin's eyes flashed with a sharp light: "In other words, if we use bionic bodies, our existing spacecraft can fly directly to Alpha Centauri?"

"Theoretically yes."

Zhulong replied, "But it will take at least 18 months of space environment testing."

Chen Lin turned and looked at the bionic body in the incubator; a bold plan was taking shape in his mind.

Perhaps, the key to mankind's march towards the sea of ​​stars lies in these seemingly ordinary "artificial humans".

"Prepare a detailed report." He finally ordered, "I want to formally propose the 'Deep Space Pioneer Project' at the next high-level meeting."

"Yes, President Chen."

……

In the following months, Wang Chengwu's research team entered an unprecedentedly busy state.

Chen Lin personally supervised the process to ensure that every step was carried out with excellence. The seventh generation of bionic bodies was named "Pioneer-7". The performance they demonstrated in various tests refreshed people's cognition time and time again.

"The adaptability of Pioneer-7 far exceeded expectations."

At a progress meeting with Chen Lin, Wang Chengwu excitedly reported, "In a simulated zero-gravity environment, they can autonomously adjust their body structure and improve their work efficiency by more than 30%."

“What about energy utilization?”

"It has been optimized to 99.97%." Wang Chengwu checked the data. "Even under extreme load, it can maintain efficient operation."

Zhu Long also added: "According to the latest calculation model, if the 'Deep Space Pioneer Program' adopts Pioneer-7 as the main workforce, we can advance the timetable for interstellar colonization by at least ten years under existing technological conditions."

Ten years is a huge leap for interstellar exploration.

"Of course, there are still many details that need to be perfected."

Chen Lin's voice was steady and powerful. "For example, the psychological intervention mechanism in long-term space travel. We need to ensure that Pioneer-7 will not have consciousness deviation during the long sleep and wake-up cycle."

"We have formed a special psychological research team."

Wang Chengwu responded, "They will develop a complete psychological maintenance plan based on the characteristics of Pioneer-7's 'pseudo-consciousness'."

Chen Lin nodded. "What we create is not just a tool, but an extension of human civilization. They will help us explore the stars that we cannot visit in person."

"I understand, President Chen!"

As the Deep Space Pioneer Program progressed, Pioneer-7 began to undergo more rigorous testing.

The first batch of experimental bionic humans were sent to the lunar base to perform various tasks in a real space environment: assembling space station modules, mining helium-3 deposits, performing extravehicular maintenance... Each mission was an extreme test of their performance.

During a simulated interstellar spacecraft troubleshooting mission, Pioneer 7 demonstrated amazing adaptability.

Faced with sudden oxygen leaks and power system failures, they quickly analyzed the situation, divided the work and cooperated with each other to fix all problems in just two hours, ensuring the safety of the ship.

The engineer in charge of the test shook his head in disbelief. “Their performance exceeded even our most optimistic expectations.”

When the news got back to the research base, the entire research team managed by Wang Chengwu was excited.

Chen Lin stood in front of the monitoring screen, watching the Pioneers-7 working in an orderly manner, his heart filled with emotion. He seemed to have seen a way to break the deadlock that humans were unable to escape.

"President Chen, the Ethics Committee..."

Wang Chengwu's voice interrupted Chen Lin's thoughts.

Chen Lin came to his senses and realized that even if the technical problem could be solved, the ethical issue was still a hurdle that could not be avoided.

After all, Pioneer-7's "pseudo-consciousness" is too realistic and could easily spark debate about whether androids have human rights.

“We will do this openly and transparently.”

Chen Lin pondered for a moment and said, "All test data and technical details are open to the public. We want everyone to see that Pioneer-7 is safe and reliable, and is a powerful assistant for human exploration of the universe."

"Yes, I'll make arrangements right away."

Wang Chengwu took the order and left, while Chen Lin looked at the big screen in silence behind him. The bionic people actually don’t know that they are bionic people. Their memory carriers and various information data are completely designed according to humans. They only think that they are pure humans.

It is actually not clear whether this is good or bad. (End of this chapter)