Mobile Fencer Brain-Computer Pilot Interface
Pioneered by Asterian military scientists with the advent of the MR-03 Bogatyr model in RC 0107, the control of Mobile Fencers has been gradually integrated between pilot and vehicle. Although neither the Asterians, Compact, nor Coalition have found a way to integrate pilot neurology and vehicular mechanics seamlessly, these factions have all explored as close to such a horizon as possible through the creation of brain-computer pilot interfaces (BCPIs). The BCPI, although designed differently between factions, preserves the same essential functions and design.
In essence, a mobile fencer BCPI allows a mimicry between what the mobile fencer can “feel” to what the human brain can experience. This is accomplished through the usage of dedicated artificial sensors on the mobile suit's armor that uplinks to a dedicated internal computer, processing the large amount of data before reflecting what is heard, felt, or seen by the suit to the human pilot. The pilot, often wearing a haptic simulation suit underneath their uniforms, are able to feel the sensation of touch, while sight is simulated by a dedicated visor that spans across both eyes and takes advantages of binocular vision. For hearing, a sophisticated headphones system is built into a helmet that also hoists the optical visor; this is laid upon the pilot's ears and can simulate noise even in the vacuum of space. Such auditory simulation is necessary in spatial battles due to the need of a pilot to maintain situational awareness and focus.
Sensory overloads, ranging from simple oversaturation of sensors from combat to deliberate enemy electronic warfare, are almost always filtered by onboard internal computers before being disseminated to the pilot. The only mobile fencer to not include these systems in its deployment was the MR-03 Bogatyr, which was rectified with the later deployment of the MR-03M Bogatyr in RC 0113. In addition, damage delivered to mobile fencers are not simulated in a one-to-one fashion as pain to the human pilot; their haptic suits instead deliver mild electric shocks to areas of their body relevant to where the mobile fencer received damage. Such an option, first included in the Coalition's MF-01 Titan in RC 0111, was included as a means to immediately inform the pilot of damage and allow for subsequent, rapid reaction.
Regarding optic functionality, the BCPI feeds a heads-up display to the pilot that details everything from armor status of the mobile fencer to designated enemy targets, incoming projectiles, travel vectors, and other miscellaneous sub-systems. However, as a means to not manually overload a pilot's optical sense, these pieces of information are automatically faded in and out of vision in relevance to the present situation. For example, a mobile fencer in the middle of combat will not be displaying most subsystems except for enemy vehicle and weaponry vectors, armor status, and one's own travel vector. These processes and controls are all handled by the mobile fencer's internal computer systems, and have been refined over time to yield minimally-distracting HUD environments.