I originally had an idea for today's story that was about plans for world domination. It was to be a piece from the point of view of a maniacal villain bent on taking over the planet. It was going to be dark and powerful. Then that train of thought fell off the tracks.
Netflix recently released a new version of a show that was beloved to me in my childhood, Voltron. As I watched the reboot pilot episode, they mentioned each robotic lion choosing its pilot and the match can't be forced. While their connection has a mystic angle, I got to wondering about a more technological angle for connecting a weapon and wielder.
There was one series that featured laser swords with an added function to the handle. When someone gripped the handle, the weapon would sample their blood to make sure they were the kind of person allowed to wield such a weapon. If the DNA didn't have the correct markers, the sword wouldn't activate. I wanted to take this idea a little further. What are some other biometrics that could be measured? Could combinations of these physical traits be unique enough to tell one person from another?
"Alright you punks! Millions has been spent on your training. Apparently some high muckety-muck thinks that has earned all of you the right to your own combat equipment. I don't see it, but they don't pay me to make these decisions."
A group of young, eager troopers sit still and straight in their chairs as a grizzled officer stands at the front of the briefing room. The scars on his face and cybernetic leg are testaments to his long combat experience. Behind him is a screen that currently only displays the logo of the military arm of the Interplanetary Expeditionary Forces. The troopers know the screen will soon be showing them the specifications of the flight systems and weapons programs that will be assigned to them. While they all respect the old soldier before them, on the inside they are all impatient and want to try out their new gear.
"Now, before any of you are allowed to pilot a flyer, drive a tank, or fire a cannon, it will have to be attuned to you. Unlike those fantasy sims I know many of you play, there is nothing spiritual or metaphysical about this."
As he continued to speak, bars and graphs began to appear on the screen. All of the troopers recognized the displays as the readouts of biological scanners. Only a few knew exactly what each graph meant and what system in a body generated each readout.
"The first time you grip the controls of a newly configured system, it will take a number of biological readings from you. DNA patterns, resting brain wave patterns, pheromone levels, and other statistics are are unique to each and every one of you. Once these are all locked into the system's digital memory, it will compare them with the statistics of anyone else that attempts to use that system. If someone else tries to use a system programmed for you, they will be ejected immediately. During ground combat, this can be inconvenient. I won't go into the hazards of this occurring during operations in space."
A quick shudder ran through all the troopers as they considered the realities of suddenly being ejected into a hard vacuum. It was something all of them had seen the results of, but none wanted to experience personally. As the group mentally recovered, medtechs entered the room from a side door.
The officer finished his speech as generic schematics for computer systems and controller configurations flashed across the screen.
"Making these combat systems operable for only one person makes them extremely expensive. Regardless of what the accountants say, I consider each of them more valuable than any one of you. Once you have been dispatched, be sure and treasure your equipment and bring it back. If you don't, I will personally track you down and extract every lost dollar out of your hide.
Now, follow these specialists to the medical bay and they will get you outfitted for your individual attunements."
There are so many different ways today of gathering biological data on an individual. Would it really be so hard to customize a weapon or vehicle so that only one person can operate it?
I do realize this would be expensive. It would also nearly eliminate the used car sales industry. Can you think of any advantages to such a system?
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