The
Bio-Neural gel pack, first used on the Intrepid Class Starship, is a major
advancement in Starfleet computing technology. The Bio-Neural systems
organize information more efficiently and perform complex procedure at very high
speed.
The computer system also incorporates bio-neural circuity. Bio-neural gel packs
are organic computer 'circuits' composed of sythetic cerebral neurons, suspended
in a nutrient gel medium. These gel packs are based on the organic organization
of the humaniod brain, and work much faster than the isolinear chips, relying on
a 'best-guess' decision-making process rather than a calculation based on all
possible actions. Each pack consists of a transparent, flexible casing that
contains the fluid, and a metallic interface bar at the top that can be plugged
into the ship's systems, meaning that it can be swapped as easily as an
isolinear chip. The fibers in an individual gel pack are capable of making
billions of connections, thus generating an incredibly sophisticated and
responsive computing architecture. The gel packs can operate indepently of other
systems or, if necessary, they can use the isolinear cores to perform
number-crunching operations and for data reference. The gel packs are used in
systems throughout Voyager, but their principle function is to make
instantaneous navigational computations.
The evolution of the EMH into a fully sentient being is the most impressive
example of the bio-neural system's abilities. With one notable exception in
2365, holograms created by isolinear computer systems have not been able to
achieve sentience, but the combination of a self-improving program with
bio-neural systems has allowed the EMH to evolve into a being with apparently
genuine emotions and intellectual capablities.
Bio-neural technology is extremely new, and in many cases does not respond to a
conventional engineering approach. Because bio-neural gel packs use organic
components, they are vulnerable to viral infections and can literally become
sick. An infection can present serious risk to the efficient running of the
ship. Because their organic nature, the gel packs can be treated by conventional
medicine.
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS | Bio-Neural | Isolinear | |
Standard Operating System | LCARS 2.5 | LCARS 2 | |
Memory Transfer Rate | 6,200 Kiloquads / Second | 4,600 Kiloquads / Second | |
Storage Capacity Per Module | 725,000 Kiloquads | 630,000 Kiloquads | |
Number per Module | UNKNOWN | 144 |