Ultimate Perception Simulator 5th generation
The cutting edge of concealing arts available now for the low price of 12.650 CIM! Group reduction for army stealth squads and sworn mercenary bands, from the 6th purchase.
First released in 6548, the Ultimate Perception Simulator 5th generation (UPS-5X) is a portable deceiving tool designed to scramble biological senses. Assuming the shape of a torch, though much heavier, it possesses a wide range of emission modes and a bank of multiple terabytes of data. The typical distraction devices that involve throwing a small part, usually in the shape of a disc, toward the desired location. After an emitting for a brief instant, the disc is set to self-destruct as discreetly as possible. This is expensive as it means each device has limited times of use and innately bears the same downsides as a rock.
Rather, the UPS is a directed emitter. It means that it sends a kind of signal in front of it, in a way that prevents the source to be easily detected. It is able to mess with the most basic senses like sight, hearing, smell thus taste to an extent. Later versions like the UPS-6X and 7X are able to affect other senses like proprioception, gravity perception and other very niche senses, but they are also less portable as a tradeoff. The UPS-5X is the last of its series to be easily concealed and carried in any circumstance.
Modes of action
Visual deception
The simplest use of the UPS relies on the widely used hologram technology. It has been refined times and times again to provide a seamless viewing experience in the entertainment and advertisement sectors, and this work has been repurposed in the UPS. By using lasers at a specific frequency, a volumetric image appears as if from thin air. It requires an uninterrupted line of sight between the device and the target spot, but the emitting rays are invisible except when met with punctual obstacles like rain or smoke.
The best use of this technology is to create visual illusions or short burst that appear out of the ordinary but not entirely out of place, as it could jeopardize the trick. Combined with audio deception, the UPS can create credible impersonations in the right conditions. The device possess a combination mode, where half of the emitters are used for one type of deception and the other half for another. However, it is not recommended to use it as it effectively halves the distraction effectiveness. Instead, using two UPS is considered the top in terms of distraction, with the addition of a potential third to complete the illusion.
The visual deception tool can also be used more crudely, as a simple but powerful laser or even a regular torch. It is often concealed that way, as only a complete analysis of the device will reveal its real function, even with the unordinary weight as clue.
Q: What if they examine closely my UPS-5X while it is in concealment mode? A: Let's face it: if they are at the point of dismantling a torch to find out your identity, you're probably already done for.
Audio deception
Despite being commonplace in the Supreme Domain's cities and the First Domain core worlds, the principle behind directional sound is poorly understood and thus akin to magic in some places. Thanks to piezoelectric transducers, the device emits two streams of ultrasounds: one at a constant frequency of 200,000 Hz and another oscillating between 200,200 and 220,000 Hz. The waves travel in parallel and are way too high to be audible by a human ear. However, once they hit an obstacle their course will be altered, and they will interfere destructively, reducing their frequency to 200-20.000 Hz, in the audible range.
Though it is commonly used for targeted advertising or private conversations, the UPS exploit this technology to make sound appear from a target location, at the will of the emitter. The base model has a bank of 120.043 sounds, which in storage equals to half the capacity of the memory card. To optimize the space, the actual audio record is downsampled as much as it is possible to do so without losing quality, then upsampled to the ultrasound frequency before being emitted. It has a wide variety of sounds from basic noise to animal sounds and even faraway voices of any number of people.
Smell deception
Spatially deceiving the olfactory receptors was one of the hardest challenges that the UPS designers overcame. It may seem quite the overcommitment considering that not many people are able to accurately trace a scent. However, when that is possible it is essential that it is not traceable. Thus, the scents are created thanks to artificial compounds that are designed to meddle with the scent localisation receptors located in the nostrils. Thus, the victim is not truly misdirected by the smell, but they become incapable of pinpointing its exact provenance. Such compounds are rare and hard to design, thus only a quarter of the total capacity is included in the base model, with 547 odours available.
Taste deception
This last mode is a bit of a stretch, as the UPS is no cook. Instead, it relies on the fact that the sense of taste is just a glorified sense of smell, and the flavour of food depends on its scent. Thus, there is a special smell category with all manners of food odour alongside chemicals amplifying the nostril's reception. For this trickery to work, the consumed food must not have a strong flavour nor smell, and the device should not be too far from the target's nose. Thus, rather than stealth it is best used to conceal the taste of a strong poison at a mundane party.
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