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I'm trying to construct this organism in my world, that is completely biological, but is almost like a large human-esque brain organ with slug-like apparatus extending from it. Like multiple tentacles and minor organs for sight and sound, and overtime these "tentacles" form the basis for piezoelectric muscles for movement and "growing" over something, which is where I lead to:

The idea is human and fellow cyborg crews grow these brains from infancy till they're large enough to have metallic plates, hydraulics, rotary things that these tentacle-muscles can grow upon and their "body" to essentially become humanoid in shape and action.

Its brain organ is slightly smaller than ours, but its neuron compression and incredible muscles allow it more processing power and strength than us, they just require facilitation into the world.

The origin story is they're sentient organs made to be implanted into spaceship components and cyborg bodies as long-living servants. They were grown upon the surfaces of planets and inside large biolabs so they're completely natural, but in their super-tech days these brains would barely need its tentacle-muscles for anything, thus its smaller size compression allowed greater productivity.

Basically my question is surmised, how feasible would these creatures be overall with a mechanical chassis essentially built around their bodies?

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    $\begingroup$ Remember, we deal with single, clearly focussed questions. Can you edit down to just one area you'd like to focus on. Also, be aware that soliciting opinions is off topic, but we can help you figure out how things/systems can work according to the rules you specify. $\endgroup$
    – Jiminy Cricket.
    Oct 6, 2021 at 21:16
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    $\begingroup$ Sooooooo - Daleks? (but subservient)? You need to focus on what you want us to answer, because I'm just guessing that you want to know how these biological computer control units are supposed to work. A fist-sized brain and about as much very simple life support, plus whatever tentacles you want? A brain case would be useful. $\endgroup$
    – DWKraus
    Oct 6, 2021 at 22:24
  • $\begingroup$ Okay sorry I will tighten it, I was struggling with that honestly. Simply, I want to ask how feasible would such a creature be being amplified with a mechanical chassis? $\endgroup$
    – NagaPrince
    Oct 7, 2021 at 2:20
  • $\begingroup$ Unfortunately asking "is X overly complicated?" is highly dependent upon the opinions of the answers. Opinion based questions are off topic on this site. can you edit your post so that you're asking a more specific and less opinion based question? $\endgroup$
    – sphennings
    Oct 7, 2021 at 21:31

2 Answers 2

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Hard to ask my question, but where should I begin and stop in regards to how much this organism should be cybernetic?

A problem you will need to solve - "use it or lose it"

  1. if the brain doesn't exercise a function immediately after it was born, the volume of neurons dedicated for the function will be taken out by other functions (brain plasticity and all that).

  2. the brain must actively function to "cast itself and maintain itself into a shape". It does need to receive inputs from the environment - search "sensory deprivation experiments to get some of the side effects - e.g. despair, disorientation, hallucinations. And, to a slightly lower extent, needs to exercise some control over the environment (e.g. search for "psychological impact of paralysis").
    See also "I have no mouth and I must scream".

  3. a sentient functional brain will require a "sense" to exist. Not only it will need a definition for "carrot" and "stick" (in an existential way), but it will need to exercise being in states that involves both. Sorta metaphorical speaking here, but somehow that is to say a lifetime of only dopamine is as nonsensical as a lifetime of adrenaline - one needs to feel a "sequence" of both to "feel alive".

Bottom line, your "sentient organs made to be implanted into spaceship components and cyborg bodies" will need:

  • to be given a body as soon as their are "born" (or put in some kind of stasis until they can get a body)
  • have the "job" defined to them, because the "job" will actually define them
  • get to reach a definition of "their purpose in life"
  • it is unlikely that one can switch bodies once "sentient organisms" got their own. Brain plasticity goes only that much - think switching everything above as a "trajectory" through many zones of proximal development between the starting point and the ending point.
  • be used in situations that do require constant interaction with the environment. Placing a "weapon targeting specialist" inside the "turrets" and expecting it to be functional after some years of doing nothing is not gonna work.
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  • $\begingroup$ This is right. Brains do not mature in a vacuum. Your brain beasts are at root human brains and they need to be babies. They need to develop., They need to cultivate their areas devoted to sensation and motor function. That does not mean they need to use the primitive tentacles / sensory structures that come with the base model. They could have baby cybernetics attached as soon as they are born, to facilitate development. Child cybernetics to continue their training. Then the brain is put into the body that it will use to carry out its main purpose. $\endgroup$
    – Willk
    Oct 7, 2021 at 1:30
  • $\begingroup$ The question seems to be asking about sentient neural networks, not fully sapient self-aware brains with a human level of consciousness and complexity? $\endgroup$
    – Darth Biomech
    Oct 7, 2021 at 3:12
  • $\begingroup$ @DarthBiomech So what exactly you feel is or becomes wrong in my answer when considering a "neural sentience"? sentience "capacity to experience feelings and sensations." Even my old and sleepy cat has her time of the day (night actually) that she plays stalking and hunting the prey. I used the examples in sensory deprivation from humans because the subjects could communicate the experience immediately, but I have no reason to think the brain of my cat would react differently is deprived of input and capacity to react. $\endgroup$
    – Adrian Colomitchi
    Oct 7, 2021 at 3:29
  • $\begingroup$ I like your answer. But it discusses the limitations of the human brain, that has evolved to be inside a human body at all times. I wonder if those same restrictions apply to a brain that evolved differently. $\endgroup$
    – Burki
    Oct 7, 2021 at 7:55
  • $\begingroup$ @Burki Neurotransmitters and their role in synapses strength and growth are the same in most animals on Earth. Even more so in animals able of sentience. You either have a brain that rides on the brink of stability, always dynamic, or a dead brain. It's not like the neurons are transistors that happy to be shutdown and they'll work just fine when you bring them back up. $\endgroup$
    – Adrian Colomitchi
    Oct 7, 2021 at 8:09
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Yes.

Whay you've invented here, is called wetware. These hypothetical systems use neural tissues as an organic processor for the machine they reside in. Your idea is actually a bit overengineered since you don't need it to have any sensors or muscles, and everything it needs to function can be provided by the mechanical body it's being implanted in, so it'll be essentially just a braincase large enough to perform the functions expected from it, with a life support system attached.

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  • $\begingroup$ I really like your answer thanks for it, you're right, however I still want this creature to have "limbs" ultimately because of the new world it dwells in, that is 18th, 19th century advanced. I need to have some control over its environment so it can be independent when matured and obtains a chassis to thrive in as it was designed by its creators. $\endgroup$
    – NagaPrince
    Oct 8, 2021 at 21:35

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