[ADDED] Bishop Cybernetics

[BRAINOS]

Name: Bishop Cybernetics

Type: Corporation

Founding/Settlement Date (if applicable): April 2418.

Region of Space: Primarily Tau Ceti, but has also expanded to Epsilon Eridani.

Other Snapshot information: Bishop Cybernetics at the moment has no lore behind them.

Yeah, seriously. Bishop is obviously supposed to be a thing lore-wise, considering they're one of the four major manufacturers of prosthetics.

I went ahead and drafted up an article.

Long Description:

Here goes:

Bishop Cybernetics is a relatively young corporation founded on Biesel in April of 2418. They specialize in innovations in biomechanical engineering with a focus on prosthetics and mechanical organs.

General:

Official Title(s): Bishop Cybernetics

Motto: Without compromise.

Official Languages: Tradeband, Tau Ceti Basic, Terran Mandarin

Work Force: (2444 Consumer Report)

232,688 - Total Number of Employees

100,344 - Production Floor Employees

21,816 - Production Facility Managers

50,528 - Biomechanical Researchers

34,674 - Equipment and Facility Maintenance

25,326 - Security and Safety Assurance

Influence:

Epsilon Eridani: 4 major equipment manufacturing facilities on Isis.

Tau Ceti: Headquarters in Mendell City, Biesel and three research and development facilities on Biesel.

History:

Bishop Cybernetics was founded on Biesel by Grant Bishop and Owen Harrison after both had dropped out of study at the Biesel Institute of Robotics to focus on business. Even though prosthetics wasn't a new field by any means, and it was mostly dominated by giants like Zeng-Hu and Hephaestus, Bishop felt there was room for innovation.

Bishop and Harrison both worked out of Bishop's personal pod bay for their first year, working to improve on the existing design for a mechanical prosthetic hand. They unveiled this new design at the annual Mendell City Innovation Conference and caught the attention of several investors with their flashy, sleek design with an integrated holo-watch, communications center and patented user interface with a haptic feedback enabled holodisplay called iTouch. Most notable about this first design was the fact its power draw was no greater than other designs already out there, despite running several different accessory modules.

After a wildly successful campaign spanning over ten years showcasing every iteration of their new prosthetics at every opportunity, Bishop Cybernetics opened their first major manufacturing facility on Isis in 2430. This drastically reduced the costs associated with production and allowed Bishop Cybernetics to become even more profitable.

The high-energy Grant Bishop still attends conferences and events, giving speeches and demonstrations, and often makes a point to show off his own prosthetic arms and eyes, which he has linked to his own home devices including his thermostat, doors, electrochromic windows and microwave. In 2456, Bishop suffered from heart failure, and underwent an operation to have a Bishop Cybernetics mechanical heart installed. He has since claimed to be "synthetic at heart," coming back from the operation to announce a new division of Bishop Cybernetics focusing on synthetic intelligence research.

Bishop Cybernetics' focus on power efficiency, luxury and innovation meant its niche market was composed mostly of technological enthusiasts and a number of transhumanist fanatics. This is, of course, not without controversy, especially among more traditionally-minded consumers skeptical of the radical ideas usually pushed by Bishop Cybernetics. The heavy regulation of prosthetic devices often means the most attention-grabbing products are meant for headlines only, kept behind red tape to never leave the showroom. Uncomfortable with Bishop's direction, Owen Harrison officially resigned from the company in December 2458.

The continued growth of Bishop Cybernetics has proven without a doubt that there is a small, but lucrative market for these big ideas and the controversy often stirred with Bishop's ideals has ensured they have a place in headlines on a yearly basis.

During the last conference held during a Ned Talk on Biesel in August 2459, Bishop shared the stage with a state-of-the-art IPC designated "Axiom." This IPC's frame was entirely Bishop, with a glass-encased hologram display for a face and a claimed internal battery life lasting for up to three weeks on standby. It isn't known when or even if this model will ever be approved for production.

Additional comments: I'm hoping that providing some memorable lore for a company like Bishop will push some interesting RP forward. I've noticed people with Bishop limbs already tend to be a bit fanatic about their choice and it's usually a statement: this article gives plenty of information to form an opinion on the company, positive or negative. With this proposed lore, I've based Bishop off of two real-world companies that are pretty polarizing in opinions: Apple and BMW. Both are known for their big ideas and focus on exclusive, luxury markets as well as technological innovation. Both of those brands bring up strong opinions in their respective markets and have a reputation for knowing their customer base well.

Grant Bishop himself is based off of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, also two people who come up in real-world conversations and elicit strong opinions. While Musk is strongly against advancing AI, I've made sure to give Bishop a similarly controversial opinion for synthetic advancement - considering that lore-wise, the more traditional thing to do is be skeptical of AI development.

All of this is intended to give characters something to talk about, and if it were to be canonized, I look forward to the discussions it'd lead to. Thanks for your time!

[Muncorn]

Accepted. Cake will be incorporating a slightly edited version of this into the lore.