Magi-Tech is the name for the combination of technology and the magi. Magi-Tech differs from usual technology such as simple motors or machines, in that the primary energy source is not an external fuel, but comes from a Magi.
Magi-Tech devices are widespread across the world. Even the most primitive groups of hunter gatherers living on the western end of Feron possess a device in some form or another.
Magi-Tech operates primarily through the transfer of energy from and around Magi user to an end result. An example of this would be the standard motorcart. Instead of being propelled by fossil fuels or solar energy, the cart is driven by the operator’s own body and mind. On the motorcarts are two large poles made out of a metallic and highly conductive material. A Magi operator grasps these handles and channels the energy of his molecular structure, converting energy storage in the body into electric currents. These currents travel through the operating controls and are channeled into motors which spin gears that drive the wheels of the cart. So while a motor is still used, it is not being fueled by an external power source, but the operator.
There is no limit to the power of a Magi-Tech device, as the efficiency of energy transfer relies primarily on the skill and stamina of an operator. However, effective limits have been found given today’s understanding of the magi, the standard model of particle physics and basic understanding of theology. The highest energy output ever recorded by a single individual for a sustained period of time (thirty minutes) was 500 horsepower. The subject, a monk from an island in the Western Reach, was able to produce this power in a laboratory experiment in 239EM on a specially designed dynamometer. Following this test the monk collapsed from mental and physical exhaustion. Beyond losing fifteen pounds of body fat and an estimated five pounds of muscle and fluids, the monk went into a state of unconsciousness for approximately four hours. When he awoke it took a full twenty four hours for him to respond to the doctors’ questions. Afterwards the monk stated that, in order to create such a tremendous force he had to escape his mind and body in ways never before done by a human, that he felt for just a moment a mere fraction of what it was like to be God.
So Magi-Tech devices have unlimited potential, but are currently constrained by the common understanding of theology, science and physical power. Luckily, most machines operating by Magi-Tech are incredibly efficient and require limited power to work. A railcart for example, is hugely efficient for its size. A railcart with ten carts full of passengers, the operator’s engine and a caboose weighs in at a staggering 1,500 tons. Despite this mammoth weight a team of six operators can manage the machine for twenty four hours at a time (a typical operator’s shift lasts four hours before fatigue and lack of concentration begin to degrade performance). This is due to the efficiency of energy transfer from the Magi to the electromagnetic switches along the railline.
One of the primary reasons Magi-Tech devices aren’t the sole means of power across the world is quite basic. The magi is, in a sense, a measure of one’s theoretical, scientific, religious and physical capacity. And though the methods of using certain Magi-Tech devices such as a chillbox or orb-light are simple enough for children to manage, not everyone is capable of much greater. Some people are physically lazy and unwilling to go through the physical hassle and cardiovascular strain of operating more advanced machines. Others are unwilling to learn the concepts behind the magi, whether that’s a hatred for science, religion or even selfishness, it takes a highly advanced and intelligent mind to understand the concepts of the magi.
Magi-Tech devices have exploded in popularity over the past half century. However, there have been more non Magi-Tech devices created during this period than any other in Atla’s history. And many of the cutting edge technologies are based not on the magi but simple physics. The primary advances in flight all use a combustible fuel source as their propellant and have little or no use for a Magi.
Because people are not always willing to do the work necessary to become a Magi, Magi-Tech machines will never be the sole devices throughout the world. That being said however, many foresee a time where non Magi-tech devices are considered a novelty and used so infrequently as to make them irrelevant.
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