James had decided to upgrade the Neural Interface before pushing his training further. Version 1.0 worked, but it had limitations.
The motion capture cameras sometimes lost tracking if he moved too fast or got too close to walls. The tDCS electrodes weren't precise enough for really fine motor control. The AI was running at its processing limits, causing occasional lag in feedback.
Version 2.0 would fix all of that.
He started with the motion capture system. Ordered a full-body motion capture suit from a company that made them for film studios. The suit had sensors built into the fabric that tracked joint angles and body position with extreme precision. No cameras needed. No line-of-sight issues.
Eight thousand dollars. Shipped from California.
Next, the tDCS system. He found a research-grade device designed for neuroscience labs. Sixteen channels instead of eight. Much more precise targeting of specific brain regions. Safety monitoring built in.
Five thousand dollars. Shipped from Boston.
For the computing power, he bought three more high-end workstations and networked all six together.
Created a distributed processing system where each computer handled a different part of the AI pipeline.
One for motion analysis. One for form comparison. One for feedback generation. One for VR rendering. Two for running the neural network that powered the whole system.
Twelve thousand dollars in equipment. Setup took three days.
While waiting for the specialized components to arrive, James worked on the software improvements.
This was where his enhanced intellect really shined. He could see optimizations that shouldn't be obvious. Could write algorithms that normally would take teams of programmers months to develop.
The AI's motion analysis improved first. He rewrote the core pattern recognition to detect movements at a finer granularity. Could now identify deviations as small as two degrees in joint angles or three percent in weight distribution.
The feedback system improved next. Instead of just telling him what was wrong, the AI now predicted what would happen if he continued with incorrect form. Showed him two paths in the VR environment. One showing correct technique and its results. One showing his current technique and where it would fail.
This predictive element was crucial. It moved beyond just drilling correct form to understanding why the form mattered. Understanding made learning stick better.
The training library expanded. James had uploaded five hundred hours of martial arts content before.
Now he was analyzing it differently. Instead of treating each martial art as separate, his AI identified common principles that appeared across multiple styles.
Weight transfer. Hip rotation. Breath control. Timing. Distance management.
These principles appeared in Judo throws and in Boxing punches. Appeared in Karate strikes and in Wrestling takedowns. The specifics differed but the underlying biomechanics were universal.
James programmed the AI to teach these universal principles first, then show how they applied to specific techniques. This created a more efficient learning path. Instead of learning one hundred techniques as separate skills, he'd learn ten principles that could generate one hundred techniques.
The insight felt profound. This was how Bruce Wayne must have trained. Not memorizing individual moves, but understanding the fundamental patterns of combat. That's why Batman could improvise so effectively. He wasn't following a script. He was applying principles.
Two weeks after ordering the components, everything arrived.
James spent a full day integrating the new hardware. The motion capture suit plugged directly into the system, bypassing the cameras entirely.
The advanced tDCS device connected through a medical-grade interface that monitored his brain activity in real-time for safety.
He calibrated everything carefully. Ran diagnostic tests. Adjusted settings.
Finally, it was ready.
Neural Interface version 2.0.
James put on the motion capture suit. It fit snugly, sensors pressing against his skin through the thin fabric.
Attached the tDCS electrodes to his head, more of them now, targeting specific regions with better precision. Put on the VR headset.
Powered up the system.
The VR environment loaded faster now. Rendering was smoother. He was back in the virtual dojo, but the space looked more detailed. More realistic.
"Select training focus," the AI prompted.
James thought about what skill would show the most improvement with the upgraded system. Something complex that required fine motor control and precise timing.
"Striking combinations. Advanced level."
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