History Main / BrainComputerInterface

* In ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' continuities where [[Characters/SupermanBrainiac Brainiac]] isn't a robot himself, this is what the diodes on his head are used for.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'' features the Alaya-Vijnana System, [[BodyHorror spinal implants]] that allow the user to connect directly with a mobile suit to improve reaction time and spatial awareness. It's an interface that grows with the pilot, so it has to be put in when they are [[ChildSoldiers extremely young]], and the procedure has a high rate of failure, generally resulting in spinal injuries, para- or quadriplegia, or even death. While the implants are severely taboo on Earth (to the point where most people treat those with implants as if they aren't even human anymore), less ethical groups like the [[PrivateMilitaryContractors Chryse Guard Security]] and [[SpacePirates Brewers]] will "adopt" kids and force them to undergo the surgery, abandoning them on the streets if the process fails. [[spoiler:In the climax of the first season, after Ein Dalton's body is mangled beyond repair by Mikazuki, he agrees to a procedure that hooks his brain directly into a SuperPrototype dubbed the "Graze Ein", meaning he effectively '''is''' the Mobile Suit]].
*** The show goes on to reveal that there are significant limiters in place to protect the pilot's brain, but this is seemingly dependent on the user; in one episode, Mikazuki's default settings for the Barbatos are so high that when another member of Tekkadan tries to pilot the machine it overloads his brain and renders him temporarily comatose. [[spoiler:Three times during the series (versus the Graze Ein, versus the Hashmal, and during the final battle), Mikazuki deliberately disables the limiters to get maximum performance out of the Barbatos, which results in his losing the use of parts of his body (his right eye and arm the first time, his right leg the second time) though when he's hooked into the system they function just fine. In the last instance he overclocks the system when he's already mortally wounded, meaning his Gundam seemingly keeps fighting for a few minutes before his enemies cut open the cockpit and realize that he's already dead]].

* ''Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico'' achieves this effect with {{Nanomachines}} allowing the pilot to interface directly with the mecha. These are also the control medium for larger military vehicles and a lot of civilian equipment in the Martian colonies. For once, there are no major downsides (it's the ''other'' {{nanomachines}} you have to look out for), and it is in fact relatively easy to get the nanomachine injection if you're already in the military.

* Multiple variants appear in the ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' / ''LightNovel/AccelWorld'' universe.

** Brain Implant Chips are small devices permanently installed beneath the dura mater. They were the first devices to feature AugmentedReality in the form of an UnusualUserInterface where the user uses hand gestures to manipulate interface elements only he can see but are also illegal due to the risk of brain hacking and exam cheating. [[spoiler:It also hides the user from Brain Burst matching lists but at a cost: if BB is uninstalled, the chip dissolves into the cerebrospinal fluid]].

* ''Manga/MoonlightMile'': Some robots [[spoiler:secretly developed by the US military]] use this for operations. [[spoiler:Maggy has to use one to rescue astronauts after a space debris disaster]]. The interface almost ends up overloading their brain and killing them.

* In ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'' and the source material for the second saga (namely ''Anime/SuperDimensionCavalrySouthernCross''), this is one of the reasons the Bioroid are so hard to take down -- being thought-controlled, they're far more nimble than the human mechs they’re facing, and the multiple redundancies in the system mean the only swift way to take one down is SnipingTheCockpit.

* Cyberjack-style interfaces are common in Carla Speed [=McNeil=]'s ''ComicBook/{{Finder}}'' series, and vary in complexity, from student-level jacks to full-immersion interfaces. Marcie's student jack makes it for medical computers to directly monitor her condition and influence her treatment. She can also use it to interface with computers, mentally conduct Instant Message conversations and learn skills quickly (albeit unpleasantly; Marcie [[http://www.lightspeedpress.com/index.php?module=Finder&func=pub&issue=19&page=22 runs away screaming]] when Lynne offers to teach her to read via hookup). Movie theaters take advantage of this by including sensory enhancements and "mood tracks". In the Dream Sequence storyline, the narrator has a full-immersion connection as a job perk, which allows his employer to [[http://www.lightspeedpress.com/index.php?module=Finder&func=pub&issue=23&page=11 physically pack employees like sardines]], while they experience a [[http://www.lightspeedpress.com/index.php?module=Finder&func=pub&issue=23&page=12 lush virtual office setting]]. The plot revolves around a virtual theme park/MMORPG whose creator hosts the world inside his fully-networked brain (which, of course, [[GoneHorriblyWrong goes horribly wrong]]).
* ''Dynamo Joe'' had Data Com One, a paraplegic whose brain was linked to a military computer, making him a brilliant strategist.
* In Franchise/{{Superman}} continuities where [[Characters/SupermanBrainiac Brainiac]] isn't a robot himself, this is what the diodes on his head are used for.
* In Franchise/SpiderMan, [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Doctor Octopus]] uses one to control his mechanical arms.

* ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6'' has the microbots being controlled by a headband neural interface, which Yokai incorporated into his kabuki mask.

-->'''Hermes''': Professor, can you wire my head directly into the main battle-net?\\
'''Professor Farnsworth''': I can wire anything directly into ''anything''! I'm the Professor!

* The planet Pandora in ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' is host to a giant organic computer network comprised of the nervous systems of all flora and fauna on the planet. The resident sapient species, the Na'vi, can link their own nervous systems into this network via a ponytail-like organ, enabling them to store and retrieve information, communicate across great distances, or gain control over nearby wildlife.
* ''Film/{{eXistenZ}}'' has [[OrganicTechnology biological computers]] which interface with you through plugging a ''very phallic'' tentacle into a port in the base of your spine. The movie [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything plays this for all it's worth]], even having characters lick the ports of other characters during sex scenes.
* ''Franchise/TheMatrix'' has every human used by the machines outfitted with a port in the back of the skull to plug into the matrix. In Zion, humans with the port are plugged into a machine that... apparently lets them manipulate a huge 3-D computer interface. Non-vat grown humans can't get one installed, either. This means that natives of Zion, or in other words the grown up children of Matrix escapees, have to content themselves with either flying the hovercraft, or playing "Operator", which means plugging people into the Matrix, getting them out, and giving them weaponry while they're in there. Well, in theory they could give them anything, but it's often [[MoreDakka guns. Lots of guns]].

* In ''Film/StrangeDays'', virtual reality is someone else's reality. Using computerized Walkmen that record and play back thoughts and sensations, voyeurs relive parts of other people's lives -- sometimes with deadly results. The walkmen operate using a brain computer interface.

* ''Franchise/RoboCop'': The title character's "neural spike" is a small spike embedded in his wrist that he can use to interface with computers and navigate through them with his mind alone. Apparently, every computer in Detroit has a port included specifically for him. We never see anyone else use the same port. [[spoiler:It also becomes a handy ImprovisedWeapon in [[Film/RoboCop1987 his first movie]]]].

* ''{{Literature/Valhalla}}'': "Links" are common in 2230 to hook users directly into the internet. Most citizens have small antennae behind their ears that facilitate immersion or consultation of the internet.
* Telepathy runs computers in ''Literature/TheCulture''. Or more specifically, super advanced A.I.s run the computers and neural interfaces are simply the fastest way to speak to the A.I.s.
** Plus the mental images used to control the biological implants and drug glands.

* In Creator/TimothyZahn's ''Literature/TheConquerorsTrilogy'' (''Conqueror's Pride'', ''Conqueror's Heritage'', and ''Conqueror's Legacy''), the [[CoolPlane Copperheads]] are controlled through a jack in the back of the heads of the pilot and tail gunner, with the interface basically mapping the fighter's functions to a virtual human body. Damage is represented by smell and colour (the obvious choice of pain presumably being too distracting), weapons by the user's fists, and so forth.

* Creator/SamuelRDelany's ''Literature/{{Nova}}'', published in 1968, features a technology in which people have neural wrist- and neck-plugs installed so that they can control a wide variety of gadgets, from vacuum cleaners to starships. This style of interface is so pervasive that individuals who do not want to receive the implants are effectively unable to use any remotely sophisticated equipment.

* Required for the handless [[SapientCetaceans neo-fins]] to use tools in the ''Literature/{{Uplift}}'' series, usually linked to a harness with prosthetic arms and other tools, though they also use them to control vehicles and fly spaceships. Many humans have similar sockets for similar reasons. The book is also a primer on the risks of such interfaces with one character suffering brain damage from electrocution through their socket and another physical injury when an interface plug is forcibly yanked out in an ultralight airplane crash.
* A key plot point in ''Literature/BrainJack'', by Brian Falkner. Comes in the form of "Neuro Headsets".

* Most humans are fitted with a neural implant at birth in ''Literature/TheHistoryOfTheGalaxy'', which is used to translate thoughts into wireless signals. Mainly used for identification and appliance control. Some people voluntarily (and some not so voluntarily) undergo implantation of additional implants that, effectively, turn them into [[TheCracker hackers]] that don't need a computer. They can even access a person's neural implant and fry his or her brain. Want to use a gun on them? Better use an ancient one that shoot bullets and has no electronics. Regular EM guns with computer chips inexplicably stop working when faced with a "cybreaker". Also used to enter virtual reality.

* ''Literature/{{Manna}}'' has the interface imbedded to everyone in Australia. Some use it to alter their perception of reality to what they desire (e.g. masking technology). Also, it's designed to dampen crime to prevent causing harm to others.

* Renos in ''{{Literature/Aristoi}}'', which partially inspired the mesh inserts in ''TabletopGame/EclipsePhase''.

* The Bremen Chip from ''Literature/{{MARZENA}}'' is inserted via the nasal cavity into the thalamus (the processor of the senses and the origin point of consciousness) and allows its users to connect wirelessly to computers, or even to merge minds with G-Net A.I.s or people who who also had the chip implanted. [[ElectronicTelepathy Communication between two brains]] can be tricky, though, and usually requires a middle brain for the translation of brain activities (unless they are identical).
* In the ''Literature/RevelationSpaceSeries'', brain-computer interfaces ''used'' to be common, but then the Melding Plague GreyGoo showed up and [[LostTechnology ruined everything]]. The Gunnery interface on the ''Nostalgia For Infinity'' requires implants that makes the user visualize themselves as the 4 kilometer long starship when sitting in the Gunnery control chair.
* ''Literature/TheStarchildTrilogy'' has a very early example (from two decades before {{Cyberpunk}} became a thing). Unusually located directly on the forehead, "communion plates" are how the most advanced technicians work with the [[MasterComputer Planning Computer]].

* ''Literature/AgentG'' and all the other CorporateSamurai ProfessionalKiller types in the International Refugee Society have an IRD implant as part of their standard cybernetics package. They allow human beings to store their memories, interact with computers directly, and properly manage their cybernetics. [[spoiler:It's {{subverted|Trope}} when G discovers that he doesn't have one, since his entire brain is a computer due to being a [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots bioroid]] rather than a "real" cyberized human]].

* Pilgrennon from ''Literature/PilgrennonsChildren'' bred the titular DesignerBabies to be autistic, as he believed that all autistics had an affinity for computers, and inserted computer chips that allow them to communicate directly with other computers into their brains while they were still in the womb. Results vary - Alpha suffered severe brain damage and for years lost her ability to act except on other people's orders and Peter suffers from PowerIncontinence that requires him to wear a Viking helmet so he won't destroy every piece of machinery around, while Dana learned how to control her abilities and become a {{technopath}}.

* The skin of the advanced Cylons in the new ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' is light-sensitive. If they have to use primitive fiber-optic cables, they can (painfully) insert that cable into their forearm to interface with computers (but they have to [[{{Squick}} make an incision first)]]. Typically, on their own ships, they can interface with their own ships by putting their hands in a stream of luminous water called the "datastream". It's unclear if there are electrical or biochemical transmitters to go with the light-based data connection, but it [[RuleOfCool sure looks cool]], especially with nearby displays that [[MatrixRainingCode show oddly familiar data glyphs in a falling pattern]]. It helps that they're {{Artificial Human}}s.

* In ''Series/StargateSG1'', human-form replicators can interface with technology (particularly Earth computers) by sticking a body part, usually a hand, directly into the machine. Apparently this also works on humans, as the human-form replicators can literally get inside their victim's heads (though it is [[MindRape not exactly painless for the victim]]).
* In ''Series/StargateAtlantis,'' a lot of Ancient and Wraith technology is operated by thinking at it.
** Unfortunately, no matter how much you think at it, a Puddle Jumper won't make you a sandwich.

* One episode of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' features a guest character with a data port behind her ear, which she can use to bypass security systems. The dialogue makes it sound as though they were relatively freely available but often very expensive (unless you want the ''cheap'' tech directly connected to your brain). It shows up again in a later episode on a member of the [[TheSyndicate Orion Syndicate]]. In both cases, the interfaces are very useful for getting into secure systems and data, but the drawbacks include nasty physical pain from being "spiked" by security features designed to counter just such breaches, to the point where the users risk permanent damage, paralysis, or even death. It's implied the combination of their use for breaching security barriers and the associated dangers are the main reason that such implants are mostly used by criminals (and thus have a stigma attached to them).
* In the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' [[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS7E23Endgame finale]], Janeway returns from decades in the future to change the present, and she is implanted with a standard issue neural computer interface from the future.

* In ''Series/{{Andromeda}}'', Seamus Harper had a dataport in the side of his neck, which allowed him to plug into, and interface with computer systems.
** Later on, he plugs a tesseract into the same port, which allows him to pass through solid objects.
* In ''Series/RedDwarf'', in a TV episode and expanded for the novelisation, the computer game "Better Than Life" works on this principle -- terminally addictive total virtual reality

* The entire premise of ''Series/{{Intelligence|2014}}'' is that US Cyber Command has installed a wireless-enabled computer chip in Gabriel Vaughn, a former Delta Force operator, to create "the next generation of [[TitleDrop intelligence]]".

** A slight variation occurs in "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1995S4E26InOurOwnImage In Our Own Image]]" since it involves an interface with the optic nerve as opposed to the brain directly. The android Mac 27 has a device which can connect his neural net to Cecilia Fairman's optic nerve so he can show her recordings and recreations (in other words, [[ClipShow clips from previous episodes]]) contained in his memory files.
* Prior to the events of ''Series/Space1999'', computer specialist David Kano took part in an experimental programme to link the memory and calculating powers of a computer to the thinking ability of a human brain via fibre optic sensors implanted in his cerebral cortex. The only time this is demonstrated is in "The Guardian Of Piri", where it is shown to be an unpleasant and uncomfortable procedure. It is revealed that he was the only one of the four test subjects who did not suffer permanent brain damage.

* In ''Synchronize'' by Music/MindInABox, an inventor is building a mind-computer interface which works through the bloodstream in order to access [[{{Cyberspace}} The Dreamweb]]. The Agency likewise has built its own machine in ''[=5ynchro0ni7e=]'' to destroy the Dreamweb, using expendable test subjects to attempt to access it -- with [[YourHeadAsplode explosive and bloody results]] -- not realizing that the music of mind.in.a.box is the key to synchronizing with it. The Agency machine is described as pumping the test subjects full of a cryogenic compound.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' and nearly every work of CyberPunk has the datajack, a port or wire usually somewhere on the side of the head to hook up to a computer. A cyberpunk character who can't "jack in" with a port in their head is not trying hard enough.

** ''TabletopGame/{{Cyberpunk}} 2.0.2.0.'', at least, this includes the possibility of using chips to know abilities you don't know. However, its just useful to be a JackOfAllTrades.

* TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}: ''TabletopGame/TranshumanSpace'' makes brain implants practically the only cybernetics still in common use.

* Present in ''TabletopGame/BattleTech''. Enhanced Imaging and the Direct Neural Interface are implants which basically allows the pilot to directly control the [[HumongousMecha BattleMech]] with their mind, rather than with the standard joysticks and neuro-helmet. Protomechs all use this, as they're too small to fit a cockpit. The devices have a number of drawbacks, such as crippling withdrawal symptoms and causing the pilot to go slowly insane. For standard issue control interfaces in [=BattleMechs=], however, the ubiquitous Neurohelmet is used, albeit only to balance the mech. Instead of invasive neurosurgery, all the neurohelmet requires is a clean haircut around the temples and a tolerance for a scalp-crawling sensation. Depending on the technological capacity of the time period that a neurohelmet was manufactured, neurohelmets can range from something the size of a real-life fighter helmet to giant bulky crude 10 pound monstrosities.
* The Neural Connectivity Suite in ''TabletopGame/HcSvntDracones'' replaces the user's cranium with a wireless computer that is capable of running various software and enables "telepathic" communication. Along with upgrades like a wireless hub (that can intercept and redirect radio signals), or a [[HiveMind hive node]]. [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Cogs]] can interface with machines by touching them but have no wireless capability without an NCS, and their Core Consciousnesses work sufficiently different from normal computers that they can't run software either.

* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' mentions an occipital[[note]]bone in the back of the skull/lobe of the brain right in front of it responsible for vision (yes, in the back of your head)[[/note]] jack in one in game news article and an in game email. Based on the context of the news article (the fact that a teenage girl has one is mentioned alongside having a tattoo and wearing black), these are looked upon negatively.

* Pretty much the entire point of the ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' mod ''VideoGame/{{Dystopia}}''. The players can jack into a 3D interpretation of a computer by mentally connecting to the computer through the cyberdeck in their heads. Of course, since they are putting their own minds inside the machine, they leave their real bodies vulnerable to attack.

** One of the Chronicles confirms that a Apocalypse battleship has over two thousand crew who go down with the ship.

* In ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'', Dr. Octavius develops one to control his mechanical arms like in the comics, [[spoiler:but it's faulty and its continued usage drives him insane, [[StartOfDarkness turning him into Doctor Octopus]]]].
* ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' has the player character equipped with one that allows him to navigate computer systems like virtual 3D wireframe mazes. It's suggested to be military-exclusive equipment, but the player character obtained the implants illegally.

*** Through a [[http://www.halopedia.org/Spartan_neural_interface Spartan neural interface]], Cortana increased the Master Chief's compatibility with his [[PoweredArmor MJOLNIR armor]], and can have further access to his suit's systems. This is also for the most part how the MJOLNIR armor works in the first place, with the user moving the armor's limbs via thought (though it still requires {{Super Soldier}}s like the Spartans to wear and make use of it -- regular soldiers who tested the initial versions of the armor essentially pasted themselves because the armor moved too fast).

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', the ''Overlord'' system is a horrific example of this. [[spoiler:In desperation, the lead scientist hooked up his autistic brother into the computer's mainframe, which drove him half insane in the process. Those repeated static burst you hear? It's him screaming, "'''Please! Make it stop!'''"]].

* ''VideoGame/{{SOMA}}'' has the Pilot Seat, used with a VR visor to remotely pilot robots and other machines. [[spoiler:It gets repurposed by the [[AIIsACrapshoot WAU]] to [[BrainUploading create brain scans]] from people using the seats and put them in robot bodies]].

* In the adventure game ''VideoGame/NetZone'', accessing Cycorp's [[InsideAComputerSystem Genecys Zone]] requires attaching a pair of electrodes to the user's forehead, which Newton Winters uses in the hopes of finding his [[DisappearedDad missing father]], Zel. When attached, the user goes into a coma while their mind enters the Genecys Zone. [[spoiler:At the endgame, [[BigBad Walter Sayle]] exploits this connection by rigging Cycorp's main core to overload your interface, [[YourMindMakesItReal rendering you a brain-dead vegetable]] if you don't stop his plans in time]].

* In ''VideoGame/CytusII'', 70% of the world's population has a chip implanted behind their ear, which allows them to connect to the {{Cyberspace}} world of Cytus. [[spoiler:Aesir-FEST and Neko's stream both get targeted by cyber-terrorists, inflicting mild-to-moderate brain damage such as amnesia and comas on those affected]].
* ''VideoGame/TheEvilWithin2'': Everyone in the Mobius conspiracy has neural chips surgically jammed into their brains so they can remotely access the outer shells of the VR world S.T.E.M., see the world in augmented vision, and identify other agents, among other company perks. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for them, even the chips that ''don't'' have bombs in them are neurologically sensitive enough to cause a lethal brain hemorrhage if they are hacked by someone controlling S.T.E.M.]]. Boom.
* ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'' references a lot of this as part of the developments in {{cyborg}} technology the game explores. Two technological developments -- Neural Grafting and Mind-Machine Interface -- deal directly with these technologies. For some reason, the latter lets you build copters.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Bedivere in the Space Arc of ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'' has an I/O jack replacing his [[ArtificialLimbs missing hand]]. [[http://www.arthurkingoftimeandspace.com/1065.htm Largely for the sake of a pun]].

* Implants are fairly common in ''Webcomic/QuantumVibe'', though Beltapes typically don't get them as they were once enslaved using them. Nicole got hers in order to [[NeuralImplanting download the basic skills to pilot a Helio-flyer]], and notably jacked it into her flyer when a solar flare fried the normal controls.

* ''Webcomic/{{Magience}}'' uses a “neuron entrainment” headset. It works even when the user is asleep.

* In ''Webcomic/{{SSDD}}'', Tessa's squad have nanobot implants that are primarily used for ElectronicTelepathy, though they can interface with some compatible technology such as their PoweredArmor.
* Bennie, the robot pilot from ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', carries his brain[=/=]CPU around in a suitcase so he can plug it in to whichever plane he's flying.
-->'''Bennie''': [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2000/fv01990.htm Ever done something and wonder "Where was my brain when I did that?"]]

* ''Psychohistorical Crisis'' by Donald Kingsbury is set in a future that's inspired by Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/FoundationSeries'', re-imagined for the 1990s. Brain-computer interfaces are ubiquitous, and are used to explain several phenomena that Asimov attributed to PsychicPowers.

* The movie ''Sleep Dealer'' uses this frequently and most people work by controlling machines through brain computer interfaces.

* An ex-military space pilot in Katherine Kerr's ''Polar City Blues'' has a (sealed over) port in her head from interfacing with the ships she flew.
* Michael Scott's ''Gemini Game'' features the standard "big plug on the back of the neck" and headband-based videogame ports.

* A key plot point in ''Brain Jack'', by Brian Falkner. Comes in the form of "Neuro Headsets".

[[quoteright:350:[[Anime/GhostInTheShell https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gits_brain_port.png]]]]

* In ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'', a number of characters, including the Major, have ports implanted onto their bodies, typically at the back of the lower neck / upper shoulders that allow a direct connection between the brain and virtual reality; Batou and Ishikawa both use said ports to ''[[MindRape override movement through the brain and temporarily disable people]]''. In the ''Stand Alone Complex'' series, we get a glimpse of what the internet looks like from within.

** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'' has the ZERO System, which feeds data directly into the pilot's brain and reacts to his decisions practically at speed-of-thought. Unfortunately, if you don't have immaculate focus, it drives you crazy.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'' features the Alaya-Vijnana System, [[BodyHorror spinal implants]] that allow the user to connect directly with a mobile suit to improve reaction time and spatial awareness. It's an interface that grows with the pilot, so it has to be put in when they are [[ChildSoldiers extremely young]], and the procedure has a high rate of failure, generally resulting in spinal injuries, para- or quadriplegia, or even death. While the implants are severely taboo on Earth (to the point where most people treat those with implants as if they aren't even human anymore), less ethical groups like the [[PrivateMilitaryContractors Chryse Guard Security]] and [[SpacePirates Brewers]] will "adopt" kids and force them to undergo the surgery, abandoning them on the streets if the process fails. [[spoiler:In the climax of the first season, after Ein Dalton's body is mangled beyond repair by Mikazuki, he agrees to a procedure that hooks his brain directly into a SuperPrototype dubbed the "Graze Ein", meaning he effectively '''is''' the Mobile Suit.]]
*** The show goes on to reveal that there are significant limiters in place to protect the pilot's brain, but this is seemingly dependent on the user; in one episode, Mikazuki's default settings for the Barbatos are so high that when another member of Tekkadan tries to pilot the machine it overloads his brain and renders him temporarily comatose. [[spoiler:Three times during the series (versus the Graze Ein, versus the Hashmal, and during the final battle), Mikazuki deliberately disables the limiters to get maximum performance out of the Barbatos, which results in his losing the use of parts of his body (his right eye and arm the first time, his right leg the second time) though when he's hooked into the system they function just fine. In the last instance he overclocks the system when he's already mortally wounded, meaning his Gundam seemingly keeps fighting for a few minutes before his enemies cut open the cockpit and realize that he's already dead.]]
*** The second season introduces a couple of variations on this: [[spoiler:[=McGillis=] Fareed used the data gathered from Ein Dalton's procedure to get an A-V implant despite the fact that he's an adult, letting him pilot Gjallarhorn's "sword in the stone" Gundam Bael. Meanwhile, Gaelio Baudin had Ein's brain[[note]]It's unclear if he means the actual brain matter or a computer copy of it[[/note]] installed into his pilot suit, allowing him to hand over control of his Gundam to Ein; this version is officially dubbed "Ālaya-Vijñāna System Type-E".]]

** Brain Implant Chips are small devices permanently installed beneath the dura mater. They were the first devices to feature AugmentedReality in the form of an UnusualUserInterface where the user uses hand gestures to manipulate interface elements only he can see but are also illegal due to the risk of brain hacking and exam cheating. [[spoiler:It also hides the user from Brain Burst matching lists but at a cost: if BB is uninstalled, the chip dissolves into the cerebrospinal fluid.]]

* ''Manga/MoonlightMile'': Some robots [[spoiler:secretly developed by the US military]] use this for operations. [[spoiler: Maggy has to use one to rescue astronauts after a space debris disaster.]] The interface almost ends up overloading their brain and killing them.
* In ''Anime/FutureGPXCyberFormula'' the [[spoiler:Al-Zard NP-1 is a bio-computer that helps its pilot drive better by basically controlling his every action.]]
* In ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'' and the source material for the second saga (namely ''Anime/SuperDimensionCavalrySouthernCross'') this is one of the reasons the Bioroid are so hard to take down: being thought-controlled they’re far more nimble than the human mechs they’re facing, and the multiple redundancies in the system mean the only swift way to take one down is SnipingTheCockpit.
** In Jack [=McKinney=]’s tie-in novels Earth mecha have a similar system, the Thinking Cap. Said system is not present in the series, as shown in all sagas (where the control systems are seen multiple times) and outright stated in the second saga (when the traditional controls are contrasted with the Bioroid’s).

* Cyberjack-style interfaces are common in Carla Speed [=McNeil=]'s ''ComicBook/{{Finder}}'' series, and vary in complexity, from student-level jacks to full-immersion interfaces. Marcie's student jack makes it for medical computers to directly monitor her condition and influence her treatment. She can also use it to interface with computers, mentally conduct Instant Message conversations and learn skills quickly (albeit unpleasantly; Marcie [[http://www.lightspeedpress.com/index.php?module=Finder&func=pub&issue=19&page=22 runs away screaming]] when Lynne offers to teach her to read via hookup.) Movie theaters take advantage of this by including sensory enhancements and "mood tracks". In the Dream Sequence storyline, the narrator has a full-immersion connection as a job perk, which allows his employer to [[http://www.lightspeedpress.com/index.php?module=Finder&func=pub&issue=23&page=11 physically pack employees like sardines,]] while they experience a [[http://www.lightspeedpress.com/index.php?module=Finder&func=pub&issue=23&page=12 lush virtual office setting.]] The plot revolves around a virtual theme park/MMORPG whose creator hosts the world inside his fully-networked brain (which, of course, [[GoneHorriblyWrong goes horribly wrong]]).
* Dynamo Joe had Data Com One, a paraplegic whose brain was linked to a military computer, making him a brilliant strategist.
* In Franchise/{{Superman}} continuities where ComicBook/{{Brainiac}} isn't a robot himself, this is what the diodes on his head are used for.
* In Franchise/SpiderMan, ComicBook/DoctorOctopus uses one to control his mechanical arms.
* ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}'' has a "phone trait" that uses an imaginary keyboard, one time Spider uses his to transfer some incriminating photos over the phone lines.

* As of ''ComicBook/WonderWomanRebirth'' Byrna Brilyant modified her own cerebellum in order to plug herself right into her "Blue Snowman" mecha and have better more natural control over it.

* In ''Fanfic/TiberiumWars'', the Nod Avatars are presented as having a powerful mind/machine interface, with the pilot existing in a sort of dream-like state where the operator shares operations with a cold, mechanical AI intelligence that helps them perceive their surroundings, which comes in as a constant stream of pure data and filtered into an alternate virtual reality for the pilot.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': In "Bender's Big Score", Hermes Conrad's disembodied head is hooked up to the network for the Earth's forces, allowing him to control the entire fleet in perfect coordination against the Scammer Aliens' defenses.
-->'''Hermes:''' Professor, can you wire my head directly into the main battle-net?\\
'''Professor Farnsworth:''' I can wire anything directly into ''anything''! I'm the Professor!

* ''Film/{{eXistenZ}}'' has biological computers which interface with you through plugging a ''very phallic'' tentacle into a port in the base of your spine. The movie plays this for all it's worth, even having characters lick the ports of other characters during sex scenes.
* ''Franchise/TheMatrix'' has every human used by the machines outfitted with a port in the back of the skull to plug into the matrix. In Zion, humans with the port are plugged into a machine that... apparently lets them manipulate a huge 3-D computer interface. Non-vat grown humans can't get one installed, either. This means that natives of Zion, or in other words the grown up children of Matrix escapees, have to content themselves with either flying the hovercraft, or playing "Operator", which means plugging people into the Matrix, getting them out, and giving them weaponry while they're in there. Well, in theory they could give them anything, but it's often [[MoreDakka guns. Lots of guns.]]
* The movie ''Film/SleepDealer'' uses this frequently and most people work by controlling machines through brain computer interfaces.
* In ''Film/StrangeDays'' virtual reality is someone else's reality. Using computerized Walkmen that record and play back thoughts and sensations, voyeurs relive parts of other people's lives--sometimes with deadly results. The walkmen operate using a brain computer interface.

* In ''Film/{{Saturn3}}'', brain stem interfaces are placed in all human "instructors" of the Demi-god series of robots, allowing direct connection via radio waves (precursor to bluetooth) to upload instructions/training. Apparently, they are kept in those who wash out of the training program, allowing the insane Captain Benson (Harvey Keitel) to take the place of the legitimate operator. As a result, the robot Hector, whose brain consists of living tissue, takes on his insanity, and lust for Alex, Farrah Fawcett's character. Later, Hector kills Benson and implants the interface in Alex's partner, Adam (Kirk Douglass), not to put anything into his head, ''but to take something out.''
* ''Franchise/RoboCop'': The title character's "neural spike" is a small spike embedded in his wrist that he can use to interface with computers and navigate through them with his mind alone. Apparently, every computer in Detroit has a port included specifically for him. We never see anyone else use the same port. [[spoiler:It also becomes a handy ImprovisedWeapon in [[Film/RoboCop1987 his first movie]].]]

* ''{{Literature/Valhalla}}'' includes brain linked internet very much in the spirit of Neuromancer or ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell''.
* Telepathy runs computers in Literature/TheCulture. Or more specifically super advanced A.I.s run the computers and neural interfaces are simply the fastest way to speak to the A.I.s.

* An ex-military space pilot in Katherine Kerr's ''Literature/PolarCityBlues'' had a (sealed over) port in her head from interfacing with the ships she flew.
* Michael Scott's ''Literature/GeminiGame'' features the standard "big plug on the back of the neck" and headband-based videogame ports.
* In Creator/TimothyZahn's ''Literature/TheConquerorsTrilogy'' (''Conqueror's Pride'', ''Conqueror's Heritage'', and ''Conqueror's Legacy''), the [[CoolPlane Copperheads]] were controlled through a jack in the back of the heads of the pilot and tail gunner, with the interface basically mapping the fighter's functions to a virtual human body. Damage is represented by smell and colour (the obvious choice of pain presumably being too distracting), weapons by the user's fists, and so forth.

* Creator/SamuelRDelany's ''Literature/{{Nova}}'', published in 1968, featured a technology in which people had neural wrist- and neck-plugs installed so that they could control a wide variety of gadgets, from vacuum cleaners to starships. This style of interface was so pervasive that individuals who did not want to receive the implants were effectively unable to use any remotely sophisticated equipment.
* The Creator/DeanKoontz novel ''Midnight'' featured people who were mutating in bizarre ways. A 'popular' mutation was growing a computer interface, and when one such person died the computer freaked out and started 'screaming' about missing the rest of it. Another person melded with his car in a similar way.
* ''Literature/PsychohistoricalCrisis'' by Donald Kingsbury is set in a future that's inspired by Asimov's ''Foundation'' series, re-imagined for the 1990s. Brain-computer interfaces are ubiquitous, and are used to explain several phenomena that Asimov attributed to PsychicPowers.
* ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''. Infinidum Enterprise's Computer Terminals in the Hitchhiker's Guide buildings. There is a quote explaining how they're not a 'clunky typewrighter in front of a television set', but in fact a brain-computer interface thing.

* Required for the hand less [[SapientCetaceans neo-fins]] to use tools in the ''Literature/{{Uplift}}'' series, usually linked to a harness with prosthetic arms and other tools, though they also use them to control vehicles and fly spaceships. Many humans have similar sockets for similar reasons. The book is also a primer on the risks of such interfaces with one character suffering brain damage from electrocution through their socket and another physical injury when an interface plug is forcibly yanked out in an ultralight airplane crash.
* A key plot point in Brain Jack, by Brian Falkner. Comes in the form of "Neuro Headsets".

* ''Literature/{{Manna}}'' has the interface embeeded to everyone in Australia. Some use it to alter their perception of reality to what they desire (e.g. masking technology). Also, it's designed to dampen crime to prevent causing harm to others.

* This is what the titular Nexus 5 does for a human in ''Literature/TheNexusSeries''. Nexus allows nanomachines to bind to the human brain and map itself into a usable architecture during a psychedelic [[FantasticDrug "calibration phase".]] Afterwards, anyone running nexus can communicate entire emotions, ideas, and memories to anyone else with the architecture. This doesn't even touch on what happens if someone has a [[PeoplePuppets back-door.]]

* The Bremen Chip from ''Literature/{{MARZENA}}'' is inserted via the nasal cavity into the thalamus (the processor of the senses and the origin point of consciousness) and allows its users to connect wirelessly to computers, or even to merge minds with G-Net AIs or people who who also had the chip implanted. Communication between two brains can be tricky though and usually requires a middle brain for the translation of brain activities (unless they are identical).

* Catherine Fisher likes this trope. ''Literature/RelicMaster'' also includes the Coronet, which jacks the user's brain into the [[WeatherControlMachine Weather Control Machines]].
* ''Literature/AgentG'' and all the other CorporateSamurai ProfessionalKiller types in the International Refugee Society have an IRD implant as part of their standard cybernetics package. They allow human beings to store their memories, interact with computers directly, and properly manage their cybernetics. [[spoiler: It's subverted when G discovers that he doesn't have one since his entire brain is a computer due to being a bioroid rather than a "real" cyberized human.]]

* The end of John D [=MacDonald's=] 1950 story ''Spectator Sport'' has a {{squick}}-inducing description of the protagonist being hooked up to a LotusEaterMachine, including the skin being flayed from his palms and feet so they can be grafted directly onto the feedback pedals.
* In the ''Literature/XandriCorelel'' series, most people have technology that can be activated neurally. Xandri doesn't because her unusual neurology works badly with computers - the last time she tried using a brain-computer interface, her wristlet started blaring out a lecture on the breeding habits of naba eels in the middle of an important debriefing.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The Long Game" had people installing ports in their foreheads.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' had Geordi La Forge's visor, which was a EverythingSensor that fed information directly into his brain, often said to be more sensitive than the standard tricorder. He was born blind and was still blind without them, which made this almost a DisabilitySuperpower. It's shown that the pre-existing implants placed in his temples allowed him limited forms of computer interface, with one episode allowing him to control a hazardous environment probe as though it was his own body. In later movies he had moved on to using cybernetic ocular implants.
* One episode of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' featured a guest character with a data port behind her ear, which she could use to bypass security systems. The dialogue made it sound as though they were relatively freely available but often very expensive (unless you want the ''cheap'' tech directly connected to your brain). It shows up again in a later episode on a member of the [[TheSyndicate Orion Syndicate]]. In both cases, the interfaces are very useful for getting into secure systems and data, but the drawbacks include nasty physical pain from being "spiked" by security features designed to counter just such breaches, to the point where the users risked permanent damage, paralysis, or even death. Its implied the combination of their use for breaching security barriers and the associated dangers are the main reason that such implants are mostly used by criminals (and thus have a stigma attached to them.
* In the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' finale, Janeway returns from decades in the future to change the present, and she is implanted with a standard issue neural computer interface from the future.

* In ''Series/RedDwarf'', in a TV episode and expanded for the novelisation, the computer game "Better Than Life" works on this principle - terminally addictive total virtual reality

* The entire premise of ''Series/{{Intelligence|2014}}'' is that US Cyber Command has installed a wireless-enabled computer chip in Gabriel Vaughn, a former Delta Force operator, to create "the next generation of [[TitleDrop intelligence]]."

* An extremely primitive example compared to most, but Root gains one of these in ''Series/PersonOfInterest''. After an involuntary stapectomy, she gets a Cochlear implant that serves as a constant link to The Machine.

** In "The Light Brigade", the Chief Weapons Officer has an ocular implant which allows his brain to connect to the computer of the ''Light Brigade'' and arm the subatomic bomb.
** A slight variation occurs in "In Our Own Image" since it involves an interface with the optic nerve as opposed to the brain directly. The android Mac 27 has a device which can connect his neural net to Cecilia Fairman's optic nerve so he can show her recordings and recreations (in other words, clips from previous episodes) contained in his memory files.
* Prior to the events of ''Series/Space1999'' computer specialist David Kano took part in an experimental programme to link the memory and calculating powers of a computer to the thinking ability of a human brain via fibre optic sensors implanted in his cerebral cortex. The only time this is demonstrated is in "The Guardian Of Piri", where it is shown to be an unpleasant and uncomfortable procedure. It is revealed that he was the only one of the 4 test subjects who did not suffer permanent brain damage.

* In ''Synchronize'' by Music/MindInABox, an inventor is building a mind-computer interface which works through the bloodstream in order to access [[{{Cyberspace}} The Dreamweb]]. The Agency likewise has built its own machine in ''[=5ynchro0ni7e=]'' to destroy the Dreamweb, using expendable test subjects to attempt to access it - with [[YourHeadAsplode explosive and bloody results]] - not realizing that the music of mind.in.a.box is the key to synchronizing with it. The Agency machine is described as pumping the test subjects full of a cryogenic compound.

** ''TabletopGame/{{Cyberpunk}} 2.0.2.0.'', at least, this includes the possibility of using chips to know abilities you don't know. However, its just useful to be a [[JackofAllTrades Jack of All Trades]].
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'':

* TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} ''TabletopGame/TranshumanSpace'' makes brain implants practically the only cybernetics still in common use.
* Iron Crown Enterprises' ''TabletopGame/{{Cyberspace}}''. The Direct Neural Interface implant allows a person's brain to be hooked up to computers (such as a C Deck) with a DNI Cable.
* R. Talsorian Games' ''TabletopGame/{{Cyberpunk}}''. Interface Plugs allow the person implanted with them to connect to and control cyberdecks.

* In ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'' the Ancient Martians used neural interfaces to interact with their war-walkers (something the Nazis have been quick to reverse engineer) and the Europans, the setting's most advanced race, have also developed something similar.

* VideoGame/DeusEx mentions an occipital [[note]]bone in the back of the skull/lobe of the brain right in front of it responsible for vision (yes, in the back of your head).[[/note]] jack in one in game news article and an in game email. Based on the context of the news article (the fact that a teenage girl has one is mentioned alongside having a tattoo and wearing black), these are looked upon negatively.
** Early in ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' you encounter a "Purist" hacker with a "neural hub". The fact that an anti-aug terrorist has wires sticking out of his skull is one of the first major hints that something is up. Panchaea's supercomputer requires a set of spinal implants [[spoiler: as possessed by Zhao Yun Ru and the [[WetwareCPU Hyron Drones powering it]]]] to be directly accessed.

* In ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'', Doctor Octavius develops one to control his mechanical arms like in the comics [[spoiler: but it's faulty and its continued usage drives him insane, turning him into [[StartOfDarkness Doctor Octopus]].]]

*** Through a [[http://www.halopedia.org/Spartan_neural_interface Spartan neural interface]], Cortana increased the Master Chief's compatibility with his [[PoweredArmor MJOLNIR armor]], and can have further access to his suit's systems. This is also for the most part how the MJOLNIR armor works in the first place, with the user moving the armor's limbs via thought (though it still requires {{Super Soldier}}s like the Spartans to wear and make use of it - regular soldiers who tested the initial versions of the armor essentially pasted themselves because the armor moved too fast).

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', the ''Overlord'' system is a horrific example of this. [[spoiler:In desperation, the lead scientist hooked up his autistic brother into the computer's mainframe, which drove him half insane in the process. Those repeated static burst you hear? It's him screaming, "'''Please! Make it stop!'''"]]

* ''VideoGame/{{SOMA}}'' has the Pilot Seat, used with a VR visor to remotely pilot robots and other machines. [[spoiler: It gets repurposed by the [[AiIsACrapshoot WAU]] to [[BrainUploading create brain scans]] from people using the seats and put them in robot bodies.]]
* Having one of these installed is a requirement for becoming [[WetwareCPU Un]][[SapientShip bound]] in the ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}'' universe. MindRape and [[AndIMustScream worse]] is still a threat posed by a few sources, from [[TheVirus the Beast]] to [[spoiler:quite possibly the Taiidan Emperor]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{Observer}}'', anyone who has implants also have ID chips in the back of their heads. [[CorporateSamurai Observers]], like [[Creator/RutgerHauer Dan Lazarski]], can use these to plug into peoples' heads and interrogate them from within. The effect is...[[MindScrew strange, to say the least]].
* In the adventure game ''VideoGame/NetZone'', accessing Cycorp's [[InsideAComputerSystem Genecys Zone]] requires attaching a pair of electrodes to the user's forehead, which Newton Winters uses in the hopes of finding his [[DisappearedDad missing father]], Zel. When attached, the user goes into a coma while their mind enters the Genecys Zone. [[spoiler: At the endgame, [[BigBad Walter Sayle]] exploits this connection by rigging Cycorp's main core to overload your interface, [[YourMindMakesItReal rendering you a brain-dead vegetable]] if you don't stop his plans in time.]]

* ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'' references a lot of this as part of the developments in {{cyborg}} technology the game explores. Two technological developments--Neural Grafting and Mind-Machine Interface--deal directly with these technologies. For some reason, the latter lets you build copters.

* From ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', The Throne of Faustus Heterodyne. [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071005 It can]] be [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071008 reasonably described]] as [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071029 creepy.]]

* Bedivere in the Space Arc of ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'' has an I/O jack replacing [[strike:her]] his [[ArtificialLimbs missing hand]]. [[http://www.arthurkingoftimeandspace.com/1065.htm Largely for the sake of a pun.]]
* In ''Webcomic/TwentyFirstCenturyFox'' most personal computers are VR glasses that seem to respond to a combination of brain signals and voice control, offering a full sensory experience, while cyborgs may have a cortical jack. The same technology is later used for "o-Pods" that act as a virtual reality version of the iPod.
* In ''Webcomic/UmlautHouse 2'' most people have "Eye-fis".
* Occipital computers ("Ocks") are uncommon in ''Webcomic/EscapeFromTerra'', they can also get a [[SubspaceAnsible tangle-net]] upgrade.

* In ''Webcomic/{{SSDD}}'' Tessa's squad have nanobot implants that are primarily used for ElectronicTelepathy, though they can interface with some compatible technology such as their PoweredArmor.

--> '''Bennie''': [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2000/fv01990.htm Ever done something and wonder "Where was my brain when I did that?"]]

* In the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'', more than one deviser goes with the datajack. Techno-Devil has a shaved mullet, with an exposed datajack on each side of his head. Jericho has one as well. Merry doesn't even need that much (she just has to be near a fast CPU hooked up to the internet, and her mind can literally dive into cyberspace). Since that is in fact her mutant power it may be debatable if it fully counts for this trope, but it's the closest thing to the 'cyberspace experience' depicted in the various stories so far.

* In ''Literature/{{Twig}}'', Jamie, a boy with PhotographicMemory, is regularly plugged into a set of large [[BrainInAJar brains]] using a series of slots in his modified spinal colum. The brains help him organize and process all the data he collects for later use.

* Technology to allow a living brain to control robotic limbs does exist, though at the moment it is rather crude and basic. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=7kctOHnrvuM A monkey controls a robotic arm using a chip in his head.]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h60UjIGGV4 So does this paralyzed woman.]]

->''"I think, and my thoughts cross the barrier into the synapses of the machine - just as the good doctor intended. But what I cannot shake, and what hints at things to come, is that thoughts cross back. In my dreams the sensibility of the machine invades the periphery of my consciousness. Dark. Rigid. Cold. Alien. Evolution is at work here, but just what is evolving remains to be seen."''
-->-- Commissioner Pravin Lal, "[[FictionalDocument Man and Machine]]," '''''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'''''

In many CyberPunk works and occasionally other sci-fi, technology is typically very advanced. Since convenience is highest priority and TheSingularity is looming, it's natural to assume that the next big thing thing is [[BodyHorror embedding cables into your skull]] [[{{Transhuman}} and synching your brain with a computer]]; since a keyboard or mouse can be cumbersome and slower than human thought, it's natural to assume that implants, headbands or helmets will be next to hit the shelves.

In a few cases, the use of such interfaces may be limited to cyborgs or aliens or the [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetically engineered.]] If ''everyone'' has one, there's a good chance you're looking at a MindControlDevice or even an artificial HiveMind.

* In ''Literature/HoshiAndTheRedCityCircuit'', all [[FictionalDisability operators]] have quantum processors in their heads called navi, which only they can use thanks to their unusual neurology. A navis is connected to its user's brain via thousands of tiny needles through the skull, and its blue glow is visible through the skin of the forehead, making it easy to tell who's an Operator. A navis helps control its user's movements, blocks out unnecessary sensory input, and comes up with socially appropriate things to say. It also serves as a personal computer used to access [[{{Cyperspace}} Memspace]] and make complicated calculations. The three murder victims were killed by having their navi forcibly ripped from their skulls.

* An ex-military space pilot in Katherine Kerr's ''Polar City Blues'' had a (sealed over) port in her head from interfacing with the ships she flew.
* Michael Scott's ''Gemini Game'' features the standard "big plug on the back of the neck" and headband-based videogame ports.

* ''Psychohistorical Crisis'' by Donald Kingsbury is set in a future that's inspired by Asimov's ''Foundation'' series, re-imagined for the 1990s. Brain-computer interfaces are ubiquitous, and are used to explain several phenomena that Asimov attributed to PsychicPowers.

In a few cases, the use of such interfaces may be limited to cyborgs or aliens or the [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetically engineered.]] If ''everyone'' has one, there's a good chance you're looking at a MindControlDevice or even an artificial HiveMind.

Actual physical jacks are rapidly approaching {{Zeerust}} status nowadays, though, as the heretofore insuperable complications of physical penetrations through the skin seem more and more like unnecessary risks in a world rapidly moving towards wireless solutions. When physical jacks are involved, however, they will be the tell-tale sign of an [[HollywoodHacking elite hacker]], or of certain specific professions, such as [[CyborgHelmsman starship pilot]]. In a few cases, the use of such interfaces may be limited to cyborgs or aliens or the [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetically engineered.]] If ''everyone'' has one, there's a good chance you're looking at a MindControlDevice or even an artificial HiveMind.

Actual physical jacks are rapidly approaching {{Zeerust}} status nowadays, though, as the heretofore insuperable complications of physical penetrations through the skin seem more and more like unnecessary risks in a world rapidly moving towards wireless solutions. When physical jacks are involved, however, they will be the tell-tale indicatot of an [[HollywoodHacking elite hacker]], or of certain specific professions, such as [[CyborgHelmsman starship pilot]]. In a few cases, the use of such interfaces may be limited to cyborgs or aliens or the [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetically engineered.]] If ''everyone'' has one, there's a good chance you're looking at a MindControlDevice or even an artificial HiveMind.

Actual physical jacks are rapidly approaching {{Zeerust}} status nowadays as the heretofore insuperable complications of physical penetrations through the skin seem more and more like unnecessary risks in a world rapidly moving towards wireless solutions. When physical jacks are involved, however, having such an interface will be the mark of an [[HollywoodHacking elite hacker]], or of certain specific professions, such as [[CyborgHelmsman starship pilot]]. In a few cases, the use of such interfaces may be limited to cyborgs or aliens or the [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetically engineered.]] If ''everyone'' has one, there's a good chance you're looking at a MindControlDevice or even an artificial HiveMind.

Of course, this frequently comes with the benefits and risks of computers albeit inside a person, so expect [[BrainUploading human backups]], [[NeuralImplanting self-enhancement]], [[MindControlDevice life hacking]], [[MindVirus people viruses]], and MindRape among other things. Actual physical jacks are rapidly approaching {{Zeerust}} status nowadays as the heretofore insuperable complications of physical penetrations through the skin seem more and more like unnecessary risks in a world rapidly moving towards wireless solutions.

In many cases, especially when physical jacks are involved, having such an interface will be the mark of an [[HollywoodHacking elite hacker]], or of certain specific professions, such as [[CyborgHelmsman starship pilot]]. In a few cases, the use of such interfaces may be limited to cyborgs or aliens or the [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetically engineered.]] If ''everyone'' has one, there's a good chance you're looking at a MindControlDevice or even an artificial HiveMind.

* ''Franchise/RoboCop'': The title character's "neural spike" is a small spike embedded in his wrist that he can use to interface with computers and navigate through them with his mind alone. Apparently, every computer in Detroit has a port included specifically for him. We never see anyone else use the same port. [[spoiler:It also becomes a handy ImprovisedWeapon in [[Film/RoboCop1987 his first movie.]]

** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'' features the Ālaya-Vijñāna System, [[BodyHorror spinal implants]] that allow the user to connect directly with a mobile suit to improve reaction time and spatial awareness. Due to the nature of the procedure, they can only be implanted in [[ChildSoldiers growing children]], and the procedure has a high rate of failure, generally resulting in spinal injuries, para- or quadriplegia, or even death. While the implants are severely taboo on Earth (to the point where most people treat those with implants as if they aren't even human anymore), less ethical groups like the [[PrivateMilitaryContractors Chryse Guard Security]] and [[SpacePirates Brewers]] will "adopt" kids and force them to undergo the surgery, abandoning them on the streets if the process fails. [[spoiler:In the climax of the first season, after Ein Dalton's body is mangled beyond repair by Mikazuki, he agrees to a procedure that hooks his brain directly into a SuperPrototype dubbed the "Graze Ein", meaning he effectively '''is''' the Mobile Suit.]]

** One of these was part of the prototype YF-21 "Sturmvogel" in ''Anime/MacrossPlus''. The interface worked but was found to be unstable and had a nasty tendency to pick up stray thoughts and fantasies and interpret them as actual commands, so the design was scrapped. The production model VF-22 "Sturmvogel II" lacks any such system.

* ''Franchise/RoboCop'': The title character's "neural spike" is a small spike embedded in his wrist that he can use to interface with computers and navigate through them with his mind alone.

* Telepathy runs computers in Literature/TheCulture.

* In Creator/TimothyZahn's ''Literature/TheConquerorsTrilogy'' (''Conqueror's Pride'', ''Conqueror's Heritage'', and ''Conqueror's Legacy''), the [[CoolPlane Copperheads]] were controlled through a jack in the back of the heads of the pilot and tail gunner, with the interface basically mapping the fighter's functions to a virtual human body. Damage is represented by pain, weapons by the user's fists, and so forth.

* On ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', certain members of the [[TheSyndicate Orion Syndicate]] have implants that allow them to hack into computer accounts. The risk is that they can be rather easily "spiked" if the hacker is caught, causing painful and potentially lethal feedback.

* VideoGame/DeusEx mentions an occipital [[note]]bone in the back of the skull, and the brain lobe beneath it[[/note]] jack in one in game news article and an in game email. Based on the context of the news article (the fact that a teenage girl has one is mentioned alongside having a tattoo and wearing black), these are looked upon negatively.

** Said acronym also lampshades the fact that COFFIN systems are mutually exclusive with ejection seats due to integrating the pilot so deeply with the plane that there's no time to safely unplug the pilot in case of an emergency.

* In ''Webcomic/TwentyFirstCenturyFox'' most personal computers are VR glasses that seem to respond to a combination of brain signals and voice control, offering a full sensory experience. While cyborgs may have a cortical jack. The same technology is later used for "o-Pods" that act as a virtual reality version of the iPod.

* Agent G and all the other CorporateSamurai ProfessionalKiller types in the International Refugee Society have this as part of their standard cybernetics package. It's implied to be fairly basic tech in the ''Literature/AgentG'' world.

* This is called a IRD implants in the ''Literature/AgentG'' by Creator/CTPhipps. They allow human beings to store their memories, interact with computers directly, and properly manage their cybernetics. [[spoiler: It's subverted when G discovers that he doesn't have one since his entire brain is a computer due to being a bioroid rather than a "real" cyberized human.]]

* Technology to allow a living brain to control robotic limbs dies exist, though at the moment it is rather crude and basic. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=7kctOHnrvuM A monkey controls a robotic arm using a chip in his head.]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h60UjIGGV4 So does this paralyzed woman.]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=7kctOHnrvuM A monkey controls a robotic arm using a chip in his head.]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h60UjIGGV4 So does this paralyzed woman.]]