This is ALL theoretical science and backstory.

It is the year 2030, and a new technology has emerged for public use. It is called I.C.T., or Immersive Claytronic Telepresence. The central technology required to make I.C.T. possible has two components: claytronics and telepresence.

Claytronics utilizes programmable nanorobots called “catoms.” These catoms are the size of grains of sand, and they are bought and initially look like a cup or tub of grayish-beige putty. When the container, or interface, is activated, thus activating the catoms, objects can be dipped into the catom putty, or the putty can be ordered to leave the container and stretch out over the entire surface of the object. The catoms then scan the shape, texture, and appearance of the object, and copy it as a template. The interface has a touch screen, which allows you to browse through and access previously scanned object templates. Once you choose one, you can paste it into the catoms, and they will reassemble to become a completely and utterly lifelike replica of the object, to the point where the copy and the original are almost indiscernible. This can act as a sort of 3-D fax machine, sending 3-D copies of objects across long distances. And anyone operating the interface whose catoms are being used can lock the catoms in that template using a passcode, and only when the catoms are unlocked with that passcode can they be commanded to go back into the original pool of catoms.

The Telepresence aspect requires a headset reminiscent of the “NerveGear” from the anime “Sword Art Online.” This VR headset has three functions. The first function is to block out all sensory inputs being experienced by your physical body. This means all things that would be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or felt by the body from the outside world are blocked. The second function is to create new sensory inputs to replace the real-world sensations. In the original context of video game VR, these new inputs would be the world of the game. The third function involves intercepting signals from the brain that would usually be sent to the body, and converting them into outputs for the in-game avatar’s body, i.e. when you think of kicking with your left leg, your virtual avatar kicks with their left leg instead of you actually kicking with your left leg.

When these two technologies were combined, something fantastic happened. A person could step into the catom putty, and it would scan their shape, texture, and appearance. Then after they stepped out of the putty, they would need to speak into the machine until the copy was able to produce the person’s voice. They could then put on their headset, and the catoms would become a tangible, real-world avatar of them. This avatar, just like the objects, could be “faxed” to another catom interface. This became incredibly useful for business meetings and long-distance relationships. Then, another discovery was made. While the shape, texture, and appearance was always the same for a given template of an object or avatar, the original size could be altered.

This was discovered by accident when someone tried to send themselves to another person’s house, when they only had a small interface. Their avatar emerged only 6 inches tall. It was then made official in the software applications of all interfaces that the size of a copy or avatar could be altered on the interface whose catoms were being used. The shrunken avatars were mostly used by people for simple tasks, i.e., if you dropped something and it went into a tiny, unreachable space, you could now simply generate a tiny avatar and go retrieve the item.

Governments around the world quickly outlawed the use of lifesize avatars for indefinite periods of time, as the implications would quickly cause the technology to get out of hand. No one would leave their houses, and no one would really ever know if they were interacting with a real human being. However, the laws were not very well-enforced, and soon the invention of Nutrition Packs allowed people to stay in their catom avatars for extended periods of time. Nutrition packs contain soylent and water that is fed through a tube into the person’s mouth. A device was also invented that removed wastes from the body cleanly, so that you wouldn’t have to worry about your real body going to the bathroom. These were called L.D.R.(Long-Distance Relief) Packs. The interface whose catoms were being used could remotely command these Packs to link themselves to the user if they forgot before entering their avatar.