enteras

Enteras is a fictional concept used in science fiction and speculative bioengineering to describe a distributed internal network of conduits, sensors, and computational nodes embedded within a living organism or biohybrid system. In such narratives, enteras function as an internal substrate that distributes nutrients and signals, powers devices, and enables decentralized computation and control without relying solely on the central nervous system.

Designers of enteras often imagine micro-scale channels connected to nano-scale actuators and sensors, woven into tissues or integrated with synthetic components. The system is imagined to be self-healing, programmable, and able to reconfigure pathways in response to changing conditions, effectively creating an internal internet for the body.

Enteras appear in speculative fiction to examine issues of autonomy, privacy, medical ethics, and the political implications of pervasive embedded networks. They are used as thought experiments about how deep integration of biology and technology might alter agency, consent, and vulnerability.

While enteras are not a real technology, the idea resonates with ongoing work in tissue engineering, organ-on-a-chip systems, vascular networks for targeted therapy, and implantable electronics, as well as discussions of biosecurity and data governance in cybernetic design. Related topics include organ-on-a-chip, tissue engineering, neuroprosthetics, and cybernetic governance.