Mass effect technology

Mass effect technology exploits the properties of the rare material element zero. Through controlled electrical currents, element zero can alter the mass of other objects. Mass effect technology also seems to be able to generate gravitational force fields that can be used to accelerate objects that have had their mass altered.

Mass effect technology scales extremely easily, so it is a core technology with many applications in the Mass Effect setting.

• Transportation: Many vehicles use mass effect technology to achieve flight. The technology is inexpensive enough to be widely used for civilian vehicles.
• Space travel: Starships have mass effect drive systems that reduce the mass of the ship. A gravitational field is then used to accelerate the ship. Since the ship is effectively in free fall in the desired direction, the crew does not experience acceleration force from the mass effect drive. The reduction of mass allows a ship to achieve FTL speeds.
• Weaponry: Mass-altered projectiles can be accelerated to high velocities. Mass effect weapons range from handguns to starship weapons.
• Defenses: Mass effect force fields can deflect inbound projectiles traveling at dangerous speeds.
• Biotics: Prenatal exposure to element zero allows living beings to develop "biotic" abilities to create mass effect fields by manipulating element zero with their own bioelectric fields.

Realism

Mass effect technology is routinely used for applications that violate the laws of thermodynamics. For example, it is possible to reduce an object's mass, accelerate it to high velocity, and then restore its mass without it losing any speed, effectively getting free kinetic energy. There is no explanation for this behavior.