This article is about the lore of the Hyron Project. For tips on how to defeat the Hyron Project, see Shutting Down Darrow's Signal.

The Hyron Project overview, with the main control interface in the background on the left.

The Hyron Project is a series of quantum computers that are slaved to live human beings.[1] Created by the Illuminati, Hyron is the most advanced computer system in the world. It is developed as an application of the Organic Computational Matrix Project, abbreviated as OCM. Consequently, "OCM" is often used as a synonym for the Hyron Project.

A single Hyron Project consists of a large central computer fused to multiple humans referred to as drones. These drones have been heavily modified to connect with the computer. The drones allow the supercomputer to think abstractly, store huge amounts of data, and be somewhat self-aware.


In 2007, DARPA became interested in pursuing research that would increase a soldier's situational awareness in the field. It took proposals from various private sector companies about how this could be achieved through an artificial cognitive science program. VersaLife put forward a suggestion which involved the direct interface of human brains and inorganic computer components. This proposal was deemed too extreme by DARPA and was thus rejected.[2] Through VersaLife, the Illuminati decide to develop this project in secret. With it, they hope to create the most advanced supercomputer ever made. This would later be known as the Hyron Project. They also collaborate with Belltower Associates on the Hydra project which aims to achieve DARPA's original goal of increasing soldiers' situational awareness. Both of these pursuits rely on OCM technology.


Initial researchEdit


A drone test subject having her spine replaced.

OCM research, and therefore Hyron research, is primarily carried out on black sites such as the Belltower-owned Rifleman Bank Station. At Rifleman Bank, women kidnapped by Belltower are experimented on against their will. The kidnapped women are subject to tests to determine their compatibility with the project. These include biopsies, blood tests, and an assessment of their augmentations (if any).[3]

As part of the preparations for the Hyron drone transformation, existing augmentations are sometimes removed.[4] If the subject's augmentations are very extensive or are unremovable, they are deemed unsuitable for the project and are either terminated or transferred to Omega Ranch.[5][6]

A drone's spine suspended in liquid after it has been replaced.

Of the remaining potential candidates, any whose "genetic markers" fall within acceptable parameters begin the drone transformation procedure. This involves the replacement of their spinal cord and section of the brain with mechanical augmentations[7] specifically designed to interface with Hyron. These procedures very rarely succeed and are often fatal. Once the replacement has been performed successfully, the test subject is now a fully functioning Hyron drone and is ready to be used in an operational Hyron Project. Due to glial tissue buildup and the subsequent rejection syndrome, even the drones that survive surgery rarely live more than a year.[2]

After numerous years of development, the project still suffers from a large drone failure rate. Employees of VersaLife are therefore sent to Rifleman Bank to get the project "back on track". Despite their best efforts, they are unable to reduce the high levels of rejection and the subsequent deaths of the test subjects. These employees feel as though the current methods involving a mechanical interface are futile. Despite this, VersaLife's CEO refuses to cancel the project and insists that the benefits of Hyron will justify the deaths of the experimentees.[8]



A Hyron drone in TYM's drone pod.

Once the Hyron drones have been successfully augmented, they are fitted with suits which are designed to cool them down. This suggests that like traditional computer components such as CPUs and GPUs, the drones heat up when the computer is in operation. These cooling systems are designed by Tai Yong Medical as are the pods the Hyron drones are inserted into.[9][10] When in operation, the drone pods are normally closed over to keep the drones safe. However, it is acceptable to open these pods occasionally to check on the health of the drones.[11]

Tai Yong also create the Hyron drone suit rig, needed to control the computer. This rig allows an augmented person to attach to it and connect with Hyron. If successful, the individual gains full control over the computer. It is possible for the Hyron Project to not recognise the person's biochip, meaning that they will be rejected by the computer and have very little access to its capabilities.[12] The actual central computer itself is designed by Page Industries.[9]



Zhao Yun Ru connected to the Hyron Project in Panchaea.

The Hyron Project is needed for various other Illuminati endeavours due to its sheer data-crunching abilities that are unmatched by any other computer system on Earth. The Panchaea installations designed by Hugh Darrow require them to constantly measure the fluctuations in pressure around the submerged parts of the installation. Hyron has the ability to track and react to these tiny pressure variations thus preventing the entire structure from imploding. A space station known as Heaven created by Page Industries also requires one of these computers. This space station has a total capacity of 12,000 people, meaning that Hyron is needed to ensure the structure remains habitable. Other projects that use Hyron include Moon Base Omega, a research center on the Moon.[8] A Hyron computer also exists in the vicinity of Ayers Rock, Australia. This particular Hyron Project facilitates the Belltower operatives participating in the Australian Civil War through their use of Hydra.[13]


  • For an unknown reason, only women are suitable candidates to become Hyron drones.
  • The female drones appear to be suspended in some form of hallucination, most likely brought on by interfacing so directly with such a powerful computer system.
    • Messages read on Panchaea's computers and pocket secretaries usually begin with "wE\Us have received your request" and have some random note at the end of them, clearly brought on by this interface.
    • Despite this, the drones can be heard pleading for help and to be let go, indicating that they may be conscious of what is happening.
  • When connected to Hyron, the drones refer to it as "mommy". In addition, in a pocket secretary addressed to Hugh Darrow, the Alpha Hyron Drone refers to him as "father".


  • The large pods that Hyron drones are suspended in place them in a position heavily resembling that of Icarus. Icarus imagery was frequently used in early Human Revolution trailers. The developers confirmed this motif in that the drones are positioned in an Icarus pose with reactor apparatuses that mimick both the sun and melting wax wings.[14]
  • The drones are also referred to as "precogs."[15]
  • Despite the fact that blueprints of the central computer indicate it was constructed by Page Industries, the Hyron Project found in Panchaea features Tai Yong Medical's logo on its central computer.
  • The Hyron Project may be a cross-fiction reference to Minority Report, where three "precogs" connected to a computer and — in a somewhat nightmarish existence — form a hive mind that foresees future murders.
  • The Hyron Project method of combining a supercomputer with a human mind could be seen as a precursor to Bob Page's (and later JC Denton's) attempt to merge with the Helios AI in Deus Ex.
  • The word "hyron" ὕρον means "(bee) hive" or "swarm of bees" in Cretan Greek, referring to the hive-mind that is being constructed.



  • Blueprint of the central computer.
  • Blueprint of the drone suit rig.
  • Blueprint of the drone pod.
  • Blueprint of the drone suit coolant system.


  1. Zhao Yun Ru: "[Hyron Project's are the] most advanced quantum computers slaved to the human brain.."
  2. 2.0 2.1 Tiffany Kavanagh in The Missing Link.
  3. Rifleman Bank Station Interrogation Wing Detainees
  4. IC3-F/AugerLouise-012
  5. IC5-F/JunWang-70h
  6. IC1-F/3JaneDoe0441
  7. Examination Room log
  8. 8.0 8.1 RE: Serious Concerns
  9. 9.0 9.1 Blueprints of the various Hyron Project components
  10. Hyron Project Assistance
  11. taking care of our girls
  12. Zhao Yun Ru's biochip is rejected at the end of Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
  13. Congratulations
  14. The Art of Deus Ex Universe, pg. 156.
  15. The Art of Deus Ex Universe, pg. 156.