Scanner (Code Lyoko)

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A scanner is a device in the French animated television series Code Lyoko used to send people to and bring them back from Lyoko, in a manner reminiscent of teleportation.

[edit] Description

Housed beneath the lab area of the factory, the three scanners provide access to Lyoko. Based on the height of the characters compared to the scanners themselves, they would seem to be roughly ten feet tall and about three feet wide. They are capable of disassembling a subject and placing a digital version of said subject within Lyoko, then undoing that process to bring them back. A network of large tubes is connected to both the side and top of each scanner to facilitate this effect.

[edit] Materialization

Materialization (also known as devirtualization; the two are used interchangeably) is the process used to bring people back from Lyoko. This can be accomplished one of three ways. The first is through a normal computer command by the operator. This brings the person in question back after a minute or so. The exact length of time varies. The second is when a person runs out of life points, forcing them to be automatically materialized. The last is through a return trip. The effect of the return trip will (usually) materialize anyone that is currently in Lyoko. This was not the case in Ghost Channel, where Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd became locked up in a virtual prison (modeled after the school and the surrounding area) of XANA's creation. For some reason, people cannot return to Lyoko for a period of time after being materialized.

Up to the third season, Aelita is the exception to the rules stated above. Until the episode "Code: Earth", she could never leave Lyoko. Jeremie finished his materialization program for her in that episode. From that point on, she could only be materialized through a neutral tower. Once there, Jeremie could use the materialization program to bring her to Earth. If she lost all of her life points, she would be lost forever. A return trip, on the other hand, would bring her back to Earth most of the time. With the restoration of her memories at the end of the second season, she is no longer subject to these dangers.

Through the scanners, Xana can materialzie monsters and other creatures from Lyoko. This has only been demonstrated three times. The first was in "Image Problem", where he materialized a replica of Yumi with a scanner. He had trapped the real Yumi on Lyoko and used the clone to try to disconnect the scanners, which would kill the gang forever had they been devirtualized. In "False Start" and "A Bad Turn", Xana used the scanners to materialize actual monsters into the real world, those monsters being Kankrelats and Krabes, respectively. The Kankrelats were small in size and could easily fit through the scanners, enabling Xana to create a considerable army to attack the gang's school. The Krabes, on the other hand, were too large and each destroyed the scanner that produced them, limiting the total number to three. With William's help, Ulrich and Odd were able to disable two of the Krabes. The third was shut down when Aelita deactivated the tower that spawned them. In each instance, a return trip was used to wipe out any trace of the attacks. While none of these attacks succeeded, they did prove to be far more effective than most of Xana's real world attacks.

When other items, such as the vehicles or the Marabounta, are brought into Lyoko, they are also described as being materialized.

[edit] Virtualization

Virtualization is the process used to enter Lyoko. All a person has to do is enter one of the three scanners. The operator (usually Jeremie, but others have filled the role) then starts up the process. The scanners then take the person apart and place a digital replica on Lyoko. This replica, according to "Xana Awakens", is based on the subconscious desires of the person being virtualized. The profile remains static after the first virtualization, but can be upgraded. There is also a default option that will send a person to Lyoko in their regular form, but it has only used once, by Jeremie, and unsuccessfully at that.

The scanner process takes place in three steps. The first step seems to pressurize the scanner. This appears as a slight upward wind within the scanner. The second step levitates the person while a circular scanning ring records their physical makeup. The final effect creates some sort of energy pulse within the scanner. This appears as a much greater gust of wind within the scanner which blows the person's hair up followed by an all-encompassing flash of light. This is the step that takes the person apart. The scanner doors open after this step to allow others to use the scanner.

Code Lyoko
Characters	Aelita | Franz Hopper | Jeremie Belpois | Jim Moralés | Odd Della Robbia | Elisabeth Delmas | Ulrich Stern | William Dunbar | Xana | Yumi Ishiyama | Secondary characters
Monsters	Bloks | Creepers | Krabes | Guardians | Hornets | Kankrelats | Mantas | Marabounta | Megatanks | Polymorphic clone | Scyphozoa | Tarantulas | Transport Orb
Lyoko	Ice Barrier | Desert | Forest | Mountain | Carthage | Digital Void | Virtual Limbo
Places	The Factory | Kadic Junior High School
Technology	Scanners | Towers
Other	Media | Episodes | Garage Kids