Cephalons come in all shapes and sizes, but are not absolute. They possess no physical forms of their own but instead generate a visual interpretation of themselves for the purpose of dealing with organic lifeforms, only if the task requires a physical representation in the first place. This form is entirely of the Cephalon's choosing and supposedly stems from something that "inspires" them – such as the effective simplicity of geometric shapes. It is known that they have existed since the time of the Orokin Empire, and also that the Corpus use them to self-regulate their ships. It is also implied by Darvo that Cephalons are also purchased as a commodity and may be installed or even override any system that requires regulations, with or without an existing Cephalon.