Slashdot Mirror
Your Own Mecha
BJH writes "A Japanese company by the unfortunate name of tmsuk has just announced the world's largest robot capable of carrying a person - the 3.5m tall, 5 ton T52 Enryu HyperRescueRobot.
Their product site is in Japanese, but here's a few fun facts: it's 10m wide with its arms fully outstretched, is powered by an onboard water-cooled three cylinder direct injection diesel engine, has a maximum speed of 3Km/h, and carries seven 680,000-pixel CCD cameras with a separate monitor for each camera.
If no whiny 14-year-olds are available to pilot it, it can be remotely controlled (with a dummy plug in the cockpit, presumably)."
But when can I get my fuckin gundam???
"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is." G.W.Bush
Maybe they will be able to save themselves from all the accidents caused by us crazy American Drivers
MonkeysKickAss
So are we ready to fight the sentinels yet?
Get Signorey Weaver and bring on the Alien mother.
Those who can do. Those who can't sue.
I need to know how to say in Japanese, how much, and do you finance...
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
Escaflowne! Take my blood!
C'mon, this joke's got legs!
Looks like the perfect thing to babysit kids with or fight mother aliens.
Scratch that, the kids'll break it.
Don't be fooled. That photo is of a 1 meter tall man standing beside Steve Mann
Expert in software patents or patent law? Contribute to the ESP wiki!
now all it needs is a rubber penis!!!
However the projects were stomped due to several reasons:
Over 90 years and counting !
Okay ... Anyone stupid enough to actually paste all that and get a real URL out of it for us non-Mozilla users that wants to join in on screaming TROLL?
-=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
What is its purpose?
Don't tell me to RTFA, because I don't know Japanese.
Isn't this similarity striking?
The machines would sell like hot cakes if they would advertise with Ripley...
Wanted to relax for a minute and read slashdot after a heavy Front Mission 4 session and there's another robot waiting for me here!
First thing that came to my mind were: what are the stats on the arms/legs/body and if it's a somesort of repair/rescue wanzer, where's the backpack?
btw does anyone know what 'ep' stands for in fm4?
NEWS
Releasing new model rescue robot "T-52 support dragon" with fire fighting coming out first system (Inc.) the Kitakyushu city National Fire Prevention and Control Administra,
(Germany) fire fighting laboratory, the Kyoto university and others and development
Corporation (high main Yoichi Chief Executive Officer: below head office Kitakyushu city) 2004 January 11th (day), the Kitakyushu city National Fire Prevention and Control Administra and
the independent administrative corporate body fire fighting laboratory, Assistant Professors Kyoto university Yokokouzi the new model rescue robot "T-52 support dragon which was developed
(...)" at the Kitakyushu city fire fighting coming out first system which is held at the Kitakyushu city Moji Ku it released.
The "T-52 support dragon" in order to be able to execute the necessary job of real power at such as disaster actual place, total height approximately 3.45 m, at weight
approximately 5 t and worldwide biggest size, adopting hydraulic drive system for drive of the upper body and the like which possesses 2 arms.
The person boarding to the robot, either one of operation and the remote manipulation which utilizes the radio and the mobile communication device etc.
it can select according to circumstance.
The "T-52 support dragon" was developed for utilization development of the rescue robot it was formed by the member of "prevention of disasters robot development conference".
did the design production of the robot, the Kitakyushu city National Fire Prevention and Control Administra police/policing anti section emergency rescue section, adopted,
the opinion of the specialist of the fire fighting disaster relief robot engineering of
Assistant Professors Kyoto university Yokokouzi who does the research of the independent administrative corporate body fire fighting laboratory and the remote manipulation type robot etc.
which do the research of the rescue robot from stage of the design. Design went Takashi Satoshi Takahashi of the robot creator (the Kyoto university venture representation).
In addition, the Kyushu Institute of Technology which is the local university institution which does the research of the robot,
Fukuoka prefecture and Kitakyushu city of the Fukuoka prefecture industrial engineering center and the local self-governing community etc., also
foundation Fukuoka prefecture industrial technology promotion foundation participated.
Released as for the "T-52 support dragon" with the experimental model, to work actually, furthermore development improvement is needed with the latest fire fighting coming out first system.
Adjusting to intended purpose such as durability heat resistance, and improvement of work ability the schedule which keeps continuing development.
That is the most incredible thing I've read about in a long time. Being an Otaku has polluted my brain.
Hey, is that whiny wannabe-soldier included in the price? I need someone to reload my gatling gun... :)
You miss the point - it's not a URL, it's the entire graphic file itself, in Base64 encoding.
Someone better sell this technology to Suzuki. Despite the fact Suzuki cars are horrible now, even I would be interested in one if they make some REAL Transformers! * que Transformer main theme *
Hate me!
...over compensating for something.
SIGERR: laziness exceeds quota
Wow the "T-52 support dragon" weighs in at 5 tons. If it does not find somebody on the first pass then their will be no need for the second as it will crush them into oblivion.
babelfish translation
A TMSUK-bot in every home. There won't be a single trademarked item left on Earth!
But better than crapflooding :)
...948 models later and it's Judgment Day!
(Giant grippers crushing one of the few remaining
human rebels):
Please...stop..."rescuing"...me! Aaaaarrggghh!!!
Is it just me or does this thing come with a snow-plow?
I'll wait for gundam....
http://www.banryu.jp/
very interesting....
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
All we need now are auto-balancing walking chassis and shoulder mount gatlins! You cant tell me military organizations havent already gotten their drooly mits over this one.!
But seriously, I think this is a great step in the right direction as far as conserving not only the lives of those in danger but also those of the brave people attempting to rescue them. What would be interesting to know is how soon American based construction and demolition corporations would be snapping this up.. Look close. This isnt much large than a standard issue BOBcat and the extra servo arms add tons of additional flexibility (npi)..
Bitch you KNOW the side.. WORLD MAFUCKIN WIDE..
You didn't have to take a pot shot at Neon Genesis Evangelion. I don't think you have the intellectual capacity to understand that anime.
... the grandfather of Terminator
Once again, the Japanese have managed to both fascinate and repulse me, all at the same time.
-C.
Random Japanese Person 1: Aaaaaagh! The evil robots are coming!
Random Japanese Person 2: It certainly does seem as if this is the end. They are only six kilometers from here!
Time Passes
Random Japanese Person 1: This is boring. Perhaps we should go to them.
Random Japanese Person 2: My grandma could outrun these fucking evil robots. What a bunch of losers.
More Time Passes
Random Japanese Person 1: Do you realize we could have watched "Amelie" by now?
Random Japanese Person 2: Yes, perhaps the evil robots are not ready for prime-time yet.
Still More Time Passes
Random Japanese Person 1: Well, I'm tired of waiting. I'm going to hop a bullet train for Kyoto and catch a baseball game.
Random Japanese Person 2: I'm in. Those robots are still over a kilometer from here, and it looks like some kid just took one out with a "Red Ryder" BB gun.
Blogging Weight Loss, Distance Education, and more at verlin.com
Mecha. What is it all about... is it good, or is it whack?
Looks like an unstable, hi-tech pincher.
I've driven a lot of Bobcat and Case Loaders and this thing doesn't look 1) as stable and 2) as useful as a skid-steer front loader. It looks like the center of gravity is way to high!
Of course, it has pinchers, so bonus points for looking cool.
Look guys...we really gotta get going on these things if we ever hope to hold the machines out of Zion. We can't just sit around all day eating hot grits and waiting for some mythical messiah to come save us.
-Chris
--an unbreakable toy is useful for breaking other toys--
We need one that can snatch aeroplanes out of the air as they dive towards huge skyscrapers, filled to the brim with wailing passengers.
It's a disgusting picture of a penis in a mares... uhh... hole, with cum dripping out of it. You definitely DON'T want to see it.
I think its about time we had something to compete with mainstream competitive sports.
Imagine, "RoboBOWL IV in Wichita!": Humans piloting battle mechas! (we'd probably have to tone it down to "touch tackling" starting out) We dont have to worry about training camps, gender based deliniations (though i must say, some of the female transformers from the 80's did help me through puberty) or player injuries! (much.. Im sure rumors of sabotage and unnecessary roughness resulting in pilot injury or death will soon follow).. My money is on the fact that in 5 years we'll have drowned out all the smarmy NASCAR fans! Who wants to watch Dale E. Jr crackup making left turns when you can see Dennis Rodman kick the ever lovin-s**t out of someone with a metal pile driver!
Bitch you KNOW the side.. WORLD MAFUCKIN WIDE..
LOL, they'll get stuck in no time, if they expect to go on any, but concrete with less than a 20 degree grade.
Campaign finance reform is national security.
You bestiality guys make me sick. And afraid. I'd rather meet Saddam Hussein in a dark street corner than one of you.
I don't? *sound of karma running down the drain ...*
-=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
We're not so bad, once you get to know us ...
Unless you're somehow "miswired"...
If no whiny 14-year-olds are available to pilot it,
Sure there are. Finding some that can pilot and are clinically insane, however, may take time.
The coolest voice ever.
Err don't forget about www.mechaps.com (err heh maybe they are not around anymore...)
Well, duh ... lift with your legs.
or fire an anti tank grenade
Yeah, and helicopters are so ineffective in their anti-armor role.
It doesn't actually walk around though does it. It rolls on tracks. Plus, being its not really a robot as it needs someone to operate it, morelike the lifter in Aliens but nowhere near as mechlike. This is just a novelty forklift truck. Yawn.
There are a few threads saying 'oh, this has been done' and 'it's useless' already.
That's silly. It's a prototype. (Perhaps even a test type or earlier!) It has no weapons. No armor. The electronics are there, but the cockpit in the current form is uncomfortable and small. There is no life support. It's small, bordering on "this is just a new kevlar vest, right?" tiny.
But before millionaires can have Big series and the rest of the world Leos or Zakus, these inefficient designs must come and go. Eventually we'll stumble on a Tallgeese or something.
Besides, they didn't say it was combat-ready. IIRC, the blurb says it was the "HyperRescueRobot." That doesn't sound like something I'd want to pilot into a war.
Not to mention the fact that the cockpit not only lacks armor, but is exposed. What is this, Dorothy-1?
Now, I'm toying with building a Big O cockpit. I just need a few other parts funded and built, and then "It's SHOWTIIIIME!!!!"
(Note: I have been considering a Big O replica cockpit, but slowly changing that plan. Unsuprisingly, Slashdot is the impetus for this gradual change.)
Maybe it's a step in the 'right' direction. (If world machine domaination and bloodshed is the goal) But I don't know if Machine soldiers are all that good of an idea. First, even tanks- as tough as they are, are preety easy to destroy. Just get a clean shot. Same thing with Blackhawk hellicopters. I wonder if it would be possible to actually 'mass-produce' something like this.
Given Google's current predicament with SCO knocking on their door, it's only a matter of time before Google purchases a Mech for self-defense.
Google certainly can afford a Mech, using the money that SCO would otherwise get (or not get). This Mech could first be used to end SCO's reign of evil, while providing the Google executives with an exciting new bodyguard!
On a side thought, imagine one of these Mechs being entered into a round of Battlebots... Carnage!
:)
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Tmsuk used to be called pedobot.
This sort picture make horny buck-toothed mech driver very happy.
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What the hell is .mng?
crap we are only 48 modle numbers from the T100....we are all doomed.
I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
Come un, you underestimate me! I'm not a goatse.cx troll who posts the same pic over and over! Cum-covered cock was the previous post!
Um, no. A clean shot with what? Your grandma's 22 isn't going to bring down an M1A1 Abrams. Neither is your nephew's AK47 or indeed any small-arms. A heavy chain machine gun won't either. And while it's true that there are a distressingly large number of Warsaw Pact derivative (and unfortunately even NATO derivative) rocket-propelled grenade launchers out there, successful operation of an anti-tank weapon is not plug-and-play.
They are vulnerable to mined roads, etc. But then, so is everything (except hovercraft?)
The Blackhawk is a helicopter. It's intrinsically fragile. (Even the Apache -- which is the combat helicopter you probably meant to reference -- turned out to be surprisingly vulnerable even to small arms fire.)
But the helicopters are not nearly as vulnerable as a mech would be. Despite forty years of cool anime, it's time for the fanboys to understand: Mech warriors are a dumb idea and a waste of resources. The human form is not particularly well-adapted for industrial warfare, and it offers no advantages for modern weapon systems. Indeed, I think you can argue well that the human form forces compromises that detract from combat effectiveness.
That's one of the lessons of Matrix Revolutions: There is no way -- even with $100 million -- to make mech warriors look less than stupid, because they are instrinsically stupid.
The Mongrel Dogs Who Teach
Come on, who are you to be afraid of us? A mare? :P
Even if you were a mare you could count on some sugar, cuddles and -if you wanted- sex, no harm done. As a human you're just uninteresting
How Hyper can it be if it moves only 3km\h ? That's less than half of a human's walking speed.
Mozilla No Good.
When's the last time you saw Antarctica, eh?
Batteries not included.
siggy played guitar
For instance... Rail gun Furry Dice AA Road Cover Smoke Projectors
http://www.tmsuk.co.jp/eng/index.html
for my own Medina.
I remember reading an article on how they made the movie, and the loaders involved a thing plastic shell and a really strong guy inside to make it move. I could be remembering wrong, but which is more likely, that they used a high tech prototype walker that weve never seen or heard of since, or hollywood magic?
All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
Right. And recoilless rocket systems simply haven't been invented, yet.. Now.. Can we stop feeding the troll? =)
Eh, it'd depend on the mine. An anti-tank mine needs a few hundred pounds of pressure to get set off (so wildlife, shrapnel, and other fairly small items don't set them off accidentally.) A 30 ton hovercraft spreads its weight out even across it's skirt, and that might not set off one of those. But an anti-personnel mine would definetely go off.
Have you been touched by his noodly appendage?
Ok, ok... Yea, it looks more like an Evil Aibo... damn.
That thing is a weapon of mass produced destruction!
This is my sig.
Woo! a section 9 prototype of Tachikoma ( spider tank ). http://tachikoma.phpwebhosting.com/archives/000011 .html
How far is Google HQ from SCO HQ again? 3kmh.. yeah the evil empire will be gone sometime within the century i hope.
You realise that this marks the birth of the Genom Corporation? Quick, better set up the first AD Police unit!
You must think in Russian.
Even if you could buy one can you imagine how much shipping 5 tons of freight from Japan would be?
sig?
Wasn't that the exoskeleton in aliens?
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ping -f 255.255.255.255 # if only
"All we need now are auto-balancing walking chassis and shoulder mount gatlins!"
Don't forget the big fluorscent bull's-eye painted on it. It's too small to mount heavy armor and/or weaponry, it's too big and heavy to move nimbly through buildings and such and find cover, and it's too slow to have the manueverability of a VTOL. One RPG and the show's over.
Anybody that's seriously thought about the idea agrees that mecha isn't anything but a big, stupid target. If it's much more than a basic exoskeleton, it goes from science fiction to science fantasy.
Looking back at the old Dr Who episodes that were enjoyable at the time, the Daleks certainly look wimpy compared to this guy.
Boku wa tatakau hito desu. Bigu roboto de ikimasho!
(Lit: How much is that? I am a fighter pilot. I'm going by big robot!)
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
What specifically makes this a "Hyper" robot?
Did it drink too much coffee? Put too much sugar on its cereal? Does it have ADD and is a total spaz?
Marketing dorks.
- Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...
DANGER WILL ROBINSON DANGER!
I just wasted your mod points! HA!
"Get away form her you bitch!"
Wrong, have personally fired a recoilless rocket, the 112 mm APILAS anti-tank rocket launcher. It's simply a tube, open in both ends that fire a little rocket. Use google.
and maybe English will come out.
Donate background CPU time to fight cancer.
...how long until the live action Exo-Squad movie?
Berrik
Current karma: Terrible (due to mods without a sense of humor)
And then it doesn't even walk, let alone have an autocannon...
I've spoken to a few tank drivers while playing BattleTech and while the game concept amused them they had one simple reason for why mecha on the Evangelion/Macross/BattleTech size is unfeasible: Silhouette. To mount heavy weapons, decent armor, and other fancy things they have to be big. And thus tall. And thus nice big freaking targets for just about anyone. I think until mecha reach the maneuverability envisioned in japanese anime (so likely not in our lifetime) military mecha aren't likely to be feasible.
Doesn't it remind anyone of the "let go of her, you bitch" 'bot from Aliens?
"
I'm holding out until they release the Wing Zero version.
Manipulate the moderator system! Mod someone as "overrated" today.
..or at least a Thor..gotta love MechWarrior :-P
I saw a picture on a MechWarrior 4 forum a while back..some enterprisimg guy built his kids a MadCat
mech..totally non-operational..think closer to tree house..but I'd love to see some drunk wander onto the guys' property late at night, pass out, then wake up and look up and see that thing standing over him! A Kodak moment. Seriously, tho, practical mecha
are a ways off until a sufficiently small/light/powerful power source is invented (fusion, in the MW world), nevermind some other tech, like a substitute for muscles, instead of problematic hydraulics, and sophisticated balance/co-ordination (done by means of a "neuro helmet" in MechWarrior). That said, this is a first(?) step..I wish them luck..the sooner this tech gets sorted out, the better chance that I'll see a REAL mech before I die of old age!
It's him!
This robot remind me a funny looking bot in Full metal panic fummoffu ...
./me --G--
Do you know, an anti-personnel mine is probably enough to stop a hovercraft. If the skirt has a leck, if cant hover anymore and plays sitting duck. Besides it may fire some additional mines.
The vulnerably of the skirt is one of the main reasons nobody uses hovercrafts in combat.
april fools day!
Anyone see the irony here or is it just me?
Many anti-vehicular mines have foot-long poles sticking out the top of them. It would have to be a powerful hovercraft.
"Verbing weirds language." -- Calvin
They should be using Gekiganium Alloy to build these robots. The way these things are constructed now, we won't stand a chance when the Kyoakkians invade.
"You spoony bard!" -Tellah
Gasaraki had a fairly good "realistic" take on mecha. I think they were maybe 10 feet tall at most. Mostly meant for urban combat where they could easily maneuver between and into buildings.
They also stuck with just two models of mecha for the entire series(one developed by each side).
How the hell did this thread about the "world's largest robot capable of carrying a person" turn into a military discussion. When we see robots, why is it that we automatically think weapons? I realize that the military might be the first to pick up the new technology, just like it happened with airplanes and nuclear fission, but in the long term I can imagine peaceful uses, as they were intented in the first place by their original creators. People who invented airplanes and fission did it to make humans more enabled, happier - flying has always been a dream of humans envying birds, and the scientists thinking about fission meant it as an awesome source of energy. Once you're enabled and more capable, it's up to you what you do with it. You can use your newfound powers to live better, or to destroy something. Right now the military is heavily into unmanned toys, but I think in the future, the ratio of robots used for bettering the lives of humans to the amount used by the military will be very high.. just like the amount of commercial airplane flights outdo the military part. Why isn't anyone thinking about grandma in the nursing home "prison" being able to get out back home because she can take care of herself again, cuz she can 'dress up' into her robot clothes that helps her walk, drive, and shop? Is that such a scary future? The cave people must have been damn scared of fire first but where would we be without fire? Sure you can burn down your enemy's huts with fire, but these day's when we think fire that's not the first thing that comes to mind anymore. I'm sure it will be the same with robots.
It doesn't have feet or actively walk. it has treads like on an oversized snowblower.
Show me a mecha with feet that walks and lets a person from inside control it and then i'll look up and be interested.
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"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness."- Friedrich Nietzsche
The only advantage I can think of a mech would be that it would be a damn good lookout, but we have better stuff to do that. With massive amounts of resources I'd imagine that you could make it a killing machine, but the resources would HAVE to be massive indeed.
This company is already mass producing a far more advanced mech for military purposes
"That's one of the lessons of Matrix Revolutions: There is no way -- even with $100 million -- to make mech warriors look less than stupid, because they are instrinsically stupid. "
... hmmm "instinsic stupidness" ... is just so mindbogigily simple I am supprised that any R&D guy with 3+PHD's would even THINK of building one of these. Man ... what were they thinking!
... we have legs because evolution gave them to us. They are the best way to get around the difficult and varried terrain of our planet (can a Tank rock climb? can a helicopter operate in harsh weather conditions? can a ship submerge? can a submarine go on land?)
... i'll say. shesh'
I am glad in your thoughtfull post you explain why it is a stupid design! Shesh, I would have thought that a machine based on 3 billion years of evolutionary experimentation in locomotion would (which gave us legs BTW!) would be a good idea! Boy I was wrong, your sound argument based on
To put it simply
The mecha is the best way to have a truly allterrain vehicle. Not to mention the mobility of a bipedal system.
We have legs for a reason.
"intrinsic stupidness"
You have to figure in 2-3 generations of machines they would be more flexable in close quarters than tanks [can't get shot at] or light vehicals [enough armor for small arms fire], and less fragile than aircraft because they don't have to fly. In addition they have the ability to be armed with all the normal military arms...but simply "pick up" or "flip over" most wheeled vehicles without firing a shot!
Where do you think they ripped the name Sentinel off from?
FREEZE, MUTANT!
That's one of the lessons of Matrix Revolutions: There is no way -- even with $100 million -- to make mech warriors look less than stupid, because they are instrinsically stupid.
I thought the lesson of Matrix Revolutions is that none of the special effects guys nor the writers could imagine shielding the operators of military mecha...
Sorry. But how can you pass up a straight line like that one....
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Mech warriors are a staple of science fiction, or more accurately, of anime. It's a natural branch point for the discussion.
The Mongrel Dogs Who Teach
it's just too bad that you can't mod up past 5
Why oh why didn't I take the purple pill?
That's a very fiction-oriented view of the military. They're interested in winning, period, and will evaluate new weapons on their ability to contribute to that goal and on the opportunity cost of adopting the weapons system.
Of course, since armies are led by people, it's entirely possible that mechs will be developed and adopted because "they look cool" and fall into fashion with the right person at the right time. But eventually, I predict, they will be abandoned because the weapons concept just doesn't make sense operationally.
If that were a desirable ability, we could put hydraulic lift rams on existing vehicles. We don't because, in fact, it's hard to do and not particularly useful. On the other hand, the human form factor means that the mech is critically balanced when upright -- a nudge from a traditional vehicle or a hit from a high-impulse round could conceivably knock the mech over. I think mechs come out on the losing side of this comparision, too.
The Mongrel Dogs Who Teach
There is a larger, fully articulated (6-legged walking) robot that has been developed for the timber industry. It may not be quite as tall, but it's longer and looks like it may be able to carry heavier loads (like, y'know, whole trees at a time):
;)
Walking Robot
Okay, so the arms on the story's mecha are more impressive, but is this not cool?. Place the mecha's arms on this thing and you'd have something respectably sci-fi. Wheels / tracked robots are so last century.
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The skirt on a hovercraft can tke a very large amount of damage before it becomes useless. they tend to be internally segemented so damage to one area does not necessarily destroy it. I have not idea if it could survive landmines though. However they are good at not setting off water based mines which is part of the reason a number of armys/naives use them as landing craft and more recently as mine sweepers.
American kids, (in the land of All for One and Crumbs for All), dreamed of Batman and Spiderman, ultimate individualists.
And so kids grow into adults, adults engineer reality.
When sitting around on my friend's front porch many, many years ago, this came to us a new and startling realization. My friend turned to me aghast, "The Japanese are going to have fucking mechs! --The Americans are going to have idiots running around in capes."
He then, imitating a big robot arm, held up his hand and swatted the porch. "SQUASH!"
Although. .
With genetic research and the recent spate of films like, "Spider Man," (which no longer look to nuclear science to create its heroes. .
-FL
I think if they truly catch on and become a widely used consumer item, an academy of sorts could be created to train users in using the suits. Or at least some sort of vehicle training. Trust me, when these things come out in the future, you'll DEFINITELY want someone having to pass a license test if they're gonna be using it on the street. Otherwise, crushed people start appearing.
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"successful operation of an anti-tank weapon is not plug-and-play."
Isn't it? I have a different opinion. The standard anti-tank weapon of the swedish army takes no time to understand on how to use. It is simply a point and click weapon with no inteligence.
Simply point and fire - if you remeber to fire at the weakest points (the side and rear armor or upper armor) you are almost sure to make a kill in up to 300 meters on Russian tanks, however it is better at closer range.
Since the armor on a M1A1 is better I suppose you need to fire from a close range or hit it twice (you will need two weapons for this since it is a one shot weapon), but it is easy to use the weapon. Since the weapon cost about $10000 so is it also very cheap compared to the tank...
A great weapon to even the playfield for infantry and artillery when confronted with armor.
I would like to point out that these weapons is common in most western armys and that they are rather easy to come across on the black market. Here it has even been used by rivalising MC-gangs to attack each others houses.
modern warfare is not "industrial" warfare any longer. the US, because of the effecftiveness of weapons like the Abrams and the Apache, has made everyone restrict combat to small forces in compact areas where the effectiveness and use of tanks and helicopters is neutralized. This is what we're currently seeing in Iraq. All that helicopters are good for now is transport, and the Abrams, well, it can't search houses, fit down narrow streets, or cross small bridges.
the human form is great for combat, just not heavy, traditional, battlefeild operations. modern warfare could benefit from small mechanized units. an armored mech about twice the height and width of a human would be a wonderful heavy support troop in Iraq simply because it could fit down narrow streets and in areas where a 60 ton tank can't go. add arms so it can "punch" down doors or move heavy objects for either rescue or building barricades, and you have a winner. add legs so it can easily traverse land that wheeled or tracked vehicles can't easily navigate, and you're even better off. on top of that a more mobile and nimble vehicle that can go over a wall without knocking it down 1) doesn't piss off people by destroying their wall if they're nice people, 2) doesn't make as much noise or commotion on entry to a compound.
I'm pretty certain he was being ironic, dude. Time for a humor upgrade?
Crikey, man, no joke. I looked at that thing and thought it'd be a killer way to move stacks of planks and whatnot out on the jobsite - not to mention something very strong to "hold this up here just like that for a minute." As much of a Robotech geek as I might have been (or thought I was) back when I was a teenager, when I grew up I started to think of technology for useful purposes, not destructive ones. Maybe that's the problem with the current crop of warmongers - they never grew up. I'd put my money on that one, in fact.
political_news.c: warning: comparison is always true due to limited range of data type
"Does it run on Propane?"
Hmm... Indeed that depends on the mine. There is at least one mine that i know of that doesn't depend on contact at all, but rather the magnetic field around it. The mine, when deployed arms in a certain time, detecting the earth magnetic field around it. Any changes to the field after the arming period sets off the mine.
What's the point?
Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something.
A HyperRescueRobot that has a top speed of 3km/hr?
Great. When can we expect other such needed inventions such as the water-proof towel and screendoors for submarines?
Ahhh, memories of Johnny Socko. I always thought that minor key theme they used was depressing, but still a great show.
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I am SICK of people saying that they are. Have you even WATCHED the bloody series, BJH? If you have you would clearly see that Evangelion != Mecha. The armor is merely a means of controlling the LIVING Evangelion, a prison of sorts.
...Cross the T-52 Support Dragon with the Honda Asimo maybe we'll get This?
So, is this the lull before the storm? When get I get my own VF1-Valkyrie Mecha?
I think I better start calling myself Rick Hunter!
Bah! Americans, of course! You're forgetting those idiots playing "GI-Joe liberates country from dictator that GI-Joe installed as a bulwark against COBRA!"
Exactly. Modern tanks kill from miles away. A fighting vehicle/robot that relied on hydraulic arms for combat would be destroyed before it got anywhere near a modern tank. It's simply an anthropomorphic fantasy that makes no sense in the world of high explosives.
There is one technology that may be able to help drop the armor requirements... electronic munition shielding. A small electronic field generator is in operation now that can explode any explosive munition with an electronic detonator in a predetermined radius. All they need to do is figure out an easy way to make it extremely portable and explode as much inbound munitions as possible. That would leave room for lighter "small-arms" armor and increase the effectiveness of the platform. This probably wouldn't be a front line weapons platform, but more a psy-ops platform after the major battle is over. Just think about standing there in view of a 15ft/3m tall mech... kind of scary in my opinion.
I'm the root of all that's evil, yeah, but you can call me cookie.
I think every geek has wondered why we don't use mechs in the military. The technology is here, but the mech itself is a big sitting duck. I guess you could say the same for an aircraft carrier but ACs don't float around alone, they're surrounded by support and defense ships and planes. And most importantly, they serve a unique function - they're floating airports. What can a mech offer?
So a mech would be this slow, lumbering weapons platform that's not as quick or stable as a tank. It would require all sorts of support and defensive equipment and soldiers. It would eat gasoline like nobodies business, and for what? To use arms and hands? A military bulldozer can knock over a building or move junk much better than a hydrolic arm.
I can't see a situation where one would need a mech. On the other hand I can deifinately see mech-like exoskeletons enhancing the abilities of infantry and special ops kind of like the equipment in The Forever War or Starship Troopers. Or something in the middle like a bipedal lightly armored 'tank' that can walk and run with stability over very uneven terrain like a freshly bombed city or battlefield for scouting purposes and helping light infantry.
Indeed, I think you can argue well that the human form forces compromises that detract from combat effectiveness.
Allow me to provide the counter argument....
The idea of building a humanoid-shaped robot that you control to do your bidding is that we seem to be remarkably flexible in terms of our capabilities, and we already have a very finely-tuned control system for a human-shaped robot. If human-style flexibility and very good human control are requirements for your robotic application, then a humanoid mech is a good choice for you.
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I'd figure a military dock would have armoured fixed gun turrets instead of stupid mecha for defense.
Actually if the Military are going to come up with fancy expensive humanoid enhancements, they might as well come up with something that enhances the human metabolism. e.g. convert ADP back to ATP, breakdown lactic acid etc.
e.g. Attach/implant a device to/into a soldier. Clip on a 1 litre pack of fuel. Intended result: soldier can sprint (or perform at 100% anaerobic physical exertion) and not get tired till out of fuel (in which case just clip on another pack of fuel) - only issue would be injury/wear and tear.
If the device and fuel packs are reasonably small and light, the possibilities are pretty extensive.
Increased mobility, increased range + increased carry capacity with no great increase in size = more lethal. The soldiers would still be compatible with existing vehicles and other systems.
Evangelion!!
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