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Commercial Exoskeletons
FalconZero writes "For those of you with superhuman aspirations, your dream may be a step closer; New Scientist (recently) and the Japan Times (last year) covered Yoshiyuki Sankai's work at
the University of Tsukuba in Japan developing powered exoskeletons
with commercial versions expected soon costing between $14,000 and $19,000
(£7,500-£10,000). Other work with exoskeletons previously covered
here(1),
here(2) and
here(3)."
Berkeley has some videos of their BLEEX (Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton) Project on their web page.
Video
I swear that guy in the video is the Star Wars kid, if was making robot noises with his mouth he would have me convinced.
The first step to real life Halo
Welcome our new "bio-cybernic" overlords.
So when do we get mounted guns?
So I was trying to find one *good* Exoman site, and I couldn't find any. (It was a short-lived 1977 TV series about a paralyzed scientist who created his own exo-suit in which he would fight crime yada yada yada).
God, exoskeletons have been done to death -- see one giant bipedal forklift, you've seen them all.
Get back to me when we have commercial powered endoskeletons. Preferably with the razor-like claw add-on.
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
With one of these and a perl script, I don't even have to work at masturbation.
If I can only incorporate that roomba into this...
Never play chicken with a passive aggressive.
I'm pretty sure that only reason why they're even devising these things is because of Japan's robot anime. You know, some guy jumps into a huge robot and control it through sensors all over his body.
There is some guy here in Japan who is that crazy about the anime that developed his own exo-skeleton to move his toy Mazinga robot around. They had him on TV wearing his Mazinga get up and fighting other geek's toy robots on one of the TV shows here. Apparently there are a lot of these robot hobbyists as well as uni students building these things.
Mazinga, BTW, is a really old anime, but not far removed from the likes of say Gundam, Voltron and a billion and one other ripoffs.
READY.
PRINT ""+-0
Alas, for Robert A. Heinlein's vision of Powersuits in Starship Troopers, exoskeletons, like those giant Japanese Mechs, are very cool in fiction, but probably not terribly useful in reality compared to more mundane alternatives.
Lawrence Person, Science Fiction Writer
Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)
http://www.lawrenceperson.com/
I mean really, of all people...the Japanese coming up with something like this? No way.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
I can just imagine someone hopping along in one on the battle field, "damn my knee locked, how do you say 'where is the nearest Jiffy Lube in Korean?'"
There should be an international ban on using the name HAL for any computer, piece of a computer, or anything with a computer attached.
As noted in another thread:
Neogentronyx is currently in the process of constructing a Bipedal Exo-Skeletal Robotic Vehicle [neogentronyx.com], known as a Mech and designated NMX04-1A. The purpose of the NMX04-1A is proof of concept and to make the first bold step towards full production of Mecha vehicles, affordable to civilians and not just commercial entities. There are plenty of pretty pictures and info here [neogentronyx.com]. See also these larger more recent pics [coasttocoastam.com]
Another fine product of Alaska, approximately 18 ft tall (7 meters)
As someone noted:
Bring a few cans of WD-40. Looks like they are assembling this thing out in the open! No building to put it in!
Do you think that he's any competition?
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
"...an exoskeleton would probably be difficult to maneuver in dense environments"
talk about your understatement! did you see the pictures? the guy's got a backpack the size of, --well, i don't know, but it's friggin big!-- just to hold the electronics!
"...probably not terribly useful in reality"
except you could carry much heavier (i.e. more powerful) weapons and a lot more (and bigger) ammo.
I am not left-handed, either!
Anything that is bi-pedal is not eneregy efficient. It is more difficult to conserve momentum with it. Without incredible specialization it would also be extremely difficult to obtain any sort of precision of movement or manipulation. Perhaps the biggest problem: balance. The more control given to the "pilot" the less they could regulate balance and weight transfer in the machine. These things, I am sure work well for the disabled and old people, but they aren't going to be used by technological super heroes or anything like that anytime soon.
-I have invented this new type of an exoskeleton. No longer will I have to feel like prisoners of the planet with gravity as a jailer. Now all I need is a test-subject.
:(
-Pick me, pick me!
-Great! The exoskeleton will be attached to your front like so, and I will be attached to the exoskeleton by my back like this. These belts with sharp sharp needles will be attached to the five extremeties of your body.
-When will this thing start moving?
-When I pull on the belts!
--
thank you, thank you.
I just miss Futurama so much
You can't handle the truth.
Create an event which is half Battle Bots and half Ultimate Fighting Championship!
Now the fall of Oscorp is just one successful test away!
p
In Korea, long hair is for old people!
"Get away from her, you BITCH!"
..is to build a big robot exoskeleton you can use to crush your enemies... Now this is news for nerds!!
But seriously, robots like this have been science fiction for decades, it's interesting to see respectable institutions taking this seriously. I imagine successful implementation of this technology would again change the face of warfare. With anti-aircraft missles easily mountable on each soilder, perhaps air power will not always be king?
Something to think about... This could be the biggest paradigm shift until they discover a good repulsorlift and make hovertanks.
--
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A lot of wear an tear is from load bearing, and perhaps these powered suite address this to a degree, but I suspect in many cases they would exacerbate the problem for arthritis sufferers by adding to the weight load on joints, even while enabling superhuman lifting capabilities.
Even if they address the load issue on joints, it is overkill from what is really needed by tens of millions. I have not seen such a thing, but does anyone know of some kind of lightweight synchronized brace system? Something that would distribute the body's load to the hips directly and lock when the joints aren't moving? I have seen leg braces before, but not articulated ones that auto-lock. One thing that my father believed contributed to the breakdown of his joints were the long periods he spent standing doing his job as a chef. Again, a locking brace system would seem the answer for people that need to be on their feet long periods, but may have the beginnings of joint break down.
Letter To Iran
Sure, it wouldn't be as "sexy" as the X-Prize, but wouldn't some privately sponsored prize money do wonders for this longtime human dream? Call it, say, the Mecha Prize, and offer a few million bucks to whoever builds the first mecha that can go a half mile, pick up a Dodge Neon and move it in the air for 50 feet, then return to the starting line. Or something similar.
I have no doubt that someone as creative as Rutan is out there, and with a little incentive and the promise of some real financial gain could use modern actuators and pressure pads and gyro sensors and so forth to finally create a useful mecha.
I also have no doubt that (unlike Spaceship One) a mecha that could complete the above test would immediately be of great value in quite a few industrial and/or emergency applications.
--
Grab a Free PSP
And a Free DS (or PS2/GC/XB).
Proof It Works (and more info)
What porn movie involves exoskeletons?
This seems a lot more appropriate for applications in construction than in the military or in medicine.
Digging/moving/lifting/mixing/carrying machines are generally designed to do jobs that humans can do, but on a larger scale and with more power. It seems to me that a person in a powered exoskeleton could perform such tasks pretty well, given the right tools or attachments.
"It's the wrong trousers, Gromit, and they've gone wrong!" ~ Wallace
Roboshark vs. Land Walker vs. Exoskeleton
Who wins? My vote is on the Exoskeleton. But the Roboshark equiped with laser eyes might pose a challenge.
He'd marketed his indestructable arms, he'd have made two fortunes.
Did anyone else notice that his "venture firm" is called cyberdyne??? How was this not harped on at length? Are we actually tired of allusions to skynet's infamous creator?
Your name is Dave, isn't it.
This hack will have to do until I get mental powers. Robotic muscles, hell yeah, in places letting yhou do things you couldn't before. I bet this thing could blow glass better than I could after while.
Is there anything better than clicking through Microsoft ads on Slashdot?
Anything that is bi-pedal is not eneregy efficient. It is more difficult to conserve momentum with it.
So why don't humans have wheels/tracks/wings/scales to slither on the ground/whatever? Surely, we're not the most efficient beings, but we're pretty darn good. The real technological limitation is a light and dense power source--because that's what it boils down to, and robots can't burn ATP--yet. You want to move heavy stuff, you need power.
We've got all of the stuff to make a super mecha, as little seperate projects, with the exception of a good power source. We have manipulators that can be used to thread a needle, yet are still capable of lifting hundreds of pounds. This can be fairly easily transfered to hydraulics, for more power/bigger parts. Sony and others have the bi-pedal robots that can balance itself and all of that. The logic for just that isn't that hard, and if the project could somehow use the equilibrium sense of the human body, all the better.
Sure, it's not like gundam is going to be happening anytime soon, but I think that on a small scale, the loader exoskeleton from Aliens could be feasible and maybe even economical within 30 years.
He meant "Get away from her, you bitch!"
:)
The immortal words of one Lt. Ellen Ripley of Nostromo, in Aliens
Jesus christ! Stop fucking posting. Put it all in one post! I know you're doing this just to get people to participate it the stupid, god damn "free offers" in your "sig", which isn't really a sig because it's too long and I have sigs off. You just paste it there so even people like me can see your trash. Fucking stop it. Now.
And please don't mod me down. I know I'm offtopic (though the topic is cool) and I turned off karma bonus off but I feel like posting anonymously would take away from what I'm trying to say here. Which would be fuck the parent posted for being a lamer. Fuck him in his stupid lamer asshole, where he no doubt stores hundreds of "free", lame gaming consoles.
is a angsty 14 year old to pilot one of these...
He is a copy and paste karma whore who wants you to click on his links.
The best we're gonna get is lobsters with frickin' lasers on their heads.
Mod this guy down, click on his UID and mod all of his other posts down too. Next time you see boingyzain post mod it down because all he ever does is copy other peoples posts and get fucking modded up for it.
These would be better suited for the classic "gate guard" with 100-200lb payload you could put quit a bit of armor on that guy. That and a 30-50lb weapon. The intimidation factor would be very high.
i think the military application for exoskeletons is to help soldiers carry more supplies while marching extended distances. not fighting. marching. and i'm pretty sure we didn't have the tech for load-bearing exoskeletons back in WWII...
if i'm not immortal, what's the point of living?
...te?
Copy and paste karming whoring troll. See his other posts, all copied, all modded up.
AC here.
Please make firefox eat IE raw.
I suggest build firefox with P2P so like when a user hit an apache server, the server will refers the clients to the various recently visiting clients.
Also, build P2P in Apache.
Make Apache eats IE raw.
What was that thing she was using to pound the alien ? Looked exoskeletonish to me.
Every single post he has ever made is copied from someone elses. Just look at his other posts and search on Google. What pisses me off is he gets modded up practically every time.
Its all a tradeoff. Lose efficiency for increased flexibility.
"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results" - Winston Churchill
The most obvious weapon I can think of would be a .50 caliber heavy machine gun. Currently it takes several men to carry one(or else a vehicle like a Humvee), a suit might allow one man to carry and use a weapon capable of taking out light armored vehicles. You could also add some heavy body armor- in short, create a mobile machine gun nest.
It's going to have its limitations, but any technology- aircraft, trucks, tanks, ships, foot soldiers- have their limitations, the trick is recognizing the limitations and advantages of each and using them accordingly. I suspect we will see something along these lines eventually. If it can help us kill people more effectively, you can be sure the Pentagon will employ it.
Then there's the logistics end of things, where it might play an even larger role- loading bombs onto aircraft, loading munitions and supplies onto supply trucks and aircraft, that kind of thing. If you could use this kind of technology to make your supply train smaller, faster, and more flexible that might have a much bigger impact on warfare than allowing a guy to carry a bigger gun.
Yeah, I noticed that after posting. This guy needs to get banned.
I would be worried that some malicious bastards would hack my exoskeleton and direct me into traffic.
We had the technology to build them back then??? Wow, that's news to me. The Japanese must seriously be SO behind in terms of technology that they are still building things from the 1950s.
On another note, I'm beginning to fear the impending rise of Japan's technological skills. With their recent attempt to amend their constitution to allow for a standing army along with their recent changes to their textbooks that make their actions during WW2 seem honorable instead of atrocious. I mean, sure there are some good uses for the new exoskeleton technology. But wouldn't the BEST way to help disabled people would be to research stem cells and how to regenerate nerves and muscles??? This exoskeleton that makes you twice as strong and straped to a computer which allows wireless hook up sure does make me think more of war than it does of helping old ladies. But hey, that's just me, I'm paranoid.
Dr. Hawking has had one of these for years.
I think balance is starting become a solved problem. Look at the Segway for starters... plus previous Slashdot articles have linked to some very impressive videos of (small) robots doing handstands, ballet, etc. So it appears that balance is just a matter of having a fast enough computer running a clever enough feedback algorithm.
I think a more difficult problem will be energy: how does your exoskeleton carry enough fuel/energy to be useful without adding too much weight or compromising the user's safety?
I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
With anti-aircraft missles easily mountable on each soilder, perhaps air power will not always be king?
It's called a Stinger. And yes, it is very, very effective against close range airborne attacks. Not so effective against cruise missiles or
bombers.
No need for an exoskeleton, either.
http://www.phatnav.com/wiki/index.php?title=FIM
..don't panic
I can honestly say to someone: "Kiss my shiny metal ass!"
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
But you know they're going to regulate it to death with things like requiring a license, etc. I'm fine with that, but I really do hope they let this be as commercial as other modes of transportation and disability assistance.
I can't wait for the import tuners to get their hands on this and make it look GOOD. Although it would probably have 5 tv screens, 900W stereo, and neon lighting all over...
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
If we're going to go through all the trouble of having machine guns, heavy armor, and articulated leg mechanisms, might as well just throw in a grenade launcher an start building these, then.
If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.
An exoskeleton would be potentially useful for urban combat (punching through doors, knowck down walls, etc.)
Man, I'm just waiting for the exoskeletons with the built-in spellchecker and "Typing Assist" feature.
SIERRA TANGO FOXTROT UNIFORM
Interesting thoughts, but a highly mobile one-man machinegun nest.
:)
If theres three things I learned playing various mechwarrior games, its that vs ground opponents a mechs strength is mobility.
I also played apache longbow sims and learned that the mech is not just a 'hog' on legs; its an infantryman with a punch. A mech can loiter to set up an ambush or to defend an area.
In the games they were severely limited by munitions; the missiles were appaling. I always wanted to try a loadout of winchester hellfires and sidewinders
In the real world, mobility isn't just about being able to clamber over obstacles or duck down shuffle along and pop up. Its also about endurance.
Those overgrown SUVs the yanks call 'High Mobility Vehicles' have very short range. Their mobility is limited by the mobility of their supply train.
The civilian ones get 10 miles per gallon on sealed roads. Offroad? 5 mpg?
One must ask the Battle Mech sales guy "Does your mech need a fuel truck following it around?"
In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
I disagree.
Take a squad of 25 men, and put them in suits (albiet suits somewhat more advanced than these). Like Heinlein's, to a large degree. Making them nuclear powered might be practical, to some degree, if they were to give a significant edge in battle.
If the suits were 8' fall or so and had thick (ie, tank-level reactive) body armor, the squad of 25 could very likely out-maneuver most tank/armor batallions of the world, and most certainly out-gun all but the most intense infantry. They'd be able to withstand multiple RPG-type hits (possibly, provided the soldier isn't injured due to percussion), and would be harder to hit than a vehicle by far. With the assistance of advanced machinery and electronics, they'd likely be able to do a better, faster job sniping than most snipers, and be able to carry much larger guns than an unarmored soldier - though probably not quite as big as a vehicle-mounted weapon.
Think of them as something between a soldier on foot with a troop rifle (M16 or BAR) and a HV with a 100mm cannon. Maybe they'd carry a 30mm cannon with a couple thousand rounds, a decent sniper rifle, and a 20mm grenade launcher with plenty of ammo for it - significantly more power than even a squad could dish out, but not as much as an armored vehicle.
I don't imagine such suits being used to replace, say, foot infantry or even advanced groups like 1st Recon USMC or Navy SEAL. I think they'd largely be used in support capacity for those squads, or for the troops with less prowess. They'd likely get carted around on a transport truck, just like any other piece of specialized machinery - only deployed when needed (such as, say, for guard duty).
I obviously don't think such things are near to implimentation or deployment, but provided things don't tank in the near future, I suspect something similar - or at least a step in that direction - will be coming to the US Armed Forces within a while.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
Or... you could put one on a mechanism that's a lot like a small tank/jeep, and probably achieve better speed overall. Unless you have *a lot* of flexibility, using legs instead of wheels or treads just doesn't do a whole lot for you. Since it's practically miraculous that the human body handles running/jumping as well as it does, I think we have a long way to go before we get to the point where there's any benefit in combat.
I always thought that if you were a billionaire, like Bill Gates, a good use for your money would be to develop a suit of armor to duplicate that of Iron Man, as closely as possible. I mean, a lot of it is feasible, with ten figures to back R&D. What else are you going to do with your friggin' money? Cure cancer? World hunger?
Professor of Astronomy, Author of Spider Star & Star Dragon (Tor)
Keep the raw pornographic descriptions elsewhere
unobtainium. :)
Not magnetic, can be of advantage
HI O WISE PRINCE. WHT TOOK U SO DAM LONG?
An exoskeleton isn't a mecha, and doesn't have to be nearly that big. From a military point of view everything has limitations. Tanks are great in open country, but not so good in built up areas. If exoskeletons have a militray application it would more likely be urban areas and rough terrain where their greater mobility would be an asset.
Funny that we barely have the technology to build them now but could build them in WWII.
i just LOVE the fact that you are all sweaty for enormous battle robots, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake, but you are frightened of RFID.
I'm beginning to fear the impending rise of Japan's technological skills.
The impending rise? Where have you been for the last few decades? As a country their technological skills and drive have been cutting edge for a long time now.
With their recent attempt to amend their constitution to allow for a standing army
If my country was that close the North Korea and China I'd really want it to have a standing army too. I guess they could rely on the Americans for ever, but they have a lot of other commitments and what if you don't always agree with them?
changes to their textbooks that make their actions during WW2 seem honorable instead of atrocious
Now that's a massive generalisation, assuming you are talking about the same thing as the Chinese have been protesting about. A textbook, not all, done by a company not the government referred to the rape of Nanking as an "incident". Now that isn't good, it was a massacre and a war crime, but you may be generalising just a bit from it.
But wouldn't the BEST way to help disabled people would be to research stem cells and how to regenerate nerves and muscles
It would be another way. We don't know it would be the best way until we tried both. Even then, best how? Cost? How quickly it is available? Quality of life for sufferers? Percentage of sufferers it works for?
It's pretty rare with medical conditions that one treatment works for everyone. Researching multiple ways to deal with it is generally a good thing, that saying about all you eggs in one basket.
Yes, exos could have military applications, (a lot of tech can, if it can it usually gets used) the US army has already said it is interested, and researching. Given their military budget they would almost certainly be the first to use such technology if it becomes practical.
Problem? They'd be leaving some kind of steam/exhaust trail behind them.
One quick airstrike, mortar attack, artillery bombardment, or explosive device later, your $3bln in equipment is so much scrap.
They're not going to be able to run all that terribly fast (as we've seen, bipedal locomotion isn't great for high-speeds)
As far as resisting RPG hits, don't make me laugh. the RPG-5 can penetrate 3in of solid steel. Assuming these things have any sort of mobility, you're not going to have solid cover.
The purpose of a sniper team is usually not to eliminate the enemy. The purpose is to scout and damage infrastructure. A gigantic screaming-rumbling monstrosity doesn't help.
All in all, the concept here isn't to increase the size of a single soldier. It's to enable soldiers to carry larger loads. Combat engineers, etc.
This project was originally posted herein August 2003. I guess they've come a long way.
" A textbook, not all, done by a company not the government referred to the rape of Nanking as an "incident". Now that isn't good, it was a massacre and a war crime, but you may be generalising just a bit from it."
Those 'incidents' resulted in 35,000,000 dead Chinese civilians (out of 80M total pop.) over 5 year and millions more women raped by imperialist racists nips which japan never accept responsibilities for. Germany accept responsibility for holocaust and even pay reparations to Israel. Time for japan to stand up and accept what they have done.
Wouldn't this be fun to crack? It would be kinda like having your own remote controlled Transformer.
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I'm not sure how many pepole will know what i'm talking about, but in "Gundam Wing" there are three of the suits that use something called the "Zero system" it is a wireless user interface that allows the entirety of the suits systems to be controlled directly by the human mind down to the last finger joint and provides all the data from all of the (usually 7) cameras on the system. when they have one of those I"ll be glad to get one. Gamertag is Thor2517
Exosquad totally ruled!
You seem to forget that such a development would quickly be made useless by creating weapons that would disable something like these 'suits'.
Heck, all you have to take out is one leg, and the thing is done for - the FASA Battletech Mech's are entertaining but don't make much sense. Instead they remind me of the mistake the French did with their Maginot Line and slower, heavily armored tanks.
Of course our military is known to go out and spend money on a bunch of crap - M2 Bradley.
He's not talking about Mechs. He's talking about heavily armored exoskeletons that are only about twice as big as a human with modern technology reactive armor and such. Such a suit would be great for front line urban assaults because they could potentially carry alot of firepower on a fast (30 mph) agile platform. They would look more like Space Marines from Warhammer 40k.
The military is already planning on using light exoskeletons like the ones in this article 2 equipment generations from now. Early models, like these, would be big and clunky, but still able to support a large weapon. Later generations wouldn't be as powerful, but could match a soldiers leg movements exactly, be silent, and last weeks with a very small power supply.
When they finally get this technology mastered some company that did no work will show up with a patent and ask for their cut.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
Why isn't every Marine in Iraq, etc not wrapped in 6 inches of Kevlar from head to toe? Because Kevlar is HEAVY. The real advantage of a Mech type suit is that you can make the average Soldier harder to kill. You don't need to make it superhuman strong, and able to punch through walls, just make it able to handle a normal range of motion / speed, and then wrap enough Kevlar on it to make a person immune to small arms fire.
They said in the article that the HAL 5 would be smaller (about 11lbs lighter, bringing it to about 37 lbs) and that it could be used to pick up nearly 90 extra lbs. That's pretty decent, that shouldn't have too much bulk to it. The problem now isn't hardware (though power will be an issue...) its going to be programming it to be able to move around like a normal person (right now it only stands, walks, and does stairs.)
This is very doable, and certainly in the near future (Marines are already working on a set of legs to help them carry more, further.) but it won't be like the anime you're used to, and it won't be replacing tanks any time soon. What it will do, is make the life of the average Army grunt a lot better. The USA is way ahead in terms of Air Force and Navy tech, (think aircraft carriers... No one else has even close to 12 fully functional aircraft carriers.) But on the infantry side, we don't have nearly the same kind of lead. With all the tech money out there, some of it should go to the "grunts".
when the machines start drilling down to Zion.
Until then, I'll wait till they work out the bugs and add the guns.
GET FREE APPLE STUFF!
It would also be wise to incorporate some smaller caliber weapons though, probably 5.56 caliber, since it's more or less the defacto standard.
Why? Because your are not able to to fire a weapons at another individual that has the ability to decapitate according to the Geneva Convention (that's not word for word, but it's to the same effect).
You are however, able to shoot nearby equiptment, such as a trucks fuel tank that the bad guy is standing next to.
Oh, and "No.", the enemies hat, personal weapons, uniform etc do not count as equiptment...
"Because your are not able to to fire a weapons at another individual that has the ability to decapitate according to the Geneva Convention..."
True or not, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. That's so stupid I cannot even formulate an intelligent reply, because I'm just dumbfounded by it's sheer madness. I guess I'll stop trying.
I am not left-handed, either!
Uh, I don't think so. I'll take two tank platoons full of M-1s any day of the week. I can assure you as the tank is maneuvering under control of a human driver the gunners is going to zero your fantasy platoon with ease. And pay no attention to the Abrams specs.. lots of those governors end up removed.
And the experienced soldiers will be crawling around in a ditch to get an angle with a Javelin. I don't give a rat's ass what kind of armor you've got on something bipedal and eight feet tall, a Javelin (or even an AT4) will kill it. You *MIGHT* withstand an M-72 LAW hit.
In addition, there's a reason many modern military systems are "low slung".. smaller profile to shoot at. I can just picture this eight foot tall clothes pin walking around just begging for it. Try hitting the dirt quickly in an exoskeleton when that first Javelin deletes your buddy.
I read this bullshit and find it amusing. You've never actually *served* have you? The weapons systems of the future will either be remotely piloted or autonomous, small, and lethal. I'd place my money on a small spider-like design (say three foot leg span, two feet off the ground average) for killing both armor and people.
An example application would be having an arachnid climb on top of your Abrams and drop a thermite grenade over the crew compartment or literally rip a man limb from limb.
The bigger you make something the easier a target it is. $2000 RPGs are 100% capable of neutralizing $10,000,000 dollar apache attack helicopters. This is why they aren't using them so much anymore in Iraq.
What would be FAR more useful are carbon nano-tube suits that you could outfit every soldier with. They would be LIGHT and strong. They would allow our guys to go in with numbers and engage a guerilla enemy on their terms.
On the armor front tanks need to become lighter and faster. The ability to rapidly deploy will become more important in future engagements. Again, carbon nano-tube meshes will be important.
Oh yeah, and a little air conditioning would help those guys in the suits as well.
-------- -------- Support Wesley Clark for president!!!
The greatest ATV on earth is a billy goat.
You can talk about wheels all you want, but all you'd be doing is turning a soldier into a Dalek. They have cool laser beams but they're totally defeated by stairs.
The boys over at NASA keep pounding their brains trying to figure out the most efficient, most manueverable designs for roving around Mars. At the end of the day, what they'd really like is something that could walk like a human (or that cool bot from "Red Planet").
-------- -------- Support Wesley Clark for president!!!
We're getting better at doing anti-missle stuff. Electronics that make the missles go haywire and hit a family home instead of your helicopter will become better in the future.
Air supremacy will always be a key to "controlling" the battlefield. If the Iraqi insurgents had air supremacy we would be out of Iraq by now.
-------- -------- Support Wesley Clark for president!!!
My father has about the same mobility problems. Arthritis and two knee replacements.
If you add a weight bearing harness to such a rig, you can transfer the upper body weight off the bio-legs and onto the exo-skeleton.
Than the issue would simply be making an effective and comfortable harness. I could see such systems replacing those scooters we see all over the place.
If the bio-guys are right and they can remotely tap the brainstem for signals, I can easily see how this could replace wheelchairs for Parapalegics. Quads would be more difficult since they often require respiration help.
-------- -------- Support Wesley Clark for president!!!
Eventually, fuel cells will replace battery packs.
Of course, with Toshiba's new badass lithium-ion quick chargers, the use for batteries may be extended.
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Sure they did
Modern soldiers don't march extended distances. They get ONTO trucks (these days Armored personnell carriers) they get to their patrol area and then they patrol. When returning to base they get back ON their APCs.
One of the greatest advances in the Civil War was powered troop delivery via train. The North developed an effective "RAIL SUPREMACY" that allowed them to tire down the South.
-------- -------- Support Wesley Clark for president!!!
Japan is kinda stuck in these pay for defense agreements with the US. But we're learning that the larger cost of war for democracies isn't monetary, it's political. How many boys come home in bodybags.
We NEED a strong Japan to act as an active bulwark against the likes of N Korea and Japan.
China as a communist nation was ineffective and laughable. All communist societies eventually collapse from their own internal inefficiencies (Reagan nearly pushed a sick Giant over after it had been pummelled over the decades).
The "NEW" China is more akin to Nazi Germany. A Capitalistic, Fascist society where governance is performed by a close "inner circle" with approval of cynical business interests. This "New China" is a scary beasts.
I'm not sure why people believe that free enterprise will bring Democracy to China. Unregulated markets are the natural state of economies and they have ALWAYS created a natural inclination for feudalistic systems where a few powerful brokers govern a large impovershed class.
No, we need a strong Japan now.
-------- -------- Support Wesley Clark for president!!!
Mech paintball anyone? Mech laser tag? Mechwarrior wargames even?
Mens et Manus
considering the size of most /. readers...
Perfect for military purposes... now they need to make a stealth model that will allow wearers to be something other than a target.
Wars without the Conventions would result in vastly larger numbers of mutilated but not killed soldiers on all sides, no matter what. The Conventions make it the single focus in war to kill the opponents until such time as the opponent surrenders. Your fantasies of constant and total wars everywhere are foolish. Wars serve political purposes, and all nations that have signed the Conventions have agreed on those precepts with beneficial result for all. Withdrawal from the Convention and class your nation no higher than the former Somalian rebels, no matter how may weapons of different types you have. Ruthlessness will bring destruction only. Study real international relations and the real diplomacy that includes force but does not defer to it by default for political shortcuts.
Yes it is true that in the past, bi-pedal walkers were less energy efficient. But the new ones have enhanced algorithyms that are designed to conserve momentum. The most modern ones no longer do the "step by step" movement, but instead "flow", absorbing energy and storing it as needed.
Will they match wheeled travel on roads? (Cars) No. But they will beat off road Tracked vehicles (tanks).
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The most obvious weapon I can think of would be a .50 caliber heavy machine gun.
I don't think that there would be a real advantage in bigger guns, but rather having the capacity to carry more supplies, and communications gear. Combat isn't won or lost by having bigger guns, it is won by having better information and supply capabilities.
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
Anyone who has ever moved would love one of these.
You are, of course, forgetting the aweful effects of the super-concentrated Blipvert commercials! 1 second of Blipvert was enough to cause a man's head to explode! Imagine that power harnessed toward stomping around on people in a bad-ass metallic 'mech!
-- Let him who is without spelling error ignite the first flame --
Did anyone notice the name Cyberdyne, for the company that is going to sell these things? Am I the only one to think about Terminator movies?
"Beware, would-be evildoers," Hawking said. "My crimefighting powers are as infinite and unknowable as the very universe itself."
You must not know your history very well
Japan has always had a defence force, with a very healthy budget comparable to all the other nation in the region; it is dependent on America somewhat for defence (as is Taiwan, NATO bloc, Saudi Arabia etc), but any implication that it's dependent on America would be false.
Also, your textbook example, please refrain from commenting on topics that you have no idea about. There are sections in Japanese high schools that have always tried to cover up, and lighten, the autrosities commited by the Japanese. The Japanese Constitution was made after WW2 in light of the events that lead to it, and hence the lack of a "Standing Army", but there is a large defence force (which also saw action in IRAQ by the way if you didn't know) that is well equipped and trained.
[i]What are you doing Dave?[/i]
I'm not at all fond of violence, but if they're planning to do it, then... hopefully some time after the armour plating, or at least a well-developed running ability with good suspension ;)
The loss of mobility would make it not worth using. Once a firefight starts, its all about cover and concealment... not armor. Kevlar helmets aren't meant to stop a bullet, they're meant to deflect a stray one. The robot would not be able to stop multiple rpg hits and it'd be more likely to take a hit because you'd be unable to get into the prone position.
Frankly I'd rather be prone behind some cover then standing up with thick armor.
A mech would be better suited to increase load capacity as another poster said.. something attached to legs only, that can help them carry another 90 lbs. Better yet would be an independent robot mule, to carry ammo.
Don't ask me how they managed to make a small enough reactor though.
Unfortunately, the best we have in terms of density is hydrocarbon fuel. Nuclear would be nice, or anti-matter, provided someone gets it to work on a small unit.
While I agree with most of your post, I'd have to take a squad of comparatively armored mechs against M1's any day. Being a former M1A1 gunner, mechs would be a nightmare. They'd have the mobility and reaction time of infantry with the armor and fire power of a tank. Their larger size would be my only advantage, and 8' x 3' isn't that much larger, at range, from a human. Firing the main gun takes patience and timing. Hell, you have to walk the rounds into troops firing the coax machine gun, which is 7.62 and wouldn't do much damage to the mechs. A platoon of M1's backed up by light infantry would be a different story, though.
"It's not the despair, I can take the despair, it's the hope that's killing me!"
I wonder, though, how those mechs would do against, say, comparatively armored humvees with a 2-man crew each? Probably not too well, particularly if the MVs have mark19s and .50 cal evenly distributed from HV to HV (ie, 5 with m-19 and 5 with .50 cal or whatever). (Or is that mk-17?)
The HVs would be faster and likely have better firepower. Unless, of course, the mechs had a high amount of accuracy machinery built in instead of relying on the soldier's aim.
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