Military Exoskeleton

[TedTheDog]

I'm reading in my Janes defence weekly that the yanks are developing a "strap on exoskeleton" that allows troops to carry heavier loads for longer without being exhausted by it.
Current heaviest combat loadouts peak at about 55 - 60kg and thats pretty fucking tiring to hump up a mountain I'd guess.
So this thing is being developed to act as a load bearing wearable robot. Straps onto the back and "lower body" and it follows the users movements using sensors in it and under the feet of the wearer.
Its powered by a propane or petrol engine (some how, they dont go into detail obviously), but will eventually run on JP-8 aviation fuel and can run for upto 24hours on a single tank of fuel.

One suggested use of it is to allow soldiers to wear far heavier body armour when fighting in cities. They say "its not intended to create a superhuman killing machine", its purely for carrying addition weight. "..more than 100kg.." even up a mountain.

The prototype is expected to start trials in 2005 and should be in full service within 5 years after that.

Man, thats just SO Sci-Fi.......

 

[Brynn]

Like the Yellow power loader in Aliens?

 

[TedTheDog]

Like the Yellow power loader in Aliens?

Thats the thing that popped into my head too.

 

[dysfunction]

Or like those things in Matrix Revolutions...except that they were used primarily as a weapon.

 

[xane]

 

[Frizz]

Hmmm, sounds like a small step towards piloting a Wanzer from the Front Mission series.

 

[worMatty]

Unreal 2, anyone?

The Americans are messing with energy shields too, aren't they? That set off missiles before they reach their targets by using waves and stuff?

 

[Loxleyhood]

Just another thing British forces cannot afford.

 

[babs]

Personally I liked the sound of the nano-paint for tanks that could render them invisible

 

[Sharma]

Heh, all this stuff that you saw in Sci-fi movies a while back is all starting to come into the world of reality, of course they SAY its not going to make superhuman killing machines, of course maybe not that but they can perhaps make soldiers much much much more harder to kill in warfare due to masses of armour, sounds like something from PS tbh...

<imagines something resembling MAX's blowing the shit out of things>

What an odd thought...

 

[xane]

I think Skynet comes online next month ...

 

[jaba]

no microsoft said it wont be ready for at least another few months

 

[Jonaldo]

I've almost finished my first lightsabre, will be on ebay early next month.

 

[Uncle Sick]

Well, Jules Verne predicted submarines, the H-bomb and other now common gadgets over a hundred years ago. I think alot of majiggers sci-fi authors describe in their books inspire weapons designers. Who knows.

Laser rifles and drop ships next, gentlemen.

 

[RandomBastard]

Exoskeletons are popular in lots of scifi things so there bound to influence real world inventers. Other than military applications tho, there are things like using it as a kinda of work tool like a fork lift, welder, things etc. Oh and it could be use for paralysed people with an appropriate interface.

 

[worMatty]

#1939398 Error in RPC handling in Skynet
A bug has been found that could potentially let attackers execute code on your system. For example, an attacker could create, edit, delete and copy files and control Weapons of Mass Destruction...

 

[Scooba da Bass]

Oh and it could be use for paralysed people with an appropriate interface.

I for one welcome our new overlord, Stephen Hawkin.

 

[Uncle Sick]

I for one welcome our new overlord, Stephen Hawkin.

He will exact bloody revenge on the guy who left him out in the sun.

 

[Bullitt]

Its powered by a propane or petrol engine

Sweet, explody robot soldiers!

 

[.Wilier.]

............. but will eventually run on JP-8 aviation fuel and can run for upto 24hours on a single tank of fuel.............

Erm, scary explosive stuff there.

 

[Cyradix]

I think Skynet comes online next month ...

My ISP : http://www.skynet.be/

 

[raw]

cool, i guess soon we'll be able to buy hover boards like out of back to the future 2

 

[Jupitus]

no microsoft said it wont be ready for at least another few months

When did that ever stop them releasing software ?

Oh, and Ted? OLD!!!

 

[xane]

My ISP : http://www.skynet.be/

OMG ! The ultimate destroyer - Skynet AND Belgium

 

[Insane]

When i think of exoskeletons, i somehow come up with this...

nobody else suddenly think of Battletech?

and as dys said, the Matrix APU
(photo gloriously stolen from Forbiddenplanetstore.com)

 

[Dubbs]

Am I being bl**dy stupid or why can't they just make the loads that are required lighter? It must be cheaper to develop lighter materials and/or produce more carbon fibre based products for lightness?

The soldier is bound to end up less manoeuverable, a larger target, and limited vision, speed, etc.,

Imagine if his exo-skeleton has been disable somehow (without him being turned into a human firework) and he needs to run for cover.... no chance when his 70kg pack and 150kg Exo are suddenly helpless and he's strapped in for the ride.

 

[Deadmanwalking]

Am I being bl**dy stupid or why can't they just make the loads that are required lighter? It must be cheaper to develop lighter materials and/or produce more carbon fibre based products for lightness?

The soldier is bound to end up less manoeuverable, a larger target, and limited vision, speed, etc.,

Imagine if his exo-skeleton has been disable somehow (without him being turned into a human firework) and he needs to run for cover.... no chance when his 70kg pack and 150kg Exo are suddenly helpless and he's strapped in for the ride.

The type or troops that have to carry such large weights are special forces or specialist troops.

All the stuff they carry is deemed needed. They travel 'light' as it were in order to cut down on the weight carried, but what they do carry is what is needed to allow them to do the job and do it well. And in most cases they carry most of the weight while not in direct combat.

The modern soldier is even now very far removed from even WW2 soldiers. What with the new HUDs and computers allowing a single soldier to direct immense amounts of firepower, well beyond what they could manage before.

 

[TdC]

Thats the thing that popped into my head too.

and me. I shouted "GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BITCH!!!!" and scared a cow-worker into spilling his coffee.

 

[DaGaffer]

Power armour was predicted by Robert Heinlein in the 50s (the original Starship Troopers novel fact fans). Of course, his version was nuclear-powered and troops could leap tall buildings with it. Somehow a petrol-powered version just doesn't seem right. Aren't the bad guys going to hear these clanking mechanoids from miles away?

 

[Deadmanwalking]

Aren't the bad guys going to hear these clanking mechanoids from miles away?

I think it is more for moving the troops and equipment needed to places usually reserved for choppers or parachuting. IE A bloody big mountain, that only the lightest troops can get up.