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Posted: 5/2/2013 6:26:56 AM EDT
[#1]
The power source is the major hurdle. We have some of the most advanced equipment but we still use AA batteries to power them. They are great but you can only use them for 15 minutes. Same reason electric cars are bunk. power storage.
Quoted:
DARPA's Legged Squad Support System Raytheon XOS Gen2 Exoskeleton What is the greatest technological challenge to overcome? Technologically speaking we seem to have the computing power and hardware needed to control these machines. Existing armor and weapons are small/light enough to use. Is power source the greatest challenge? |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 6:27:09 AM EDT
[#2]
My avatar has the power armor I want!
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Posted: 5/2/2013 6:30:15 AM EDT
[#3]
Absolutely. Hyper-efficient energy storage is the new grail. I hope it gets cracked by an American, but my second choice would have to be Israel.... just for the irony.
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Posted: 5/2/2013 6:32:27 AM EDT
[#4]
Sounds fun...sign me up
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Posted: 5/2/2013 6:34:13 AM EDT
[#5]
I totally read the thread title as "How far are we from a flaming armored suit?"
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Posted: 5/2/2013 6:36:53 AM EDT
[#6]
You got it, OP. energy is the limiting factor...and cost.
Somehow I don't see us finding funding for even 10,000 suits of power armor these days, no matter how bad ass it is. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 6:40:19 AM EDT
[#7]
Quoted:
You got it, OP. energy is the limiting factor...and cost. Somehow I don't see us finding funding for even 10,000 suits of power armor these days, no matter how bad ass it is. In the sci-fi wargame Renegade Legion (by the now defunct FASA) the power armor infantry would have to hook up to their APCs to recharge their suits regularly. Of course the vehicles were all anti-gravity hover tanks, IFVs, APCs etc. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 6:43:50 AM EDT
[#8]
a potential problem with super batteries - you absolutely have to prevent accidental release of all the power at the same time. Image the fun if it got shorted out? Reminds me of the blowing up the electric car in Demolition Man. As it is today, there are plenty of cases of people being burned with lithium batteries shorted in their pockets - they burn quite well when shorted.
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Posted: 5/2/2013 6:49:01 AM EDT
[#9]
Quoted: a potential problem with super batteries - you absolutely have to prevent accidental release of all the power at the same time. Image the fun if it got shorted out? Reminds me of the blowing up the electric car in Demolition Man. As it is today, there are plenty of cases of people being burned with lithium batteries shorted in their pockets - they burn quite well when shorted. Uncontrolled release of stored energy is the definition of a bomb. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 6:53:05 AM EDT
[#10]
Quoted:
My avatar has the power armor I want! Get that Mark VII Aquila shit out of here. Mark IV Maximus was the peak of power armor development. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 6:54:52 AM EDT
[#11]
Surface loading seems like it would become a problem pretty quickly.
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:04:34 AM EDT
[#12]
Quoted:
Surface loading seems like it would become a problem pretty quickly. Depends where you are fighting. On soft wet ground absolutely. Not so much in the desert. I have more faith in improvements in materials technology then I do an alternative power source in the short term. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:06:47 AM EDT
[#13]
Quoted:
Absolutely. Hyper-efficient energy storage is the new grail. I hope it gets cracked by an American, but my second choice would have to be Israel.... just for the irony. I don't care who does it. New portable energy storage devices will change the world. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:08:56 AM EDT
[#14]
A suit? Likely not.
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:12:13 AM EDT
[#15]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Absolutely. Hyper-efficient energy storage is the new grail. I hope it gets cracked by an American, but my second choice would have to be Israel.... just for the irony. I don't care who does it. New portable energy storage devices will change the world. Indeed... but watching the near-instantaneous reversal of so many industrial countries' Middle-East policies would be hilarious... it might make time go backwards like in Superman. 
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:12:59 AM EDT
[#16]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Absolutely. Hyper-efficient energy storage is the new grail. I hope it gets cracked by an American, but my second choice would have to be Israel.... just for the irony. I don't care who does it. New portable energy storage devices will change the world. Graphene capacitors would fit that bill, too bad the federal government has placed so many restrictions on graphene they effectively outlawed it. Nano-materials might cause cancer after all 
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:16:45 AM EDT
[#17]
Why make it a suit? That adds around 200 pounds of useless meat. Room that could be used for more batteries or ammo.
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:16:54 AM EDT
[#18]
We put small LFTR reactors in satellites........ a big suit with a small reactor might be cool.
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:20:28 AM EDT
[#19]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Surface loading seems like it would become a problem pretty quickly. Depends where you are fighting. On soft wet ground absolutely. Not so much in the desert. I have more faith in improvements in materials technology then I do an alternative power source in the short term. IIRC,in shorts T-shirt, and flip flops, ground pressure for a human foot is around 11 PSI vs. 15 PSI or so for an Abrams-get up to around 800 lbs or so in a fighting suit with gear and ammo and you're going have lots of problems to solve. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:21:36 AM EDT
[#20]
Quoted:
Why make it a suit? That adds around 200 pounds of useless meat. Room that could be used for more batteries or ammo. Some sci-fi authors have already suggested "Enderbots." |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:23:26 AM EDT
[#21]
Quoted:
Quoted:
My avatar has the power armor I want! Get that Mark VII Aquila shit out of here. Mark IV Maximus was the peak of power armor development. Mark 6 Beakie suit had the most style. I'm REALLY old school. Loves me the Beakies.
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:25:27 AM EDT
[#22]
Quoted:
We put small LFTR reactors in satellites........ a big suit with a small reactor might be cool. Instead of a big suit we could just build a Mech. Somebody develop PPCs and shit. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:25:40 AM EDT
[#23]
This kid wants to be marketing small portable molten salt modular fission reactors in about 5 years. He already built one reactor when he was 14.
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:26:19 AM EDT
[#24]
87
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:27:04 AM EDT
[#25]
Quoted:
Why make it a suit? That adds around 200 pounds of useless meat. Room that could be used for more batteries or ammo. And for that matter, why make it bipedal? |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:29:07 AM EDT
[#26]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Why make it a suit? That adds around 200 pounds of useless meat. Room that could be used for more batteries or ammo. And for that matter, why make it bipedal? No kidding. A less stable platform with more frontal area to shoot at. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:29:28 AM EDT
[#27]
Quoted: Indeed... but watching the near-instantaneous reversal of so many industrial countries' Middle-East policies would be hilarious... it might make time go backwards like in Superman. There would be changes - but ultimately energy is energy - changes in how it is stored and distributed probably will not decrease total consumption. (Consumption will change only to the extent that the distribution method has less parasitic loss, and to the extent it allows for more efficient means of converting available energy to usable energy (changing chemical energy to electrical energy to kinetic energy). |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:29:48 AM EDT
[#28]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Why make it a suit? That adds around 200 pounds of useless meat. Room that could be used for more batteries or ammo. And for that matter, why make it bipedal? Ok we will just build a drone tank. Now GTFO and leave us to our nerd musings. 
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:29:57 AM EDT
[#29]
Quoted:
Quoted:
My avatar has the power armor I want! Get that Mark VII Aquila shit out of here. Mark IV Maximus was the peak of power armor development. Mk IV is built out of pure sex... beats the shit out of Mk VI duckies.  But for what it's worth, my Deathwatch character has Mk VII with a Mk VIII chestplate. 
As to the OP... As awesome as the idea is, I just can't find much tactical need for something like that. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:30:05 AM EDT
[#30]
I've been playing MechWarrior for years brah
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:30:19 AM EDT
[#31]
Quoted:
I totally read the thread title as "How far are we from a flaming armored suit?" F.A.S.* is working on one of those right now. *Fabulous Armor Systems |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:31:39 AM EDT
[#32]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Absolutely. Hyper-efficient energy storage is the new grail. I hope it gets cracked by an American, but my second choice would have to be Israel.... just for the irony. I don't care who does it. New portable energy storage devices will change the world. Graphene capacitors would fit that bill, too bad the federal government has placed so many restrictions on graphene they effectively outlawed it. Nano-materials might cause cancer after all I wouldn't call that statement accurate. At least on the research side, the federal government spends a decent amount of money funding energy storage/generation technology, including grapheme research. I've also never run into any sort of restrictive regulations regarding nano materials. That may be completely different on the manufacturing side. Also, graphene is not a panacea. Making high energy density capacitors is not as simple as rolling up a sheet of grapheme. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:32:36 AM EDT
[#33]
my brother is in ceramics and works for a goverment defense contractor, one project he is working on is acutally materials for such a suit. he says they do some pretty cool experiements with all kinds of materials.
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:33:29 AM EDT
[#34]
The tethered XOS suit is supposed to enter service in the Army in 2015, and an untethered version around 5 years later. While these suits are designed for moving heavy items, you can bet someone is attaching weapons and armor to it. I think having a good power source is the limiting factor.
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:33:34 AM EDT
[#35]
Quoted: Last thing we need is a new armored suite nicknamed a Zippo or Bic, given we already had a RonsonUncontrolled release of stored energy is the definition of a bomb. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:34:11 AM EDT
[#36]
On the bounce...
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:35:29 AM EDT
[#37]
Dunno, it just makes more sense to me to have a remotely controlled/slave rigged robot with a human as the remote controller. Engineered for combat without the concerns of maintaining life for the occupant.
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:37:11 AM EDT
[#38]
Quoted:
my brother is in ceramics and works for a goverment defense contractor, one project he is working on is acutally materials for such a suit. he says they do some pretty cool experiements with all kinds of materials. Tell him to let someone else worry about the ceramic hardsuit, I just want a flashgun already. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:38:11 AM EDT
[#39]
Quoted:
Quoted:
We put small LFTR reactors in satellites........ a big suit with a small reactor might be cool. Instead of a big suit we could just build a Mech. Somebody develop PPCs and shit. Did somebody say "Mech"?
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:43:56 AM EDT
[#40]
I'd be willing to bet that the research will get rolled into ground drones instead. Autonomous ones that require no operator, and therefore will not question or report orders to fire upon civilians.
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:44:41 AM EDT
[#41]
Quoted:
The tethered XOS suit is supposed to enter service in the Army in 2015, and an untethered version around 5 years later. While these suits are designed for moving heavy items, you can bet someone is attaching weapons and armor to it. I think having a good power source is the limiting factor. This is where the truly beneficial aspects will be seen, in logistics. Having a few of these suits at an LSA to help with loading and unloading logistics vehicles will drastically improve turn around time. Forklifts are great but there are only a few in each unit and they are slow and cumbersome. Not to mention they can't operate in rough terrain or on uneven ground. Power suits could be used anywhere, even when we take supplies to the forward deployed combat units. Hand carrying 500 rounds of 155MM to the gun line gets a wee bit tiresome. Having a power suit would be the tits. Especially if we could re-charge it off the trucks in between missions. <------------88M logistics nerd in an artillery Batallion. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:46:05 AM EDT
[#42]
Forget energy storage. We need power production. Something similar to microfusion cells from the Fallout universe. Power the suits from a miniturized production source. Unfortunately that's likely even further out there than super batteries.
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Posted: 5/2/2013 7:51:33 AM EDT
[#43]
What is the differance between an MRE powered lightly armored suit, vs a heavily armored pelletized thorium bed reactor? all comes down to power and efficency of delivery of that power. if you compare the soldier from 1860 to teh soldier of 2010 you would see that the ability to shoot move communicate while under fire has undergone that sort of change. in 1800 you got hit by the enemy's main rifle in the chest you were DOWN(58 caliber 470 grain minnie ball, yeah you were out of the fight). The generals then DREAMED of caloricly dense foods like MRE(ok nightmares), guns weighed under 10 lbs but could shoot accuratly 600 yards, resuppyl that could be soaked in water and still be fine, communication across the battle field with HQ in 2 seconds or communication with another company to set an ambush, soldiers who could take a hit and pop right back up(SAPI plate), ability to carry a whole 210 rounds(or more), sustained rate of fire that was at least 10 rounds per minute, didn't get measles or mumps, The modern american soldier IS the Armored fighting suit of the 1800's.
give us 150 years and we should have them. Firearms will be accecpted as fine, because they will be like matchlock muskets compared to the rayguns of the era. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 8:07:13 AM EDT
[#44]
Quoted:
I've been playing MechWarrior for years brah I just hope the police get them first. 
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Posted: 5/2/2013 8:17:00 AM EDT
[#45]
Tony Stark built one in a cave... With a box of scraps!
...just saying
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Posted: 5/2/2013 8:27:53 AM EDT
[#46]
power supply
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Posted: 5/2/2013 8:38:24 AM EDT
[#47]
Why put meat in it?
Why make it bipedal? Envision something like a heavily armed spider operating autonomously, maybe in support of infantry or armor. Of course, nothing could possibly go wrong with this scenario. Enjoy your nightmares, GD 
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Posted: 5/2/2013 8:47:58 AM EDT
[#48]
We will have terminators long before Iron Man suits. How long before we get some sort of useful zero point energy generator/battery? Is there anyway to store energy from the person using the suit and then release it when needed? Lightweight armor, something like an exoskeleton might be able to prevent some common injuries. Strains and sprains if designed and fitted correctly. No more twisted ankles or torn ligaments. Many of the materials are already out there, some are yet to be developed. You might be able to be bullet resistant and flame retardant. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 8:48:17 AM EDT
[#49]
Quoted:
You got it, OP. energy is the limiting factor...and cost. Somehow I don't see us finding funding for even 10,000 suits of power armor these days, no matter how bad ass it is. It seems like there would be more to it. If two men can move 200lbs of weapons and ammo on the battlefield faster than 1 man in a suit, are not those two men more effective? There seems to be more than just strength required. This looks, in it's current form, like a great idea for people arming aircraft, moving heavy parts around, etc. But there is more than just power consumption keeping this tech off the front lines. |
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Posted: 5/2/2013 8:51:24 AM EDT
[#50]
50+
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