> screw nanotechonology, exoskeletons are here

[miles teg 1]

Quote[/b] ]I dont see any use for these legs in the military, maybe in other places.

I think a more complete body of exoskeleton would be more useful. You would not need tow vehicles since you could have powersoldiers that pull tanks out of ditches and stuff

I really dont think these legs are of any use in special forces since they make so much noice you will be heard from long distances.

SF do much more then just sneak around. SF are also trained to do heavy assaults and hostage rescues in which heavy body armor is very useful. An exoskeleton could give them that heavy body armor without sacrificing speed as long as the system isn't too clumsy (like for going up stairs and stuff).

Much depends on the situation. Soldiers in these suits could also carry large heavy ballistics shields to help provide cover for assault troops behind them. These Israelies have such shields for some of their troops but one complaint is that they are too heavy and cumbersome to carry around everywhere. They also are not that big.

Quote[/b] ]

SWAT could use this technology if they made really well armoured suits and they could walk through walls and stuff and dont have to fear normal guns or grenades

Well I don't know about walking through walls... you need a tank or some explosives to make a serious hole in a wall...punching and kicking at a wall just doesn't do it usually, even I imagine, if you had a powerful exo-skeleton suit.

Quote[/b] ]

But seriously. I think this technology could be very useful in the future when you need some extra power and dont want to use AI or some inaccurate controls. It will probably be alot easier to do the things you want to do if you get extra power from an exoskeleton rather than a crane or something.

I don't think such a suit would replace a crane... maybe perhaps a very small forklift like a Bobcat forklift.

For military construction teams however it would certainly help alot for moving building supplies around, moving generators, operating heavy jack hammers, ect... ect...

I can definitely see civilian construction workers using these suits... well at least the higher end large construction companies that could afford such suits.

Instead of an attachable gun on the arm, you'd have an attachable "nail gun" with a belt of nails as well as attachments for power drills, jack hammers and all kinds of other tools. The savings in manpower and in work related injuries alone (from heavy lifting) would probably justify the cost of such suits.

Chris G.

aka-Miles Teg<GD>

[Assault (CAN) 1]

Hey, wait a minute!

Didn't the cold war end more than a decade ago?

Well, I guess if your out for world domination you're going to need all those fancy weapons. j/k

Tyler

[Longinius 1]

I can think of several military applications actually. A friend of mine used to serve as a member of a mobile AT unit. They had to carry loads of heavy stuff, ammo for example, over long stretches. This would probably be quite useful for them.

Other people that could benefit would possibly medics or repair crews, having to carry heavy loads but not wanting to be slowed down.

At any rate, that isnt a finished product. Its just a taste of what to come. Imagine a full exo suit like that.

[cozza 24]

damn i hate technolodgy for defence today. Make them carry there own bags. I like the days of GIs running around not all this technolodgy crap doing for them.

One day the country that use's all this technodgly will loose it all and be sent to the stone age

[raedor 8]

"i don't know with which weapons they'll fight in world war III, but i know that they'll fight in world war IV with arrow and bow." (free after a. einstein)

[InqWiper 0]

Quote[/b] ]SWAT could use this technology if they made really well armoured suits and they could walk through walls and stuff and dont have to fear normal guns or grenades

This was just a joke.

Quote[/b] ]I don't think such a suit would replace a crane... maybe perhaps a very small forklift like a Bobcat forklift.

A Bobcat forklift was what I had in mind but didnt know what it was called in english, so I said crane, and did not mean one of those large cranes that they use for building tall buildings

[The Frenchman 0]

I can just picture what is to happen next.

The year is 2006:

<span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:15pt;line-height:100%'>Meet the new design for the weapons specialist's uniform!</span></span>

[Hit_Sqd_Maximus 0]

A Bobcat forklift was what I had in mind but didnt know what it was called in english, so I said crane, and did not mean one of those large cranes that they use for building tall buildings  

Bobcat's forklifts arent very smal.

[Gollum1 0]

damn i hate technolodgy for defence today. Make them carry there own bags. I like the days of GIs running around not all this technolodgy crap doing for them.

Militaries are for winning wars, not for making sure their soldiers aren't lazy. The point of the exoskeleton is to enable a soldier to carry MORE, and be able to move longer and faster, and be more rested when the battle commences. I assure you that the military wouldn't buy million/billion dollar equipment to make their soldiers lazier and fatter, it's to make them more effective as infantrymen.

To the other point: Lose their technology? So then we should live in caves and not try to develop technology because we'll end up back in our caves sooner or later anyway...I don't understand your reasoning.

@radeor: actually, that quote ends with "sticks and stones", altough it isn't really true, "world" wars are only possible by fast communications and transportation, right?

[Balschoiw 0]

Quote[/b] ]I assure you that the military wouldn't buy million/billion dollar equipment to make their soldiers lazier and fatter, it's to make them more effective as infantrymen.

You don´t think so ?

Companies want contracts. Companies have their men in the military. Men decide what the military needs. Get the idea ?

Inventions for military are not necessarily useful. Sometimes they make the comapnies fat and the military personel headbanging.

[bn880 5]

Well I for one think this will have a use if it's reliable. You don't exactly want to be totally freaking tired after traveling on foot for a whole day, when you may face a firefight or other problems at the end of the journey. And you might not even have time to sleep, so to heck with people who say "get muscle", because it is humanly impossible not to be tired after carrying over 100LBS all day.

Isn't the objective to be as alert and capable as possible whenever you actually get to the destination...

[Gollum1 0]

Quote[/b] ]I assure you that the military wouldn't buy million/billion dollar equipment to make their soldiers lazier and fatter, it's to make them more effective as infantrymen.

You don´t think so ?

Companies want contracts. Companies have their men in the military. Men decide what the military needs. Get the idea ?

Inventions for military are not necessarily useful. Sometimes they make the comapnies fat and the military personel headbanging.

That may well be true, sorry, I emphasize the first part about making soldiers more comfortable and lazy.

[Necromancer- 0]

Imagine arm-wrestling with that mofo.

[Longinius 1]

Actually, I think the quote is...

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

But the sentiment is the same I guess.

[Baphomet 0]

Quote[/b] ]Hi all

Why dont they use mules? You can eat them too when they die.

Kind Regards Walker

Oh. Yes. Spoken like a true soldier.

That's beautiful.

Well judging from the video. They're noisy. The guy walking around in them looked more like he was waddling. He was also a fat bastard. The combination of these three things does not make for the ideal soldier.  

Might be good for someone like me with a fucked knee though.

I can see something like this going the way of the OICW or the Commanche.

Why not use mules? Because then the United States government couldn't rack up a few billion dollars trying to make a program like this work and inevitably fail.

Maybe in the far far future they'll have armored exoskeletons, not necessarily powered, using some kind of polymer yet to be made. Perhaps an all weather survival suit incorporated into it or something. However I don't think that slow hunk of junk will garner more than a few laughs from any OPfor who happen to see a soldier wearing it.

As far as getting tired after walking, or at least sore. That has to do with oxidation of a certain biological chemical in the muscles doesn't it? I heard that supplementing with creatinine helps you retain water so you don't get as stiff and sore and dehydrated. I'm pretty sure biotechnology would better suit alleviating the ailments of the errant soldier than something like that would.

[Longinius 1]

Just saw a documentary on Discovery about military robots and hi-tech inventions. One of the things they discussed was exoskeletons and how useful it could be in for example riot situations...

[miles teg 1]

As far as getting tired after walking, or at least sore. That has to do with oxidation of a certain biological chemical in the muscles doesn't it? I heard that supplementing with creatinine helps you retain water so you don't get as stiff and sore and dehydrated. I'm pretty sure biotechnology would better suit alleviating the ailments of the errant soldier than something like that would.

Being stiff, sore, or dehydrated is not the problem after a long march...it simply is being TIRED.  The US Army I can assure you is VERY VERY careful to make sure that soldiers are extremely well hydrated.   Drinking water is one of the biggest things that soldiers remind each other to do and unless you are short on water, you drink gallons of it every day during times of physical activity outdoors.  That is the reason they made that "camelback" thermally insulated canteen that mounts on the back of a soldier with a flexible drinking hose.  That kind of equipment shows the importance of water to the US Army soldier.  You rarely see other armies carrying that much water.

In the Army I've done hard manual labor all day out in the deserts of Nevada and Egypt and I can attest to the fact that if you keep your body well hydrated you can work very well in extremely hot temperatures.   Also staying hydrated helps prevent frostbite as well in extreme cold temperatures.

Anyhoo...  water isn't the problem.   Just fatigue from long marches which is why the exoskeleton is not a bad idea especially if it allows a soldier to run for long distances with a heavy combat load.

Chris G.

aka-Miles Teg<GD>

[Konyak-2 0]

Might be good for someone like me with a fucked knee though.

That's more like it

When I saw the video, I thought, here's the wheelchair of the future. Seemed silly to have a "fat bastard" in camo trying the thing out, as I could only see this as a godsend for people who have lost, or lost use of, their legs. Now, I know at this stage the skeleton is dependent on actual human legs for balance, but they are already able to hook up nerves to electronics so perhaps it's not so distant.

But, this is a military forum Looking at that gleeming, complex mechanism and thinking of it in a palce like Iraq... well, if they can't keep sand out of an M-16!!

Konyak

[MLF 0]

Just remember this is in early stages of development, and i like all those who say fuck technology and that this would make soldiers lazy etc etc because if it was up to you wed all be throwing stone at each other.

[raedor 8]

@radeor: actually, that quote ends with "sticks and stones", altough it isn't really true, "world" wars are only possible by fast communications and transportation, right?

Actually, I think the quote is...

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

But the sentiment is the same I guess.

i translated it from german (back to?) english. afaik in the german version it's "arrow and bow"/"pfeil und bogen"...

[InqWiper 0]

A Bobcat forklift was what I had in mind but didnt know what it was called in english, so I said crane, and did not mean one of those large cranes that they use for building tall buildings  

Bobcat's forklifts arent very smal.  

img]http://www.leachlewis.com/sales/bobcat/machines/t3093s.jpg/img]

Ok, so that thing wasnt so small. What I had in mind was something like this:

[Commander-598 0]

Am I the only one who sees the connection with Halo's MJOLNIR armor?

[KaRRiLLioN 0]

While it looks sort of useless for the military right now, I'm sure it'll be refined and upgraded. I think this will someday replace the wheelchair. Instead, you get your own exoskeleton to prop up your weak legs.

I can see something like this being used at supply bases, etc., for rearming vehicles maybe. The guys can carry heavier loads with it, although this is just a sort of leg/back support version. It'll be more practical if it helps the arms as well.

Hydraulics probably won't be the way to go, though. Those synthetic "muscle-suits" which actually have super-strong carbon fibers (made of nano-tubes) which will contract and release with small doses of electrical stimulus will be the wave of the future. Then it'd be more like wearing a skin-tight outfit, instead of being like Robo-cop.

[Baron Hurlothrumbo IIX 0]

Am I the only one who sees the connection with Halo's MJOLNIR armor?

...because Halo was the first thing to think of exoskeleton style suits .....

[The Frenchman 0]

Am I the only one who sees the connection with Halo's MJOLNIR armor?

...because Halo was the first thing to think of exoskeleton style suits .....

...and the first to make them look cool.