Heinlein would be very proud. Starship troopers is born.

[Gaffer]

I'm sure many here have never read Heinlein's book Starship Troopers, which came out back in the 50's, or have only seen the movie which sucked so bad any copies need to be thrown in the nearest trash can.

But this article is the start of the "suits". The troopers jumpsuit.

http://www.businessinsider.com/hulc-lockheed-martin-2011-7?op=1#ixzz1RKfw4XwC

[Kathianne]

I'm sure many here have never read Heinlein's book Starship Troopers, which came out back in the 50's, or have only seen the movie which sucked so bad any copies need to be thrown in the nearest trash can.

But this article is the start of the "suits". The troopers jumpsuit.

http://www.businessinsider.com/hulc-lockheed-martin-2011-7?op=1#ixzz1RKfw4XwC

Wow!

[Gaffer]

Wow!

That's what I said when I saw this article. This is the start of the very suit he described in that book. And the book was as much about the jumpsuit as it was about the people.

[Kathianne]

That's what I said when I saw this article. This is the start of the very suit he described in that book. And the book was as much about the jumpsuit as it was about the people.

I think in the future old people are going to be able to get around a whole lot better. ;)

[Gaffer]

I think in the future old people are going to be able to get around a whole lot better. ;)

Yeah I agree, I could use one of those right now.

[Kathianne]

Yeah I agree, I could use one of those right now.

You and me both! So cool!

[Little-Acorn]

VERY cool. It is indeed, the beginning of what Heinlein had in mind. The movie leaving it out, was like depicting the Battle of Midway and leaving out any mention of aircraft. One of the sequels to "Alien" also had something vaguely similar, though it was ponderous, and some dialogue in the movies indicated that it took training to run at all. But Heinlein's descriptions, were gold.

I wonder how it's powered? The article mentioned that it could do such-and-such on one charge. Sounds like batteries? Recent developments in lithium-polymer batteries might make such a thing viable - that is, more of a benefit than a hindrance. Maybe. And if LiPo batteries don't, maybe the following generation of batteries will.

I couldn't help notice that the article made no mention of cost. How many Humvees would have to go without up-armoring, to provide a battalion of troops with these things? Would the tradeoff be worthwhile?

I'd love to have one... as long as I didn't have to pay for it.

[Nukeman]

Raytheon and a few Japanese companies have been working on this as well. the one by the japaneses company is more for civilian use


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2PqnUjTUS8

Raytheon is more for military


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UpxsrlLbpU

[revelarts]

GI Joe

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suits in action here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wNLAFiijxo&feature=player_detailpage

[soupnazi630]

I'm sure many here have never read Heinlein's book Starship Troopers, which came out back in the 50's, or have only seen the movie which sucked so bad any copies need to be thrown in the nearest trash can.

But this article is the start of the "suits". The troopers jumpsuit.

http://www.businessinsider.com/hulc-lockheed-martin-2011-7?op=1#ixzz1RKfw4XwC

This is really just opinion and personal taste but we are going to have to agree to disagree. i had to suffer through Heinlein's book but I enjoyed the movie despite it's deliberately cheesy plot.

As to the Army's exoskeleton suit I personally feel it is closer to the beginnings of the fighting suits worn by the soldiers in Joe Haldeman's book THE FOREVER WAR.

If you haven't read that one I highly recommend it.

Maybe they are both so similar as to make little difference

[J.T]

So... how long 'til we wire the suit directly to the brains of damaged soldiers, doing away with the need for their fleshy bodies altogether


Dear god, I hope this and the the AI Lab aren't next to eachother...

[Gaffer]

This is really just opinion and personal taste but we are going to have to agree to disagree. i had to suffer through Heinlein's book but I enjoyed the movie despite it's deliberately cheesy plot.

As to the Army's exoskeleton suit I personally feel it is closer to the beginnings of the fighting suits worn by the soldiers in Joe Haldeman's book THE FOREVER WAR.

If you haven't read that one I highly recommend it.

Maybe they are both so similar as to make little difference

Thanks I knew there was another one I had read that was similar to Troopers. Just couldn't remember the name of it.

[soupnazi630]

Thanks I knew there was another one I had read that was similar to Troopers. Just couldn't remember the name of it.

YW I have to agree that much of the developing and experimental technology for the military is so much like science fiction it all most seems inspired by the genre.

I wish I could find videos or links but they do not seem available.

However I remember several years ago Army times reported that the Army was experimenting with a suit inspired by the movie PREDATOR.

It seems some serious science geeks liked the idea of a suit which measures the spectrum of light and then adjusts the brightness and colors of the suit to match the back ground ala the predator's near invisibility. They were partly successful in creating such a suit which used fiber optics to measure the brightness and intensity of light in ones background and adjusting like a chameleon to match. The problems were that it was far too slow and very cumbersome to use effectively. I honestly have no idea if they ever tried to pursue some means of making it more than a primitive copy of what was seen in the movie.

Also many people may remember the Assault rifle developed by Heckler and Koch which used case less ammunition. It actually looked very promising and the army subjected the weapon to a lengthy testing process along with some other futuristic weapons. The case less ammo basically used a hardened form of gun powder which eliminated the need for extraction and ejection of spent brass and of course also cut down on weight. I recall reading an article where a sales rep from H&K took several rounds of this ammo, tossed them into a fish tank for a few hours, fished them out of the water, then loaded up and fired them and they worked fine. This all came right on the heels ( or pretty close ) of the movie Aliens where the space marines battled the acid blood monsters and they used a weapon called a pulse rifle which was described as using a case less ammo.

It seems that science fiction can sometimes inspire reality and become realistic even if it only begins as fantasy.

[NightTrain]

They were partly successful in creating such a suit which used fiber optics to measure the brightness and intensity of light in ones background and adjusting like a chameleon to match.

I read Starship Troopers as a kid, and have always been fascinated with the entire "battle suit" concept.

The only advantage Fiber Optics have in a scenario like this would be weight - there is no way you could fully utilize a CAT5e link's capabilities, let alone a CAT6 or CAT6e. Granted, the fiber weighs next to nothing, but in a battlefield environment you have to think about how fragile that fiber really is from massive impacts, jarrings, jolts, etc.

It would be horrific to lose your system communications network because that blast you just took broke a fiber and now you can't move or your weapons are inoperable. Copper is much more durable than the glass tubes, but again, you are paying for it in weight. Granted, it's just a few grams heavier but it all adds up and those suits will be as lightweight as possible of course.

[J.T]

I read Starship Troopers as a kid, and have always been fascinated with the entire "battle suit" concept.

The only advantage Fiber Optics have in a scenario like this would be weight - there is no way you could fully utilize a CAT5e link's capabilities, let alone a CAT6 or CAT6e. Granted, the fiber weighs next to nothing, but in a battlefield environment you have to think about how fragile that fiber really is from massive impacts, jarrings, jolts, etc.

It would be horrific to lose your system communications network because that blast you just took broke a fiber and now you can't move or your weapons are inoperable. Copper is much more durable than the glass tubes, but again, you are paying for it in weight. Granted, it's just a few grams heavier but it all adds up and those suits will be as lightweight as possible of course.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/24/corning-develops-bendable-fiber-optic-cable/


For years, providers have been struggling against a deficiency in fiber optic cable which causes the pipe to vent light when bent or curved, or lose it entirely if twisted too far. Now, however, researchers at Corning have developed a new variant to keep data moving: tiny, nanostructure "guardrails" that surround the fiber's core. The "rails" keep light from seeping out, yet are flexible enough to be wound around a pencil while delivering a signal at full strength.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUBRjiVhJTs

Seriously, this is all old tech. I'm sure the DOD has much better stuff by now.

[NightTrain]

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/24/corning-develops-bendable-fiber-optic-cable/



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUBRjiVhJTs

Seriously, this is all old tech. I'm sure the DOD has much better stuff by now.

I install fiber networks. It's what I do.