Originally posted by BigTrain
Speaking of soldiers as weapons platforms, do you guys remember the Aliens movie when sigorney weaver was piloting that full blody robotic loader. I
envison a time when the Marines have personel walkers similar to that, kind of a mech-warrior situation. You would have the standard ground marines
along side a dozen or so super mech soldiers. These robot suits could enable the solider to run at extremely high speeds, jump dozens of feet into the
air and susatin immense damage. They would begin with exo-skelten prototypes, and progress to larger, more versitle mech warriors.
Train
You will never see "walker" type of mechanical weapons systems. Legs are just too vulnerable, and as Snap said, they have a HUGE profile. The trend
is for smaller profiles (and thus less to hit).
However, exoskeletons are very very real, and will be on the battle field sooner then most would believe.
They actually have workind prototypes right now.
The problem as of now is two fold.
First, they need a power source. Not just that, but one that can last long periods of time - at the very least 24 hourse of constant use, and
preferably more then a week.
The second is building an exoskeleton that does not restrict a soldiers movement. It is one thing to tripple your strength, but what good is that if
you become half as agile?
With the exoskeletons will come a new type of infentry designation, IMHO. We will start to see "heavy" "medium" and "light infentry" - just as
there used to be heavy cavelry and light cavelry.
You'll have the heavy infentry with bigger, more combersome skeletons, and also bigger more powerfull weapons. Then you'll have the medium guys -
more mobile then the heavies due to lighter skeletons and weapons, but still more heavilly armed then the light infentry, who will basically be what
we have today - your regular foot soldiers.
