New US Military Technology - the Exoskeleton

My friends this technology is absolutely wonderful because most of the rest of the world is developing robots and androids instead. There are over 90 different android projects around the globe, most of them funded by governments. However, this technology is one of the few developments designed to actually assist the human perform his own duties, not do them for him.

One day my friend it will be robots that we are fighting, not insurgents with ak’s. One day, the only way a human being will be able to survive on the field of battle is to be in a protective vehicle of some kind.

Most people do not take into account what warfare would really be like against a technologically equal opponent. Nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons are absolutely unforgiving and merciless. Humans have virtually no chance of survival on an unrestricted battlefield. We all know what happens when someone is caught out in the open against the U.S. Well imagine yourself having to go against our own technology without any political complications. Frightening thought huh? Well that may be what’s in store for the world.

Any technology that is actually designed to improve the performance of human beings in warfare needs our support. This exoskeleton technology might end up being the most important development in recent years as far as increasing the survival rate of the human population during the next world war.

A robot can fight for you, but it’s not armor that protects you.
A plane can bring the fight to the enemy, but it can’t shield you from bombs and missiles.

What individual human beings will need to survive the future is something akin to a personal, mobile, individual, tank. And that is just what this technology is aiming for. I say we not only give them our best support, but that we pray for them to succeed.

reply to post by West Coast


2020 ? I reckon that's hugely optimistic. 10/12 years is nada when it comes to defence procurement nowadays ... and unless the Army comes up with a real compelling case and finds a role where an exo skeleton equipped soldier could bring a real tangible benefit I just don't foresee this going anywhere soon. The budget pressures are just going to be way too tight to allow for fanciful notions like this.

That's not to say it isn't an interesting concept. But it's only that. A concept. And concepts come and go like an ebbing tide.

It may be useful in civilian life eventually ... but while we've got an almost unlimited pool of people prepared to lift things from floor to table on minimum wage it just isn't worth the cost or effort.

But like I say, I ain't paying for it so do what you like. I'll re-visit this in a few years time to see where the USA military has gotton with it. Meantime I'm outta here. Back to Luddite Land to sip some more Glenmorangie

I was under the impression that development has already begun on the suit West Coast mentioned.

The 2020 time frame doesn't sound all that far-fetched, either. We're not talking about building a new type of jet, or a huge ship. We're talking about making a suit from concepts which we already know and understand.

The nanotech "muscles" already exist. The method for creating the bulletproof materials exists, they just need to improve on how strong they are. The vital sign monitoring already exists. All the gadgets in the helmet already exist. The only true task is putting it all together in one unit, devising a cost-effective mass production method, and finding a power source that can run the thing... and with nanotechnology, new, exponentially better technologies in battery power are very close to reality now.

Hey all !
i just want to say that this is a huge step towards seizing control of world dominece. i was watching this show on the discovery channel (future Weapons)and we have tanks that operate by simply robtics, remote control and cameras!!! but i want to leave by asking what if they put a jet pack on it? let that melt your membrane,
ace

I'm all for this technology being an artilleryman, this would make our job alot easier since we lift 98lb rounds at a regular basis in the field and we do alot of hard work all the time.

I don't believe we will be far off from masterchief-esque equipment soon, it's just the question when all regular soldiers get issued this gear, that is always a problem in the Army and armed forces in general.

I fthese things ever did go into Full production & every US Soldier had a suit of armor...

THey would no longer need their allies either..lol

Guess the UK & AU & Canada would be the first countries conqur.... errr I mean have permenent Peace keeping forces installed & US senetors ruling over the populations...

Think the rest of us had better start catching up.. That is if the US will let us & not bomb our research instelations & factories :

everybody on here fails to realize that even in it's present state it is combat supportive. without putting it on the front lines ,you could probably reduce the rear supply manpower by 1/2, which would increase the front combat line.
this is an immediate, and coservative estimate. you saw 2 guys trying to keep up with that thing. now it just became a little more cost effective. instead of training your men to do supply work, the money goes to combat trained men. you could even get the paper pushers to do the job
so you dont even need them on the battlefield to increase your effectiveness. think about just 1 of these in the back of a truck,unloading supplies as fast as you need them.
at first ,until we start to advance the design,it may be more cost efective to keep them OUT of battle, then slowly filter them in as we improve them.
but please remember that we will always have a human army,no matter what we wrap around them. the point of war is death. we are the "useless eaters",and we will always need to be thinned out. ask henry kissenger

the real terror about these thins is DOMESTIC USE.
IF YOU DONT THINK THESE THINGS WILL APPEAR ON THE AMERICAN STREETS FIRST, I'LL SELL YOU THE WALT WHITMAN BRIDGE, cheap. it might even have a domestic model with the printer on the front to issue the warrant as it levels your door!
Hmmm....maybe i should patent that idea maybe we could call them the PATRIOT II exoskeleton.

[edit on 29-11-2007 by Spectre0o0]

now if they can make them look like gorillas while in them, heinlin will be happy!

I think money would be better spent learning how to replace most of the body instead of adding some exo-suit. If we could encapsulate our brain in a human looking robot we would be set. Biological bodies are holding us back more than anything. Think about it, as long as the brain(and its life support system) was well armored you could destroy most of your own body with little thought. Chem weapons would be nullified as well.

reply to post by centurion1211


the usa military?try and match the usa and they've already moved on further ahead ?------------------sounds biblical to me-------------revelation13:4they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast;and they worshiped the beast,saying ,who is like the beast,and who is able to wage war with him?

Well, that's going to be affordable isn't it? Since a roadside bomb can screw up a tank pretty badly I can't really see how the final "concept" will be anything more than a very, very, very expensive coffin.

Also, it looks like there are going to be alot of moving parts and electronics involved - so pretty complicated, and as a result rather alot of things can go wrong.

Sod the military applications for this, a fully sealed and armoured version (like the rather silly "storm trooper" idea) would be perfect for emergency rescue workers to use in, for example, a Chernobyl like disaster.

As a military item, it'll probably be less effective than a Toyota Hilux packed full of Taliban.

reply to post by yahn goodey





I must have really touched a nerve with this thread. Now the bible-thumpers are after me. No doubt someday we will need to "beat exo-skeletons into plowshares".

My worry is that they've made it so darn complicated. Someone mentioned the power-loader from Aliens earlier. Why couldn't it be as simple as that? There are all these joints and computer controls which will only make it harder to maintain if ever used in the field. Hopefully this is only the beginning, and the concept of an exo-suit does not stop with this one line. Companies like Caterpillar need to develop their own line of exo-suits and power-loaders. Not every application would need such maneuverability, so it would not be a problem to simplify the mechanisms. This would drive down the cost and, of course, make them simpler to build, use, and maintain.

I love the idea, and it's great to finally see it in action. I've heard about military exo-skeletons before, but this makes it seem worth having. That is the point of demos like this, to gain support from the taxpayers, right?

starwars omg this is cool talk about carrying big guns
put the cannon from the a-10 wart hog on your arm the shells loaded on a cart behind you and blam A-10 is in mothballs what a tank buster.

[edit on 29-11-2007 by hangman270]

So far I have read those that are for and those that are opposed to the unit. Let us not forget, in the 1930's the airplane was envisioned as not being very useful in navel combat even thought it demonstrated that it could be used to sink a ship. By the end of WWII we had learned that he who controls the sky controls the ground.

These exoskeletons will in fact come into full usage on future battlefields and most likely sooner than we think. Couple air power with exoskeleton equipped ground troops and you have a force that will be very difficult to deal with. Masterchief and air superiority a winning combo.

However, let us also hope that it will get used to help those that have suffered injury or illness and are unable to walk or use their arms and hands without assistance.

While I do think this thing is cool, I have to agree with others, when first rolled out, it will be for back-office operations. If you can cut the supply line by 1/3 then your already making a ton of money. Think about it,

If the U.S. has 1.5 million soldiers, of which only 300,000 are combat troops, this leaves 1.2 million for back end operations. Out of them, I'm positive that a good 10% do supply, That makes it 120,000 soldiers. If these have an average salary of 20k, thats 2.4 billion your paying annually for salaries. If, this can cut the supply workers by 1/3, you take 30k workers out, or 600 million annually. If each one of these cost 250,000, this means you can actually purchase 2,400 of these just with the money you would save on salaries for additional personel. Thats 2,400 per annum, with a reduction in cost over a 5, 10, or even 20 year service record for each exo-suit. At a 5 year replacement, eeach would be worth ruffly 50k per year for the service life. If this was the case, to justify the expense it would have to do the work of 3 people, or 1 man fitted with it, could do the work of 4. At a 10 or 20 year service life, the cost drops significantly, especially given maintence costs, vs salary. This also doesn't take into account retirement costs for individuals vs resell value to 3rd world nations. . I think if the can keep the cost of the initial model under 500k, and retro fit existing "Modules" to work with it. I think it will work great.

On the down side of them. I see them being suseptible to fluid, dust, and electronic countermeaseures. AKA, you can't take them through a river, into the desert, and if the enemy makes a low level EMP the suit is gone, with the guy stuck inside.

Cheers,

Camain

[edit on 30-11-2007 by camain]

reply to post by Throbber


the FFW suit is what america envisions all its soldiers to be wearing by the year 2020. Technology especially in nanotech is expected to leap ahead quite fast over the next few years. They want to simplify the suit (just look at the picture I provided and all its details). And I am sure the soldier wearing the suit will be quite accustomed and taught just how they should fix his/her own suit just as they would theyre weapon. The suit, afterall, is a weapon system in itself.

I like how one US general put it in regards to the future force warrior suit "We're building and F15 with legs". This will make many weapons of the worlds obsolete. imagine a soldier able to run as fast as tanks with little to know physical exertion? one soldier with nanotech liquid armor, would be quite a hard target for a tank to hit. Just think, one soldier could take out 5 or so tanks by himself with one of these suits. We wouldnt have to risk a tank at all. Imagine a soldier being able to jump a wall 10 to 15 feet high..and my favorite, be able to rip a car door off its hinges, that is how much stronger such a suit would make a soldier. this tech seems as if it were scifi. but its not.

Originally posted by Niall197
reply to post by West Coast

 

2020 ? I reckon that's hugely optimistic. 10/12 years is nada when it comes to defence procurement nowadays ... and unless the Army comes up with a real compelling case and finds a role where an exo skeleton equipped soldier could bring a real tangible benefit I just don't foresee this going anywhere soon. The budget pressures are just going to be way too tight to allow for fanciful notions like this.

That's not to say it isn't an interesting concept. But it's only that. A concept. And concepts come and go like an ebbing tide.

It may be useful in civilian life eventually ... but while we've got an almost unlimited pool of people prepared to lift things from floor to table on minimum wage it just isn't worth the cost or effort.

But like I say, I ain't paying for it so do what you like. I'll re-visit this in a few years time to see where the USA military has gotton with it. Meantime I'm outta here. Back to Luddite Land to sip some more Glenmorangie

I like how one US general said it in regards to this suit and its advancements. "Nothing speeds up research and development quite like war"..take that for what its worth.

Originally posted by mattifikation
I was under the impression that development has already begun on the suit West Coast mentioned.

The 2020 time frame doesn't sound all that far-fetched, either. We're not talking about building a new type of jet, or a huge ship. We're talking about making a suit from concepts which we already know and understand.

The nanotech "muscles" already exist. The method for creating the bulletproof materials exists, they just need to improve on how strong they are. The vital sign monitoring already exists. All the gadgets in the helmet already exist. The only true task is putting it all together in one unit, devising a cost-effective mass production method, and finding a power source that can run the thing... and with nanotechnology, new, exponentially better technologies in battery power are very close to reality now.

Well said, one thing ppl do not understand is that the US is going through a transformation as we speak. FCS (future combat systems) will change how the US military fights forever, and will essentially revolutionize the way war is fought in itself. FCS is already being implemented with the army...Google FCS...interesting read. im to lazy to link the site at the moment. Anyways, I wouldnt be suprised to see the future force warrior concept out earlier than the 2020 date. Regardless, it will be out because the infrastructure around it (FCS) will be more than advanced enough to back it.

reply to post by West Coast


i agree , nanotechnology will be the future in all aspects be , warfare , medicine, etc... it wll revolutionize the world.

the tecnology available right now , seems to be taken from a sci fi movie , pseudo force field shields already exist popuplace.com... , lasers , invisible cloak is almost a reality etc...