Not just because I want my sci fi and anime dreams fullfilled, but it could seriously save lives outside of the military. Now, I'll grant you nothing is perfect and I'd assume even the best designed futuristic power armor you'd lose some dexterity. However, with the current tragedy unfolding in Japan it would have major advantages. You could make it environmentally sealed and radiologically hardened. Its nothing like a couple of inches of lead around you, but if you made special suits for hard radiation exposure settings, 200 or 300lbs of steel and lead surrounding you is going to do a hell of a lot more than an NBC suit would to reducing your exposure. That and civilian/paramilitary/military suits could also save lives in earth quake scenarios as having strength enhanced from anywhere from 2-20x could be a major life and time saver shifting rubble, moving fallen masonry and concrete, etc. It could also get where large power equipment could not get, though admittedly probably never as strong as a decent crane would be. Tragedies like the one in Japan just make me hope that the future comes just a bit sooner.
While reading this the soundtrack of AC:FA started playing in my head as Serene was telling me to use a Vanguard Overed Boost to get in range of the Fukushima-Daichi Arms Fort. Just some unfounded predictions, any sort of power suit would likely be adapted to civilian use very quickly. For such a unique technology, combat uses would be more practical as an adaptation of existing suits rather than developing straight towards weaponization. There are very few technologies that go straight to combat uses when you really look at them.
A bit like how Battlemechs resulted as a modification and weaponisation of farming mechs. As a side note, existing turboshaft helicopters would be a great base to build a battlemech from. But anyway.
Well, currently the US military and DARPA through contracts is developing powered exoskeletons for military deployment. I believe the first battle ready ones are supposed to be deployed in FY13. They aren't powered armor, but they are the base for it certainly. DARPA/US Military has mentioned armoring powered exoskeletons as a long term goal. For the civilian market, I think this stuff would quickly transition, at least a lot of the tech. Heck it already is for things like compact heavy lifting, prosthetic assist and similar. Probably not something we'll see real uses for in any kind of wide spread way for at least 5 or 10 years or longer. Going to take more compact servos, actuators and most importantly longer lasting, lighter and more compact batteries to be really useful.
We have powered exoskeletons already, only problem is the power! We just don't have a very good high capacity but small size battery. The exoskeleton itself isn't a big issue compared to finding a way of keeping it powered.
Seems like remote controlled vehicles are whats needed here, not powered armor. Look at the robots they use to inspect and disarm bombs. Seems like that kind of tech could be useful in the present situation.
Whilst power armour would be damn cool, what we really need for that kind of work is Cylons (someone has just finished watching Caprica ).
If you think about power armor. You could also develop a semi viable form of physical rehabilitation for those who are seriously injured. The strength assists alone would rehabilitate the body quite well. That and then you have the potential to help cure paralysis when coupled with nerve damage repair and such.
+1. None of us will see 'powered armour' in the Space Marine/mech sense in our lifetimes - there's no point in developing the hugely complex systems to surround a human with robotics, when you could simply send a robot instead and not have to bother with life support machinery and the like. Powered exoskeletons will be with us before 2020 - before 2015 if we're still in Afghanistan by then - but only doing what 70% of any modern military does - logistics, i.e. unloading trucks and loading weapons. They say that lower-body-only versions will be front-line capable - to help troops carry heavy bergens - but like has been already mentioned, the power storage density issues are just not even close to resolved. It's a shame, but huge bipedal machines just don't really have a place in warfare. Wheels are faster and more efficient; tracks are more capable and much, much simpler. Both are cheaper, and both lie lower, which in the age of the RPG is crucial. However, as Elton points out, the exoskeletal projects also have physical rehabilitation potential, and are particularly being considered as a means to ease age-related mobility issues.
Wooh Space Marines ^.^ Lets be fair... who expected me to get involved here... The Military applications for Power Armour currently out-weigh the civilian. But I can understand what they could do. Massive plates of radiation-reducing armour built around an incredibly strong exo-skeleton could do wonders, say with whats occuring in Japan at the moment. In relation to not seeing Power Armour in this day and age... hmm I think you're mistaken, I think by 2050 we will probably be seeing the basics of power armour kicking off. We won't have genetically augmented demi-gods running around chanting the mantra of The Emperor and purging the Alien The Mutant and Heretic... But i think we'll see Fallout3/NewVegas style's very soon. Something that improves strength and durability of the person inside. I'd be the above... just to point that out ^.^
hilarious! not seen that before! I believe something like this exists but is too costly to be in use....don't quote me though.
Great Success. Seriously... ten times my power would be lovely! Especially when you've got 5 times your strength in armour around you. Military will always go over Civilian use with these things though.
lol, I posted that. That suit is unassisted; that is to say - the multiplication of reach by means of levers means that the force and precision with which the limbs are manipulated are only a small fraction of what they were originally. They were saying that in 1965:
Indeed, but the key thing with that one is that it's unpowered. Even to have slightly increased 'capacity' with no additional power source or requirement is fairly nifty. Pair it up with more flexibility, dexterity and if needed a reasonable power source, then there is far more potential there. As far as I remember, wasn't the "Power Loader" in Aliens actually built?
