Power Armor?
- Thread starter solarz
- Start date
solarz
Brigadier
As the Chinese proverb goes: loud thunder, very little rain.
The article starts by claiming that with this pack, the average joe could run a 4-minute-mile, a difficult athletic feat. Near the end, we learn that the actual performance of this pack only improved a tester's mile-long run from 5 minutes and 20 seconds to 5 minutes and 2 seconds, an almost statistically insignificant difference.
The first application is likely in non-combat roles -- logistics, construction, combat engineering, as it lowers the amount of people needed to do a given task. It is also helpful in things like changing/repairing tracks on armor vehicle. In these tasks, lack of agility would not be a drawback.
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
Agreed not a really practical system. Darpa may look at it but there is little actual combat use. It's loud and offers more a gimmick then improvement.
Equation
Lieutenant General
Actually any SF team could use it to mover closer to their Objective Rally Point after a HAHO jump thereby increasing their range. But of course as they get closer to their objective behind enemy lines they have to ditch the whole thing as noise discipline would be a requirement.
solarz
Brigadier
Somehow I don't see this working on any kind of rough terrain. Imagine tripping over a branch with this thing on. Ouch!
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
this set up is a booster and a limited one at that Equation. A real powered exoskeleton would be a better option in that it would allow full speed and could also off load weight.
AssassinsMace
Lieutenant General
The power source is the most important part on making such things practical.
I was watching Mythbusters where they tested something I already experienced which was what would be faster... primarily taking a passenger plane or driving to get to a certain destination. I was in LA attending a conference with a friend. We only lived about two miles apart up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He flew down while I drove down. When the conference was done I dropped him off at Burbank Airport and I took off driving home which was about 400 miles away. Because he had to go through what you do at the airport, wait for his flight, and get a ride home from the airport, I beat him home by 15 minutes. So the only thing you save from taking a flight is you don't have to be sitting for a long stretch of time. Everything else cost more money.
I was watching Mythbusters where they tested something I already experienced which was what would be faster... primarily taking a passenger plane or driving to get to a certain destination. I was in LA attending a conference with a friend. We only lived about two miles apart up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He flew down while I drove down. When the conference was done I dropped him off at Burbank Airport and I took off driving home which was about 400 miles away. Because he had to go through what you do at the airport, wait for his flight, and get a ride home from the airport, I beat him home by 15 minutes. So the only thing you save from taking a flight is you don't have to be sitting for a long stretch of time. Everything else cost more money.
