Obviously I'm talking about one of the most basic models. Something like the Ultimate armor (pic related). Stuff like Extremis & Bleeding Edge are... yeah...
Anyway, I'm aware of those exosuits and mini jet-packs they've built, but how far along are we on building at least a semi functional Iron Man armor?
For some extra info, the Ultimate suit needed a whole lab's worth of specialists and specific machines for Tony to wear it, had a limited flight time, very few offensive weapons, and Tony used a green protective gel to get around the colissions and whatnot. It was also more like a "robo-armor" instead of the slim and form fitting 616 suits.
Christopher Bell
the problems are power and interface.
We could build a Fallout tier power armor tomorrow, minus the fusion power cell. Just slap a JP8 burning engine to the back to provide about 5-10hp.
Carson Robinson
B U M P
Jackson Sullivan
Not possible at all. G-forces from impacts would turner the wear into pulp
Landon Diaz
why don't you try spending money on research, instead of just asking Veeky Forums to do your job for you?
Josiah Wright
...Because I'm a freshman with no billions to throw at research? If I ever have my own MicroSoft, sure, I'll look into it.
Camden Hernandez
our main problem with building anything like this is the power source. most of the other problems could probably be solved if we spend enough money on R&D.
Anthony Thomas
What about a graphene battery?
Nolan Russell
It's more like the navigation systems and actual application. A ghetto power armor with a Diesel engine on the back could output about 1MW easily and be portable. But first of all, who would want it? Anything it can do can be done more efficiently by a traditional machine. Second of all, interfacing the user's movements to the armor would be very difficult, it would probably have to work like some kind of prosthesis. That's a very young branch of technology.
Carter Morgan
So you guys are saying that at some point, maybe in a decade, something like the Proto-Ultimate armor might be possible?
Jordan Hughes
shit son, it might be today, it might be never. depends on your expectation. if i ever have enough money i'll tinker with whatever i can find to build the exoskeleton part and the circuitry. the problem like anyone has said it is the power source, altough i like to believe that there's untapped potential in condenssed matter shit. if not you can always try to put a mini reactor into it but you might die of radiation poisoning or just get cooked alive.
Nicholas Russell
Biggest issues are energy requirments and the fact that a squishy human is inside. Would be cheaper and easier to build an android that was user controlable. Ie, human outside.
David Taylor
for combat, having a functional suit would be a pretty cool mode of transportation. on another note, yes something like ultimate can totally be doable. i believe it runs on kerosene when flying and it needs to be launched in special conditions, so you could fit small tanks in the back and leg to power the thruster for a limited ammount of time. also we could work a new type of fuel that's more efficient, make use of electric powered thrusters ( there are a few, look into it, and putting them on a lighter frame i.e human should increase their efficiency and relative power even more ) or just use a hybrid of the two, like the mark 3 or 4 in the main marvel universe
Oliver Rivera
The main thing that makes an exosuit difficult, as several people have said, is power. The heavier the suit, the more powerful the motors you need to move it, the bigger a battery or engine and fuel system you need to power it, but then the extra weight of the battery or engine and fuel also negatively effects things, etc.
Now for my money, if you combined the recent advances in more energy efficient actuators from places like MIT, a frame made out of carbon fiber and armor plating that used lightweight materials like titanium and carbon nanotube backed soft body armor underlayers, and, this is important and still developing, some of those solid state glass batteries with the dramatically increased energy density, you could probably create something fairly useful within 7-10 years of intense, focused development. The resulting suit would allow a soldier to do impressive things,like jump 10 feet straight up in the air, use automatic firearms currently impossible for standard soldiers to use,like a minigun or a bullpup rifle in .50 bmg, and take several body shots from 7.62x39 weapons with relative ease. The best use of such an outfit is probably for breeching rooms and leading assaults on compounds where air strikes aren't an option due to things like nearby civilians and shit, but they could also have a use in riot control situations and in law enforcement, and of course exosuits have shitloads of civilian uses in heavy lifting type jobs.
Elijah King
i think a small tritium reactor could work, if you helped it in some way with another power source. i needs to be worked on tho
Luis Foster
using nuclear power for something like this is wildly impractical for reasons that should become evident to you if you stop and think about it for a few minutes.
Leo Ward
power isn't a problem. if it were then we would already see test articles tethered to big ass power sources.
Carter Campbell
What the fuck is a graphene battery?
Jackson James
The fuck is a tritium reactor
Brody Ramirez
a theoretical device that user made up that uses tritium as fuel
Luke Torres
So basically bullshit then?
Landon Rivera
ye
Leo Kelly
Breach into room with that, and a simple IED would BTFO your expensive toy. Power armor isn't practical, it's too expensive for the few benefits it offers. I can see it being developed for rescue operations, to allow lifting big concrete or metal structures though, but I don't think the government cares enough as it would need quite a lot of funding.
Logan Harris
This.
Ultimately, why throw one of these things at a room of terrorists versus 3 seals and a flashbang?
Although I do think automated soldiers will be a thing, I imagine two diffrent models appearing. One of them would be for civilian cleaning, and the other for air dominance. In either case a humanoid form wouldn't be effective or efficient, why send a wobby two legged robot into a semi collapsed building when you can send a spider drone covered in stobelights?
Ultimately the suit may be possible from a scientists point of view, but not from a engineers point of view.
Henry Carter
>Ironman travels at x5 speed of sound >Stops instantly in the air >doesn't turn into flesh goo inside
never
Luis Watson
no, retarded, stop
Evan Mitchell
Just a shot in the dark here but I'd guess a battery made of graphene