Great all you need to do is encase the guy in armour and fix weapons to the outside - I'm sure the effect will be pretty frightening - I was the first time I saw a Dalek on T.V.!

Posted by: fozzy at December 29, 2006 5:46 AM

It's really easy to sit back and nitpick, so you nay-sayers can stuff it. Let's look at this a little more rationally.

1. Speed - 8mph is faster than the average person walks, and it's quite difficult to hit a moving target, sniper or not. It actually doesn't need to be any faster than that.

2. Stealth - This unit would easily be stealthier than a HUMVEE from a noise standpoint alone. And, it could sweep a narrow alley that a regular vehicle is unable to clear, reducing the odds of some pinhead popping out of a nook or cranny and tossing grenades at your back. Like the inventor says, it's not a recon application, so noise is not a primary consideration.

3. Armor - Given the cargo capacity, a combination of armor solutions could be mounted on this platform, to defeat multiple threats. Combine kinetic and reactive armor layers for small arms munitions, perhaps up to RPG levels. What is the true likelihood of an enemy judging one of these worth wasting an RPG round against?

4. Multiple Systems applications - Look at this as a potential base mule on which any number of different systems can be deployed. Imagine a squad of these, with one carrying comm gear for inter-platoon all the way to battalion comms, even sat uplink/downlinks; one performing as an ammo/supply mule; one or two configured as remotely piloted heavy weapons platforms, etc.

The possibilities are vast, although my personal estimation is that powered exo-skeletons currently under development will eventually hit the battlefield. This does not mean that such innovation is useless, in fact far from it.

I applaud the efforts of someone that is spending his own time and money to develop a solution for combat forces. This is the embodiment of the classic backyard tinkerer. Don't forget that guys like this, who saw a need and satisfied it, have been responsible throughout history for extremely useful things.

Posted by: Dion at December 28, 2006 2:53 PM

20 miles a hour! i'm not going to flip forward with 250lbs of gear doing 20 miles an hour on that little thing. i'll stay in the hummvee and take my chances with IED's and snipers, but thank you anyway.

Posted by: Lt Meyers at February 15, 2006 9:39 AM

I think the system would be top notch for heavy gun and 81mm mortor units. From personal experience mortor has to be moble but vehicles can't always get where you need to go so you have to pack 100+ pounds where you need to go (for a raid as an example). With heavy weapons plts. they need to be supplied on a regular baises anyway, so it would not be that much of problem resuppling the system.

As far as use by the standard grunt I would think something more mobile will be needed. Like a mechanical frame that is like a second skin on the body. The frame would have springs or self propelled hydrolics to allow freedom of movement but at the same time take a heavy load.

Your kind of proactive thought and action is what will keep these protoypes rolling out and eventually lead to somthing that will do everything you want it to and be accepted by everyone.

Posted by: Greg Thomas at February 10, 2006 11:29 AM

PURTY NEAT

Posted by: mongo at February 6, 2006 3:52 AM