How far are we from gundams and an ironman suit?

[kramer733]

Ok i know it's a weird question and i don't really know where else to post this question. But could you guys give me a rough estimate of what we actually need in order to build a fully functioning gundam suit and or iron man suit? It's sort of my dream to one day see a real live functioning mobile gundam suit in action.

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powered_exoskeleton

 

[kramer733]

Thanks. Well i guess that's a shame =/

 

[Mech_Engineer]

The biggest limitation in my mind right now is finding a compact super-dense power source capable of powering a powered exoskeleton for any appreciable amount of time...

Keep in mind much of the "tech" in Ironman is impossible, especially with respect to the size of the motors and the force he can put out. Notice too that Tony Stark had to invent a fictional power source to power his suit.

 

[Danger]

Power is definitely a major hurdle. Another one is that such devices are a screwy fusion of robotics and (believe it or not) fashion design. It's one thing to build a robot; it's quite another to build a robot that a human being can safely and comfortably fit inside of.

 

[Mech_Engineer]

Power is definitely a major hurdle. Another one is that such devices are a screwy fusion of robotics and (believe it or not) fashion design. It's one thing to build a robot; it's quite another to build a robot that a human being can safely and comfortably fit inside of.

Very true, building an external joint that has the same characteristics and degrees of freedom as the human joint inside it is pretty difficult. Up to this point, the most successful designs have used joints that follow the final location of your hand or foot, but do not utilize the same number or type of joints to get there.

 

[russ_watters]

Recognize that not only did the Iron Man suit use a fictional power supply, that doesn't account for its rocket propulsion or weapons that are physically larger than the compartments in the suit in which they were stored (Transformers is like that too), or that the tiny weapons perform like weapons a hundred times larger. It's beyond science fiction: it really is science fantasy and it doesn't bear much relation to reality. A true Iron Man suit is about as close to a theoretical impossibility as a piece of technology can get.

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

 

[czelaya]

I've always liked the Gundam series and a lot of Japanese anima, especially the Robotech saga. However, I think a more important question to ask is why would you want to make large scale robots. For military use or construction? I just don't see the use for large scale robotics where an airplane, bull dozer, dump truck, ... ect can be made abundantly more cheaper, and the vehicles themeselves be more efficient for the task at hand.

 

[DaveC426913]

... weapons that are physically larger than the compartments in the suit in which they were stored (Transformers is like that too)...

And Batman.

He builds a Batmobile that hideas all its armour on the inside and is only exposed when needed (?). So, extra storage to hide it inside, plus servos to move everything around, plus power supply for the servos.

He builds two vehicle configurations in one. That extra config means extra weight, extra parts, extra power.

Now he's got a vehicle that masses about ten times an equivalent-sized vehicle.

And it's got to perform better, accelerate harder and corner tighter...


As with Batman, so it is with Robotech. Is the ability to change into a human-shaped robot really so much better for performance? Consider the extrea weight and power requirements. And then consider the hit to speed, accel, etc.



Modern big screen sci-fi sells lots of toys, but it has nothing to do with technology or science fiction.

 

[Borek]

SciFi aside - do you remember robotic suit from Aliens, the one Ripley uses when fighting the queen, at the very end of the movie? Such a thing looks like something doable - I mean, it doesn't have to be small and hidden, it can be large enough to accommodate the operator, power source and all necessary gizmos.

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

In Robotech, the robot shape allowed hand-to-hand combat with the alien (zentradis?), so there was a reason... From adversity springs innovation.

 

[Danger]

SciFi aside - do you remember robotic suit from Aliens, the one Ripley uses when fighting the queen, at the very end of the movie? Such a thing looks like something doable - I mean, it doesn't have to be small and hidden, it can be large enough to accommodate the operator, power source and all necessary gizmos.

It resembles a HandyMan or HardyMan exoskeleton built by General Electric sometime in the mid-60's. They were intended to supplement forklifts in warehouse/loading dock situations. Some other company like John Deere or Caterpillar had an almost identical design, which I believe is the one used in the movie.

 

[Borek]

It resembles a HandyMan or HardyMan exoskeleton built by General Electric sometime in the mid-60's..

Hardiman.

Edit: and several names to google for (including real ones, not only those from SF movies): http://www.popsci.com/node/20670

 

[rhombusjr]

This company is building something like one.
http://mechaps.com/