Master Chief property of Microsoft, Inc.
“As if intergalactic robotic invaders had crash landed on Earth, the six suits of power armor were nightmares to behold in the dark storm. Bolts of lightning allowed quick glimpses of their forms--though humanoid in the sense of having two arms and two legs, their proportions were distorted, with joints out of place and various bulges and protrusions erupting from the bodies at strange angles. Oversized feet gave way to sturdy legs, atop which a bulky torso sat, a variety of sensors, systems, and ammunition storage magazines giving the torso a blocky, modular appearance. The arms varied from model to model, with different roles requiring different weapons, many of which were built directly into the forearms or shoulders. The head was almost comically small, given the power lifter’s body below it, but the various faceplates and visors, studded with sensors to collect data from all across the electromagnetic spectrum, were menacing and unearthly. On the backs of the suits were the armored power packs that allowed the pilots to operate without extension cords. The entire package was wrapped up in intricate layers of overlapping armor plates of a mottled gray coloration, the composition of which was highly classified and extremely effective. Any pilot lucky enough to qualify PA was effectively a walking tank, able to shrug off small arms fire, deliver a withering offensive volley, run at vehicular speeds, and fight hand to hand against a polar bear legion and win without breaking a sweat.”
So goes the early chapter of “Unto Persephone,” my second novel which exclusively follows a power armor pilot as he becomes mired in conspiracy and his own personal downfall.
Whether you call it power armor, powered armor, or a powered exoskeleton, the trope has been present in science fiction since at least the late ‘40s in E. E. Smith’s “Lensman” series, but “Starship Troopers” by Robert A. Heinlein truly gave rise to the concept of military power armor. “Starship Troopers” is an amazing read, and I make no bones about owing a great debt to Heinlein and his genius. Without it, we wouldn’t have modern favorites such as the power armor featured in the Fallout video games, the Space Marines and Tau of Warhammer 40,000, and, of course, the MJOLNIR armor worn by Spartan soldiers in the Halo video game franchise.
So goes the early chapter of “Unto Persephone,” my second novel which exclusively follows a power armor pilot as he becomes mired in conspiracy and his own personal downfall.
Whether you call it power armor, powered armor, or a powered exoskeleton, the trope has been present in science fiction since at least the late ‘40s in E. E. Smith’s “Lensman” series, but “Starship Troopers” by Robert A. Heinlein truly gave rise to the concept of military power armor. “Starship Troopers” is an amazing read, and I make no bones about owing a great debt to Heinlein and his genius. Without it, we wouldn’t have modern favorites such as the power armor featured in the Fallout video games, the Space Marines and Tau of Warhammer 40,000, and, of course, the MJOLNIR armor worn by Spartan soldiers in the Halo video game franchise.
Though you can read about power armor in my first novel, “Jupiter Symphony,” the armor is a plot device, a sort of Terminator that threatens the protagonists at the worst possible time. I was, however, taken by the character and the concept, and so when I wrote “Unto Persephone” I decided to make the story revolve around a team of power armor pilots and their exploits, placing them in wild but realistic situations, crafting a squad of men that would are akin to giving Navy SEALs their own tactical nuclear warheads. But just how far off from reality is the power armor featured in books like “Unto Persephone” and “Starship Troopers”?
"US Army powered armor" by Daren Reehl - http://www.army.mil/-images/2007/01/07/1718/. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
It’s no secret that various branches of the military, including DARPA, are developing powered exoskeletons for use in the armed forces. The benefits are obvious: increased speed, strength, and accuracy. Decreased fatigue and mortality. Each soldier becomes a squad unto himself. The negative? There is no power supply robust or deep enough to keep such a unit functioning for any realistic period of time. So you can have your super soldiers, but they come with extension cords. On bases and ships this may actually be feasible, with “loader” suits allowing soldiers and sailors to move heavy equipment and munitions without risking personal injury and greatly speeding up physically demanding tasks. Fire and emergency rescue could also benefit, potentially in the civilian world. Suits of power armor hooked up to the diesel engine of a fire truck could allow firefighters to brave otherwise impossible blazes and simply clear debris with their mechanical arms or else using the tools embedded in the limbs of their suits.
But how to cure that pesky power supply problem? In my own novel the suits rely on a hybrid system of advanced batteries with backup generators that kick in only during extended operations. Running around with a nuclear backpack is not necessarily ideal for battlefield conditions, though, so speed, stealth, and planning are essential elements to the survival of any power armor squad.
In more advanced suits of armor, the advances I’ve covered in bionics/cybernetics would most certainly be applicable. Take, for example, the Japanese developed Hybrid Assistive Limb suit. Though designed for utility rather than combat, the unit boasts an amazing feature: signals sent from the brain are read by the skeleton’s onboard computer and then relayed to the limbs faster than the human nervous system can react, making the suit actually faster than the wearer.
But how to cure that pesky power supply problem? In my own novel the suits rely on a hybrid system of advanced batteries with backup generators that kick in only during extended operations. Running around with a nuclear backpack is not necessarily ideal for battlefield conditions, though, so speed, stealth, and planning are essential elements to the survival of any power armor squad.
In more advanced suits of armor, the advances I’ve covered in bionics/cybernetics would most certainly be applicable. Take, for example, the Japanese developed Hybrid Assistive Limb suit. Though designed for utility rather than combat, the unit boasts an amazing feature: signals sent from the brain are read by the skeleton’s onboard computer and then relayed to the limbs faster than the human nervous system can react, making the suit actually faster than the wearer.
"Hybrid Assistive Limb" by en:Steve Jurvetson - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/63461632/. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Such technology, coupled with a reliable power supply, augmented reality, and possibly an onboard AI, and you’ve got all the ingredients for the Mark IV Hades armor that turns up to raise hell in “Unto Persephone.” And if that soldier inside becomes too valuable (or too troublesome) we could always just lean on that AI to send a highly advanced killer robot into a battlespace. I’d say this last part is farfetched, but the CIA did just recently name one of their internal systems “SkyNet,” so there’s that.
The basic truth behind all this is that power armor is an emerging technology, one that is a cumulative effort between different fields. If we develop a power supply that is small and robust enough to be mounted to armor, then there’s no question we will see soldiers operating in theater with powered exoskeletons, effortlessly lugging .50 BMG rifles over mountains without even breaking a sweat. As for those of you hoping that giant robots would come into play here, I have a sad truth to reveal: the physics just don’t allow for it to happen. Giant robots are a huge fetish for me as well, but because volume increases at a cubed rate to area, you just end up with a massively heavy pile of parts that won’t be fighting anywhere.
A.C. Harrison
Like what you see here? Spread the word and support indie authors! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Find me on Smashwords and Kindlemojo.
The basic truth behind all this is that power armor is an emerging technology, one that is a cumulative effort between different fields. If we develop a power supply that is small and robust enough to be mounted to armor, then there’s no question we will see soldiers operating in theater with powered exoskeletons, effortlessly lugging .50 BMG rifles over mountains without even breaking a sweat. As for those of you hoping that giant robots would come into play here, I have a sad truth to reveal: the physics just don’t allow for it to happen. Giant robots are a huge fetish for me as well, but because volume increases at a cubed rate to area, you just end up with a massively heavy pile of parts that won’t be fighting anywhere.
A.C. Harrison
Like what you see here? Spread the word and support indie authors! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Find me on Smashwords and Kindlemojo.
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