Honda already has a human sized biped that can support itself, walk up/down stairs, and carry things. Dubbed ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility), this guy presents a present day case for a versatile mechanical biped design with balance problems overcome. Their new technology allows ASIMO to more closely mimic human movement, as it anticipates in real time the necessary shift in it's center of gravity as it turns, speeds up/slows down, and encounters a change in elevation. This allows ASIMO to move naturally instead of causing pauses in movement as it encounters new obstacles such as stairs or turns. This is just the tip of the iceberg for this type of technology.
Combined with other technologies presented here, such as carbon fiber muscles, teraflop microprocessors, and an advanced neural network/nervous system, the ability to attain enhanced movement such as dodging, falling prone, getting up from a fall, and just about any other situation you could find yourself in, piloting a mech, the balance and movement question should be easily resolved.
Even Robots Need Exercise
So how will this thing move? Eelectrically stimulated muscles could do the job. This technology basicically consists of mimicing human muscles with materials that lengthen and constrict under an electrical current. Hydraulics would be rather risky in a combat situation. Get a hydraulic actuator blown off your leg and oh well, no dessert for you. But if some strands in a carbon fiber muscle are damaged, the rest of the bundle can help make up the difference. Space Daily has a VERY interesting article on "carbon nanotube artificial muscles". The basic idea involves forming billions of carbon fibers into sheets. Under electrical stimulation, these fibers can perform more mechanical work than their biological counterparts, and even their motor driven equivalents.
Death From Above
How could a mech fly? Consider the modern hovercraft. 4Wings Hovercraft sells a private hovercraft capable of sustaining a lifted weight of over 6,600 pounds. And this thing only runs off of diesel. Miniturized electric fans in varible duct thrusters similar to the F-22 Raptor, running off a sufficient electrical power source would make a light mech that can fly feasable. The F-22's directional thrust capabilities are pictured at right, with a link to a cool Quicktime video of the engine in action.
More Stylish than an Armani Suit
TG Faust, supplier of fine personal body armor, has a ceramic armor plate that could easily be applied to the protection of a mech. This stuff is light, and if you look it's stopping power, you can easily see that it can perform admirably against conventional ballistic weapons. It has the ability to "defeat" 7.62 mm with ease, and on a power actuated structure such as a mech, could be layered and potentially stop 60mm shells or more.
A design of the automotive industry, i.e. "crumple zones" could further increase the survivability of a mech by "giving in" rather than fighting an impact. This could seriously reduce the knockdown power of a blast.
Against lasers, a mirror coating could block the most serious effects. One problem with a mirror coat is that you basically will be wearing a "shoot me" sign to all kinetic weapons. One solution could be to paint over the mirror surface. As the laser penetrates the paint, it will encounter the reflective surface and bounce harmlessly away. Or, perhaps not so harmless. That beam will go somewhere. It might hit your point man in the back, but hey, better him than you.
Choose Your Weapon
Given a fusion powerplant, railguns and lasers become a serious possibility. I would still consider the laser to be secondary to other weapons choices. It would be very precise most definitely, but proper armor could be instituted to counter the more devastating effects of a laser beam.
I think that ballistic weapons will still rule supreme for a while to come. Considering the devastating power a railgun could introduce to the battlefield, it would seem a more logical choice.
Another devastating weapon already in existence is the 30mm cannon of the A-10 'Warthog" attack plane. It fires depleted uranium shells around a foot long, with a 6,000 shot per minute firing rate. Considering the kickback on this weapon can acutally cause the plane to stall, a scaled down version would be called for on a mech.
Hellfire missiles, bazookas, RPG's, grenade launchers, the possibilities for destruction are near limitless, just the way we like it. Even hand held weapons, modified according to scale, are a distinct possibility.
Rose Colored Glasses
Certainly a lot of different fields of science will have to come together to make mechs happen, but I'm convinced that it is possible, and even probable. Any time a more destructive weapon can be built, the U.S. military is sure to pursue it.
Now, if only Honda would start drawing up plans for the domestic "commuter" version...
Check back in the near future for more information on optical camoflauge, advancements in armor, elaborations on lasers and railguns, advancements in power generation, and more extensive information on artificial intelligence and nanobots. I will also be updating information on man/machine interfaces and many other related subjects in the near future.
I would like to thank Lark, Greywolf, Mhaddy, Skarlot, Brian, Stinger/Deadboy, and Subjanus for all their help in this endeavor.
