Sunday, April 22
Gundou Musashi
This anime is legendary for its bad quality and cheesy story. The thing is, the work is done in 2006. Holy crap it is bad. This video should convince anyone how bad it is. It is so bad it is funny, and some people watching it for that value. Satire? Serious? I don't know. One thing I knew, that I will never touch it.
Info on the series
Hint: A samurai have a Colt Six Shooter in medieval era Japan, fighting demons.
Thursday, April 19
Another interesting look at power suits
Pretty cool vid.
The inventor is very animated and trying very hard to sell the combat suit. Looks mighty interesting to me.
The inventor is very animated and trying very hard to sell the combat suit. Looks mighty interesting to me.
Friday, April 13
Power Armour
The US military is planning to turn soldiers into supermen by fitting them with powered exoskeletons.
The research arm of the US military is spending $50m to develop new technologies that will improve the speed, strength and endurance of soldiers.
The research programme is aiming to give soldiers better protection against enemy fire, the ability to tote bigger guns, run faster, communicate better and help them avoid friendly fire.
The first trials of the technology are expected within the decade.
Power play
This month, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is expected to sign contracts to kick off the project to develop powered exoskeletons for its ground troops.
The contract signings follow a year of meetings and assessments run by Darpa to find the most promising technologies.
So far, Darpa, the main research and development organisation for the US Department of Defense, has not said which ideas it favours, but it has set out the broad goals of the programme which calls for technologies that can help troops:
carry heavier packs;
march faster over longer distances;
lift heavier objects and use larger weapons;
leap extraordinary heights and/or distances.
Dr Ephrahim Garcia, co-ordinator of the exoskeleton project, said its demands were "formidable" and much of the initial research was speculative to prove concepts rather than develop finished products.
"The controls, the power requirements, the human interface to the machine are all things that we do not know if we can do yet," he said. "There is a huge challenge here."
He added that the exoskeletons must be something that troops can wear and use without thinking rather than something they have to operate.
Suited up
The powered suits will help soldiers carry and use larger weapons and to take heavier loads into battle. Currently, soldiers carry a pack that is no more than a third of their body weight and usually take far less into combat.
Field trials have shown that troops typically dump anything too bulky or heavy to carry for long distances.
The exoskeletons will also have to be almost silent to operate and use fuel very efficiently. And soldiers must be able to use them for at least 24 hours before needing to refuel.
Early work sponsored by Darpa has used pneumatic muscles or deformable magnets to power artificial limbs or suits that soldiers could wear. Trials of a Springwalker system helped its developers travel at speeds in excess of 24 km/h (15 mph).
Stuck in the mud
The exoskeletons are expected to include a sensor web that expands a soldier's field of vision, passes on information about battlefield conditions, using GPS or thermal cameras, helps to co-ordinate groups of other soldiers and lessens the chance of being hit by friendly fire.
Conducting fabrics could be used to swap data between sensors, and wireless networks could pass information between squads or soldiers.
The suits could also act as body armour or have physiological monitoring systems that let officers know the health of the troops under their command.
Field trials of mock-ups of future systems on soldiers running a cross-country course revealed the limitations of some approaches.
Visors on helmets that could double as screens got in the way of rifle sights or made the headgear bulky and unstable. Other sensors or power packs distributed around the body of a soldier got in the way when combatants were crawling and made it harder for them to hide.
Source
When I read this, it reminds me of this ongoing manga series, "Red Eyes" by Jun Shindo. Similar concept, same operational scope.
The research arm of the US military is spending $50m to develop new technologies that will improve the speed, strength and endurance of soldiers.
The research programme is aiming to give soldiers better protection against enemy fire, the ability to tote bigger guns, run faster, communicate better and help them avoid friendly fire.
The first trials of the technology are expected within the decade.
Power play
This month, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is expected to sign contracts to kick off the project to develop powered exoskeletons for its ground troops.
The contract signings follow a year of meetings and assessments run by Darpa to find the most promising technologies.
So far, Darpa, the main research and development organisation for the US Department of Defense, has not said which ideas it favours, but it has set out the broad goals of the programme which calls for technologies that can help troops:
carry heavier packs;
march faster over longer distances;
lift heavier objects and use larger weapons;
leap extraordinary heights and/or distances.
Dr Ephrahim Garcia, co-ordinator of the exoskeleton project, said its demands were "formidable" and much of the initial research was speculative to prove concepts rather than develop finished products.
"The controls, the power requirements, the human interface to the machine are all things that we do not know if we can do yet," he said. "There is a huge challenge here."
He added that the exoskeletons must be something that troops can wear and use without thinking rather than something they have to operate.
Suited up
The powered suits will help soldiers carry and use larger weapons and to take heavier loads into battle. Currently, soldiers carry a pack that is no more than a third of their body weight and usually take far less into combat.
Field trials have shown that troops typically dump anything too bulky or heavy to carry for long distances.
The exoskeletons will also have to be almost silent to operate and use fuel very efficiently. And soldiers must be able to use them for at least 24 hours before needing to refuel.
Early work sponsored by Darpa has used pneumatic muscles or deformable magnets to power artificial limbs or suits that soldiers could wear. Trials of a Springwalker system helped its developers travel at speeds in excess of 24 km/h (15 mph).
Stuck in the mud
The exoskeletons are expected to include a sensor web that expands a soldier's field of vision, passes on information about battlefield conditions, using GPS or thermal cameras, helps to co-ordinate groups of other soldiers and lessens the chance of being hit by friendly fire.
Conducting fabrics could be used to swap data between sensors, and wireless networks could pass information between squads or soldiers.
The suits could also act as body armour or have physiological monitoring systems that let officers know the health of the troops under their command.
Field trials of mock-ups of future systems on soldiers running a cross-country course revealed the limitations of some approaches.
Visors on helmets that could double as screens got in the way of rifle sights or made the headgear bulky and unstable. Other sensors or power packs distributed around the body of a soldier got in the way when combatants were crawling and made it harder for them to hide.
Source
When I read this, it reminds me of this ongoing manga series, "Red Eyes" by Jun Shindo. Similar concept, same operational scope.
Wednesday, April 4
What I want from mecha anime?
I prefer story which show both sides people who has to fight each other due to circumstances beyond their control. The murkier the morality is, the better. No good guy, no bad guy, no clear cut "us vs them" splitting. The age of main character preferably veterans like 21 and above. And no need for betrayal plot, just simple military style of chess game story is good enough.
Prefer realistic mecha operations, the best one is Gasaraki. The more functional mech design is, the better something like Patlabor series. Tactics wise, a mix of Gasaraki and Gundam 08th MS Team is prefered, like the fact humaniod combat asset used for peacekeeping mission which shown brillantly in Gasaraki. Mechas also do not stand still and shoot, they actually use their best tactical advantage, the ability to sidestep while firing on the move in split second ability. Urban combat and forest also ideal combat terrain for mechs whereas there is no fucking way a mech can fight face to face and win against conventional tracked armoured assets on plain or desert. Missiles were used more sparingly, not those dramatic Macross style but actually use proper LOS ( Line Of Sight) and top attack pattern. In other words, I imagine mechs as armoured and rotorless version of gunships. Greatest enemy of mechas in my abstract will be opposition rotatry wing assets and tracked armoured fighting vehicles, not forgetting mines. Exotic weapons like EM guns or Metalstorm should be used sparingly, I am more for conventional caseless auto cannons that ranges from 12.7mm to 45 mm whereas anything above recoiless rifle is much more sensible. For example primary AT weapon for Gasaraki Gowa TA is 75mm recoiless AT rifle and all rounder is 35 mm auto cannon or chain gun. Maximum weapons per armoured bipedal asset will be 3+1, with F 15 E Strike Eagle style FAST straps. Height is primary concern, any ground based mechs must not exceed 6 -7 meters due to tactical reasons.
In zero gravity combat, mechs has to be in ideal in combined arms operations, battleships will try to support the mechs using long range weapons in extreme range like for say 4-6 million kilometers. Weapons like tactical nuclear missle is ideal for long range bombardment which has robust radius destruction capability. Mechs are designed to destroy ships in short range capabilty and other opposing forces mecha assets is deployed to counter the "hunter-killer" mecha teams. Ships has limited weapon coverage ability and mechas can exploit this to maximum use. In most cases if mechs manage to "land" on the ships, the ships will be doomed as this mechs can set explosives to the hull of the spaceships and effect a hull breach which will be fatal for the ship. Ship vs ship will be guessing shooting game, shooting in dark while guessing your enemy is one I think of now.
And has to be a political thriller something like those Tom Clancy's novels, where interests of nation state or powerfull entity is treated like chess game between opposing minds like Japan and USA "chicken" game in last parts of Gasaraki.
Oh well, just some of my wishlist for an ideal mecha story can be.
Prefer realistic mecha operations, the best one is Gasaraki. The more functional mech design is, the better something like Patlabor series. Tactics wise, a mix of Gasaraki and Gundam 08th MS Team is prefered, like the fact humaniod combat asset used for peacekeeping mission which shown brillantly in Gasaraki. Mechas also do not stand still and shoot, they actually use their best tactical advantage, the ability to sidestep while firing on the move in split second ability. Urban combat and forest also ideal combat terrain for mechs whereas there is no fucking way a mech can fight face to face and win against conventional tracked armoured assets on plain or desert. Missiles were used more sparingly, not those dramatic Macross style but actually use proper LOS ( Line Of Sight) and top attack pattern. In other words, I imagine mechs as armoured and rotorless version of gunships. Greatest enemy of mechas in my abstract will be opposition rotatry wing assets and tracked armoured fighting vehicles, not forgetting mines. Exotic weapons like EM guns or Metalstorm should be used sparingly, I am more for conventional caseless auto cannons that ranges from 12.7mm to 45 mm whereas anything above recoiless rifle is much more sensible. For example primary AT weapon for Gasaraki Gowa TA is 75mm recoiless AT rifle and all rounder is 35 mm auto cannon or chain gun. Maximum weapons per armoured bipedal asset will be 3+1, with F 15 E Strike Eagle style FAST straps. Height is primary concern, any ground based mechs must not exceed 6 -7 meters due to tactical reasons.
In zero gravity combat, mechs has to be in ideal in combined arms operations, battleships will try to support the mechs using long range weapons in extreme range like for say 4-6 million kilometers. Weapons like tactical nuclear missle is ideal for long range bombardment which has robust radius destruction capability. Mechs are designed to destroy ships in short range capabilty and other opposing forces mecha assets is deployed to counter the "hunter-killer" mecha teams. Ships has limited weapon coverage ability and mechas can exploit this to maximum use. In most cases if mechs manage to "land" on the ships, the ships will be doomed as this mechs can set explosives to the hull of the spaceships and effect a hull breach which will be fatal for the ship. Ship vs ship will be guessing shooting game, shooting in dark while guessing your enemy is one I think of now.
And has to be a political thriller something like those Tom Clancy's novels, where interests of nation state or powerfull entity is treated like chess game between opposing minds like Japan and USA "chicken" game in last parts of Gasaraki.
Oh well, just some of my wishlist for an ideal mecha story can be.
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