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"This is a predictive tool I've used: There are goals we've sought for ten thousand years, and we'll go on seeking them. Instant transport and travel, immortality (or at least longevity and miracle cures.), instant learning …"
- Larry Niven
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| Exoskeleton | ||
| Fighting suit |
The exoskeleton fighting suit is, of course, a popular item of technovelgy. I think the first reference I can find is in Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein (see powered suit).
| The Lieutenant Colonel was extremely dead. He'd come down from the heavens in his full NAFTA military power-armor, a leaping, brick-busting, lightning-spewing exoskeleton, all acronyms and input jacks. It was powerful, elaborate gear, of an entirely different order than the gooey and fibrous street tech of the two urban intrusion freaks.
But the high-impact crash had not been kind to the armored suit. It had been crueler still to the bone, blood, and tendon housed inside. |
| Technovelgy from A Good Old-Fashioned Future,
by Bruce Sterling. Published by Random House in 1999 Additional resources -
|
Of course, an exoskeleton can only do so much. Exoskeleton just means that the skeleton, the bony support for the soft parts of the body, is on the outside, where it can do double duty as armor (as well as support).
See the longer discussion for polycarbon exo, from Mona Lisa Overdrive, by William Gibson.
Take a look at this very nicely done anime treatment of exoskeletons. Be warned - you'll want to go fire up your exo right after watching it.
Thanks to Chris Johnston for finding this video.
See also this Sarcos XOS exoskeleton video for a look at a real-life exoskeleton under development.
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Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from A Good Old-Fashioned Future
More Ideas
and Technology by Bruce Sterling
Tech news articles related to A Good Old-Fashioned Future
Tech news articles related to works by Bruce Sterling
Exoskeleton-related
news articles:
- Muscle Suit Tokyo Exoskeleton Power Workout
| Liquid Body Armor For TALOS Exoskeleton |
| DIY Taser-Proof Clothing |
| Look Great In Your Garrison Bespoke Bulletproof Suit |
| Bionic Body Armor Makes You Dodge Bullets |
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'Hocus-pocus religions and archaic weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.'
'Oscar picked up a trowel. 'I'm the tool for the mortar,' the little trowel squeaked cheerfully.'
'... he waited for the robotrix attendant to finish fueling up his ship.'
The Roujin Z system provides care to fully bedridden patients - and then some!
'Aerostat meant anything that hung in the air. This was an easy trick to pull off nowadays.'
'The Ringworld had no horizon. There was no line where the land curved away from the sky.'
'An adjustment panel outside the door would cause it to extrude various appurtenances in memory plastic...'
'Annealed in any shape for a time, and codified, the structure of that shape is retained down to the molecules.'
It's not really polite to tear the limbs off robots.
'...the imaginary companions discovered by needful children.'
