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back to article Trials of 'Iron Man' military exoskeleton due in June

The Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS) project to create an Iron-Man-like exoskeleton has advanced to the point at which trials of a prototype are now expected in June. TALOS emerged last September, then took a big stride forward in October when it was revealed the US thinks it is such a good idea it was decided to …

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      1. Michael Habel
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        Re: No Star Trek references yet.... For shame!!

        Well hold on a second there did we watch the same Pictures? My understanding is that the J.J. Abrams Universe isn't at all canon, and is some sort of other Mirror Mirror Parallel Universe where Spock, (Leonard Nimoy), can somehow converse with his Counterpart (Zachary Quinto), in the aforementioned Universe.

        So I'm not sure how it would retcon anything from the TOS & Movies. Other then the fact that Bolly.. Um I mean Hollywood can't seem to develop anything bordering original anymore. Those cheeky bastards having to go and, re-image a classic like the Wrath of Kahn, and then call it "Into Darkness".

        The sad part is this is gonna be the same cat that gonna give us StarWars VII in a few Years time?! Lord help us!

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        1. Vociferous
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          Re: No Star Trek references yet.... For shame!!

          > the J.J. Abrams Universe isn't at all canon, and is some sort of other Mirror Mirror Parallel Universe

          No, they are explicitly stated to be canon. Abrams & co screwed the pooch out of laziness -- but they claim they did not, because timelines. In the Trek universe, there have only been one timeline, and everything has to be set right or you get cascading effects in the future. Abrams & co instead view timelines as they are depicted in the Marvel universe, as equal to alternate realities which all are real and all have happened.

          So, in the view of the Abrams crew, the movies do not change the canon, AND they are canon.

          No, it doesn't make sense, and it doesn't in the Marvel universe either. It's effectively just the lazy script writers way out of having to care about canon.

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        2. DropBear
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          Go

          Re: No Star Trek references yet.... For shame!!

          I'm just going to say this quietly since some of you may well be aware - but to the others: have you seen the brand new second episode of "Star Trek Continues" yet...? It's absolutely 0% JJ, 100% ToS.

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          1. Michael Habel
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            Re: No Star Trek references yet.... For shame!!

            I'm just going to say this quietly since some of you may well be aware - but to the others: have you seen the brand new second episode of "Star Trek Continues" yet...? It's absolutely 0% JJ, 100% ToS.

            No its the first I've heard about a new Trek. So...

            Who's airing it?

            Is it over here yet?

            Perhaps most importantly where is it in this "Time-line", and do we have to drudge though yet another Enterpise-esq audition of the X-Factor?. My Zarquon what were they smoking back then?

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          2. Vociferous
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            Re: No Star Trek references yet.... For shame!!

            > It's absolutely 0% JJ, 100% ToS

            I went to have a look, and you are not kidding -- it is ToS reborn, and far more Star Trek than the "reboots". Good production values too. It's silly of me when people have produced something this good, but I wish they had used a different ship with different crew in the ToS universe as setting, because the small differences between this and ToS are jarring because it is so close to the original: Uhura turns around... and it isn't Uhura.

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        3. Duffy Moon
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          Re: No Star Trek references yet.... For shame!!

          Star Wars has already been ruined though.

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          1. Vociferous
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            Re: No Star Trek references yet.... For shame!!

            > Star Wars has already been ruined though.

            Good god yes. As awful as the Star Trek prequels are, pissing all over everything which made Star Trek, Star Trek, they're still shining pinnacles of art compared to Ep. I-III.

            I'm actually hopeful about Disney's upcoming Star Wars movie: literally the only way is up for the franchise.

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  2. Vociferous

    The power source IS the problem!

    The rest of the exoskeleton is various shades of trivial, the real challenge is and has always been to find a practical source of power for it.

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    1. Sporkinum
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      Re: The power source IS the problem!

      Why do you think the scary Boston Dynamics robots use a noisy, smokey, two stroke engine for power?

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  3. willi0000000
    Meh

    they probably want it to look like people for the scare factor. what's scarier than a human? get the warm body out of it, you don't need it. probably better off with a hexapod. run it in hex until you meet trouble then go centaur, four on the ground for stability and two to shoot with, or just hug dirt and try to think of a way out.

    biggest problem i see is the "ideal tank" problem. what ratio of speed to armor to gun do you want? the usual, pick two! you get a tank, a scout or a suicider.

    without a lightweight, high density power supply this thing is going nowhere though. even with almost unlimited power there's still the problem of IR detection. just can't see it happening in the next few years.

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    1. Swarthy
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      "The usual, pick two! you get a tank, a scout or a suicider."

      Or in more common terms: You have your Tank, your Scout, and your Glass Cannon.

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  4. Frankee Llonnygog

    I predict this will turn out to be a load of

    Combat-Operational Clothing-Kit

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  5. Mike Ozanne

    " a scout or a suicider."

    Same thing aren't they?

    "Send Armoured Car to location A"

    "Yes Sir"

    "Has the Armoured Car returned?"

    "No Sir"

    "Enemy holds location A"

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  6. MachDiamond Silver badge

    Already done

    Besides loads of SF stories describing exoskelatal suits, I can recall science shows from a decade or more ago that showed this sort of tech. It works but it takes a really long extension cord to do anything useful with it. I also seem to recall that it took a bit more go juice than one could get from a standard 13A plug.

    Somebody else rightly pointed out that battery technology with the energy density to pull off this kind of tech is going to be much like a bomb.

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  7. MachDiamond Silver badge

    Misapplication of tech

    The US would be better served spending techdev money on transportation instead of sci-fi gadgets for committing war.

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    1. Vociferous
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      Re: Misapplication of tech

      Yeah, but where's the fun in that?

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  8. Cybershaman

    How about flexible battery technology? Promising? Would having a battery embedded under the armor be detrimental if damaged? Or would it slowly lose juice as it was damaged? hmmmm....

    http://www.tgdaily.com/general-sciences-features/86846-sodium-ion-battery-tech-gets-new-twist-with-flexible-molybdenum-disu

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