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Project THOUGHT + Alpha Line components

Toshiro said:

Looking for approval for this independent R&D project, as well as the items listed under "Project THOUGHT Development Technologies", "Alpha Line" near the bottom of the page. Yaichiro has already secured six LAMIA for this from SCSC.

It's a second look at the way Power Armors are made, and an effort to remove key flaws Yaichiro believes exist in the technology.
Click to expand...

Technicaly, this would not be a Powered Armor. It would instead be, as Osakan refers to them, a Frame.
 
Hmm...well, a "Frame" could mean a lot of things, honestly, and this is actually internally referred to as a "Thought Armor" due to its control system the the removal of the pilot's limbs from the Armor's limbs. I'm not sure how similar this would be to Osakan's frame at all, so I'm steering clear of that term for those reasons.

I do know the end goal is a machine that's notably smaller than his WINTER (just checked), preferably LAMIA sized.

Yes, cramming a person in the chest alone of a LAMIA chassis will be a distraction in combat to the pilot due to discomfort, but the Beta series will be dealing with that issue.


Edit: I feel some people may be confused about some things, which I will clarify.

1. This Armor and its components are the earliest prototypes of the Thought Armor. As such, it's meant to have the cockpit flaws, and we will never have more than 1 in existance. It will never see combat, its weapons are all mockups which don't fire anything, and its sole purpose is R&D; specificly regarding the limb and head joint designs for the Beta series (To Be Designed).

2. The remote control module is useless in battle and would not be a final feature of the machine. It would be an emergency measure to allow the LAMIA Agura to continue testing, without the stresses of discomfort on the pilot from the cramped and faulty cockpit.

The remote control system is a reprogrammed comfort bed, and a pair of simple components bolted inside of childrens' lunchboxes in a hurry -- it's meant as a stop-gap measure while the Beta is designed with a more tolerable cockpit. As such, the remote control system is not a goal of the project, nor will it survive past the Alpha stage.

These are things meant to RP the R&D of the final product, and are not actually what Project THOUGHT will come up with as a final product.
 
So this would basically be a Telepresence armor system. But what happens to the Power Armor if the communications are jammed or otherwise interrupted be it line of sight, or communication failure? Will the armor have an autonomous mode?
 
If communications are jammed or fail, the Power Armor will be useless. That is why the function is a stop-gap measure for the R&D machine; and will never make it into the Beta line, far less the finished product. The transciever is a hobbyist model which is far from state of the art, and cobbled together into an emergency system to allow the continued gathering of data.

As for an autonomous mode, it does not have one. The original LAMIA did have a mode where PANTHEON could control it, but this stripped down model has that feature deactivated.
 
Why not just incorporate a basic system that automates some very basic actions like targeting and maneuvering so someone can run away with their tail between their legs or pull out of a dive if something goes horribly wrong?

You've also got the problem that this will make rudimentary actions very intensive, wearing out a pilot in half the time.

And yes, it is by definition what I'd call a frame, which implies a "frame around the pilot" which acts as an extension of their body without extending upon their body (ie, they step INTO IT as opposed to it simply SURROUNDING THEM).


What is the potential for telepresence (I really like this word) control without a pilot internal to the armor at extended range (30 meters or so)? (tactically, this could be very useful).

You have the potential to control additional armor if you streamline and automate some of the actions meaning you'd need one pilot to execute techniques that typically depend on teamwork. You could limit this to producing a pair of twins or a trio which work in very specific ways with each one overcoming the weaknesses it brother(s) bare due to over-specialization in essence making it a single armor (good lord that would be epic).

I have to say, it makes for an extremely interesting read and a lot of thought has clearly been put into this and it is entirely viable given the setting.


Will the findings of Project Thought be published or the production model sold to the general public? I am deeply interested in this product.
 
I'll say this again. I have no interest in developing "telepresence" beyond this quick-fix. You will not see it again after this. That's a step backward into Power Armor Swarming Tactics. It's simply not the direction I wish to go with the project. I'm going for maximum control, maximum performance, even if it requires more training and experience. Besides, stock LAMIA are capable of being auto-controlled by PANTHEON to begin with -- I removed that feature from this project.

I plan to simplify the telepathic interface whan I redesign the cockpit in the Beta variant. The Alpha is meant to have certain bugs, and an R&D machine. The Beta will have the pilot inside, however. The recommendations you made are similar to a plan for a general control mode, though experienced soldiers will not reply on the pre-programmed maneuvers.

Also, that definition of "Frame" meets lots of criteria. Even a standard LAMIA fits it. I doubt Yaichiro is aware of the Stalwart's military terminology though...it's not a common term yet, is it?



Another issue is that controlling more than one of these Thought Armors may not be possible, as it would split the focus of the pilot in several different directions. We're not newtypes.

The end goal is to have the Thought Armor to act and feel as the pilot's actual body in movement and control, to have image data sent directly into the pilot's brain's visual center (plus skin sight for Nekos and maybe even emulated for Yamataians), and radio communication into the audio centers. The end goal will not to be to remove the pilot from the body, but to shield the pilot in the core and make the armor as much like the body of the pilot as possible.

Those are hints at Beta's dev track.

Project THOUGHT is being kept secret for now, though rumors may be heard. Yaichiro is developing this independent of any corporation or military entity. Since I plan to RP the R&D, I can't guarantee what will happen as a result.
 
It's basically a term used to outline anything too big to be an armor but too small to be a fighter or full blown mecha or a walking tank.
 
I approve this project and the components listed within it.
 
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