Fake's/TA's... Realistic???

[Wolfpac]

One of the things that I like about Gasaraki is that the Mecha's look somewhat realistic. Yes I know they aren’t exactly walking the streets right at the very moment, but they look far more realistic that an Evangelion or a Gundam. But just how soon could something like a T.A be from becoming reality? Giant Mecha's would be a great advantage to any military cause. Or won't mech's ever happen in our lifetime. Are they just fantasies because they are too top heavy and movements would be very slow?

So do you think that we would ever see something like a TA in our lifetime???

[Lurker]

They're just fantasies, albiet pretty cool fantasies.

I agree that the TA's and Fakes, they're about the most realistic looking mecha's I've seen. If large bipedal robots become a reality, they could look very similar, but probably only because the Japanese are the ones most likely to develop them anytime soon (have you seen the prototype bipedal robot they unveiled at a trade show not so long ago? It wasn't very fast, but you got to walk before you run)

However, giant mecha's wouldn't have any practical military value in the conventional sense. Something the size that most mecha's are commonly portrayed as is too easy to hit with modern firepower. Balance and weight is also an issue. In order for it to move about, it would have to be relatively light for its size, and its bipedal nature would mean a high centre of gravity, thus it would fall over much too easily. Given all these considerations, a bipedal weapon wouldn't stand much of a chance against modern battelfield weaponry like tanks, aircraft or even shoulder fired missiles.

On the plus side, a bipedal platform would have some advantages, the biggest being the wide variety of terrain it could traverse. For practical purposes, any such weapon would be relatively small, and could conceivably operate in an urban environment, much as Gasaraki portrayed, however it would still be vulnerable to infantry carried anti-armour weapons.

All in all, I couldn't see bipedal weapons acting in any military role other than reconnaisance and infantry support in urban environments. Interestingly enough, many military commentators believe warfare is becoming more urbanized, so it mightn' be long before something like this is developed, but I'd still have to say they're just cool fantasies.

[Serekith]

Yeah, basically I agree with what Lurker said. Besides, bipedal weapons are just far too expensive and unreliable to bother researching, because like they explained in Gasaraki, the only way to have a viable bipedal locomotive system, would be to incorporate an AI system that learns how to walk over time. Just programming wouldn't work in military application. And they are doing alot of AI research, for example did you ever see that thing on that robotic arm with the camera and how it learns like a child, and it's doing all sorts of crazy stuff they didn't expect it to. Kinda like that only on a much larger and more complex scale.

Also, they are realising that urban combat is going to play a far larger role in modern warfare, and while Generals would love having something along the lines of a TA, realistically speaking they're jsut going to focus more on special forces.

[Kizzim]

K... Im kinda upset that ANOTHER person is starting a heated debated thread that was started a year ago. If you really want to discuss this, you should bring the thread back, but you arent. So ill post here.

Before we argued about the realism for the Fakes. In the series, and in rl this can/was justified by using the bi-pedal machines in urban combat, where you have to navigate in sharp corners, move past cars, walk on steps, and deal with un-even terrain. Second, a AI to control the legs isnt the only option. In robotech II, if you ever get some of the extra books they describe the cockpit system. Basically when you get in, your putting your legs into these leg holders, and your arms into something like it, so litterally when your sitting in the cockpit your supported up. Therefor when you move your arms and legs your actually moving the mecha in unison. This can be easily learned, people with missing limbs deal with it everday, just because you cant feel it, doesnt mean its not possible. Just with your vision and the way you feel the body moving is all you need. I feel that training could be learned to master this, even giving control of a bi-pedal machine to the master level.

And to say that there is no research in bi-pedal movement is wrong. Honda has been developing a bi-pedal machine/AI for atleast the last 10 years. And its able to walk and navigate by itself using small cameras.