Giant robots in the backyard

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devoted to research into a smaller, lighter exoskeleton that can be used on the battlefield.

DARPA has been pursuing the idea of a "Starship Troopers"-inspired soldier at least since 2000, when it started its Exoskeletons for Human Performance Augmentation program.

"This technology will extend the mission payload and/or mission range of the soldier and increase the lethality and survivability of ground troops for short-range missions and special operations," the agency says on its Web site. The project's director did not return a call for comment.

Early this year, a University of California, Berkeley, team unveiled the first fruit of the DARPA research with its BLEEX (Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton) system, which resembles a set of leg braces and a big backpack. The system allows users to carry extremely heavy packs without abnormal exertion, or could help people with atrophied or poor muscles to walk normally.

In the short term, Owens is more interested in the entertainment value of an 18-foot monster crushing cars, or fighting others like it. Assuming he can make it work--still a big assumption--he wants funding to build more and to develop the project using top-of-the-line materials instead of backyard shortcuts.

"The racetrack is never quite enough. The die-hards will always come, but everyone else is looking for something new and different. I think this qualifies."

--Karen Lackey, racetrack owner

Karen Lackey, who co-owns the local racetrack with her husband (and was once Owens' English teacher), said she's eager to let Owens show off his project when it's ready. An 18-foot-tall steel figure stalking around the circle, shooting flames from its fists and crushing cars would certainly sell tickets, she said.

"I think it would have a lot of public appeal," Lackey said. "The racetrack is never quite enough. The die-hards will always come, but everyone else is looking for something new and different. I think this qualifies."

Owens foresees a day when tools like his might be used on the battlefield instead of tanks, or dropped into the middle of a raging forest fire to help firefighters. But for now, the trick is to simply make the mecha take its first few steps with him inside, a crucial test he's hoping to pull off in a few months.

"It's like trying to invent the wheel from scratch," he said. "I want everything to go smoothly. When I take it out on the track, there are going to be about 3,000 or more people out there, and I'm just trying to avoid any embarrassing moments."

This guy is my hero!!!

I don't think he or the Mecha will survive the test run. But he is still my hero.

[zaznet]

ROFL!

Yeah, I think these guys need to get something walking before they start to worry about claws, beludgening weapons and big battle arenas.

Seems that at least one prototype Mecha already exists. Though not as big as the one featured in this article.

[pindiespace]

Other grassroots exoskeletons missed by article

Nice to see an article that mentions the 'grassroots' feature of robotics - similar to the late 1970s for personal computers. I suspect that by 2015 robots will be "the" tech and cyberspace will be about as interesting as a hi-fi stereo system.

This article does not note a major 'grassroots' exoskeleton effort -- Servo Magazine's (http://www.servomagazine.com) Tetsujin Challenge 2004, which had seven homebrew exoskeletons compete to lift a 1600 pound barbell. Held at Robonexus (http://www.robonexus.com) in October 2004. Like Neogentronyx, deeds, not words.

Also, big mechanical monsters have been a staple at racetracks for a while - Robosaurus comes to mind as an example - a dino-like monsterbot that can pick up and crush cars.

Finally, last week Toyota showed up a completely functional, 8-foot tall exoskeleton called the iFoot. The system is probably the heaviest robotic biped to date, at least until Neogentronyx gets their mecha working.

Grass roots indeed

Me and my team were at Robonexus, and got to witness it first hand. Great stuff =)

If you think that cnet left robonexus out in the cold, imagine how the MPS Team must feel. This Carlos guy was copying so much stuff off of our website, I finally sent him a notification I was going to start charging him for it.

Nothing like being around for five years and having some guy rip off your idea for free.

Mechanized Propulsion Systems has been around almost 5 years as a ?backyard project.? We were the first and only home-grown mecha project. Maybe this new spat of competition will heat up things on our end?

Competition is good.

[zaznet]

Any link to the Toyota iFoot?

Anyone have a link to info and pics of the iFoot mentioned in the previous post?

Sorry

Sorry but the film DID NOT have the exoskeletons because of budget constraints. The movie sucked BTW, as compared to the book.

[Michael.Kingery]

ahhh, thats so sweet

this sounds all heroic and stuff, until you realize that mps
(www.mechaps.com) has been brainstorming, designing and
building such a thing for the past 5 years

Yeah Right!

I suppose you'd know this for sure beause....?

not mobile suit gundam . . .

that picture claims to be from Mobile Suit Gundam, but it is actualy from a newer (early 1990's) series, G Gundam, just sayin' you should change it . . .


Theo Lane

This is Carlos Owens Please see the Grassroots posting section

I am sure that you the public will find it most interesting, especially when you see what Earle Bishop of MPS wrote.

Wow...New Hope..New Danger

Hello....
My first thought was.."Wow..that's great" but at the 2nd sight...it's a very bad idea. Why?
"Think of a couple of guys who juist want to go out on street to say "Hey Mr. President ( a Leader of a Staate....maybe Japan..USA..Germany.what you like)
You are a ******* IDIOT. GO AWAY!"
And a few moments later 3 of these steel monsters come around. Armend with guns or something. I don't like these picture. I'm afraid of it...

[Sboston]

:)

Perhaps it would not be smart to do stuff like that then? :D

I for one do not want to be flattened by a Mecha foot.

Only in the movies

I understand your concern, bu your more likely to be struck by lighnting than assasinated by a mecha weilding maniac with intentions of harming anyone. It would be impossible to not know they were coming as their size, and weight would make for some fairly obvious signs of an approach in a public or crouded area. In fact it would be like sending a Tank to do a sniper mission. So don't worry about such things, as they are merely speculation and imagination gone wild. Too many sci fi movies can be a bad thing.

New Hope..new Danger

Hmm..maybe you are right. But today, where W.Bush and other stupid and arrogant guy's are in charge...
I do not trust them as far I can see them..sorry guys but that's my point of view.
But I hope you are right..
farewell and greetings from Germany

Would Like an Audience With You.

Carlos,

I recently saw your article in the Heartland
News Paper. I am intrigued by the potential
for the Mechanized Robotic Exoskeleton
Machines for their usefullness in loading
Cargo and maintaining Extra Large Air and
Space Craft. If you would like to get together to
discuss this matter further please contact me
at the following address. Please submit a
Resume and Educational Transcripts, and / or
Experiential background to the address as
well. Thanks.
3rd Millennium Productions
Mr. Klinton Chace
401 7th Avenue, #210, Fairbanks, AK 99701

Hosting a Competition

I also am interested in Hosting a Competition
between Persons and Organizations who
have built Mechanized Robotic Exoskeleton
Machines (MREM's) but am not completely
convinced that there are enough finished
models to be entered into the competition. If
the issue of Patenting the models are in the
way I can help each party individually patent
their own Product Model before they go public.
This will protect each party from sttealing each
others current models. However, at the time
of the competition each party will not be barred
from learning what new developments they
will need to over come the newly developed
MREM's in the next competition.

Also, a state of proffessionalism must exist, in
these competitions. I will be back in about two
weeks to view these posts and would like to
see proffessionalism mixed with healthy
competition.

3rd Millennium Productions
Mr. Klinton Chace
401 7th Avenue, #210
Fairbanks, AK 99701

NM-21 AND RK-101 R 2 MOBIL SUITS....

i dont know who all reades these but my cuz and i are working on 2 fully working mobil suits they will work off the movement of your body using ....... well never mind but they work and well...

very interested.

Carlos, I am very interested. However, after our last
conversation I was led to believe that you did not want
further contact with me. I am still interested. So I
decided to not pursue it further. I still own and am
building my business and am now working for another
business at:
Pacific Industrial & Engineering, Inc.
Mr. Klinton L. Chace
Producer, Director
FInancial Coordinator
Project / Program / Bid Development
Apprentiship Programs
Budget Analyst
3202 Industrial Avenue
Fairbanks, AK 99701
Fax: [phone] or
Fax: [phone]

[CyberWoLfman]

Starship Troopers did NOT have the 'exoskeletal armor'!

Oh, come on! Don't the writers of these stories realize that people who read them have some knowledge of what they're talking about? In the article, John Borland says that:

"Robert Heinlein's 1959 novel "Starship Troopers," and the 1997 film made from the book, featured soldiers with powerful exoskeletal armor that dramatically augmented their strength."

There was no 'exoskeletal armor' in the movie. In fact, the soldiers of the mobile infantry in the movie had very little armor at all, and had almost no protection (I don't count the modern version of the old 'steel pot' as much protection, either). In the book Starship Troopers, the mobile infantry had powered suits that didn't just enhance their strength, but also allowed them to hop around with powered joints and low-powered jets. Not powerful enough to give them the ability to reach escape velocity from a planet, but it let them hop from one area to another, like in a city, which made them a much more difficult target to hit. As the saying goes, "if you can be hit, you can be killed." If you're a constantly moving and small target, it's going to be difficult to shoot you. The suits also had radio gear in them with multi-channels for those of higher ranks, so they didn't rely on a single radio operator like the movie had which reminded me of the old World War II (the second so-called 'war to end all wars') movies. The 'grunts' only got the one, while the guys with more stripes got an extra one, and the officers still one more.

I'd go into detail about how many ways the movie deviated from the book (the most obvious are the lack of armored suits and the lack of good military tactics) but I won't. Perhaps the person who made the movie had little or no military training or wanted to poke fun at the society Heinlein showed us in the book. Heinlein, on the other hand, DID spend some time in the military.

Starship Troopers was an interesting book by Robert A. Heinlein, but I think I prefered The Moon is a Harsh Mistress more.

Rambling again, aren't I? LOL

- CyberWoLfman

[Fuel4Blood10]

Let Me Know

I go to a University in Michigan, and i was thinking about starting research on the exact same thing, when i came across your idea. Let me know if there is anything i can do. This was somthing i wanted to do for a while, and i just lately put my ideas onto paper... get back at me..

[mortg]

megas xlr (giant robot)

i am 10years old and iwant to make a giant robot

[mortg]

megas xlr (giant robot)

i am 10years old and iwant to make a giant robot

[mortg]

megas xlr (giant robot)

i am 10years old and iwant to make a giant robot

[mortg]

giant robots in the backyard

i am 10years old and iwant to make a giant robot

[mortg]

giant robots in the backyard

i am 10years old and iwant to make a giant robot

[mortg]

giant robots in the backyard

i am 10years old and iwant to make a giant robot