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hoplite_exoframe

The Hoplite

These are sample descriptions from the Akechi Motors 'Hoplite' exosuit. Primarily designed for law enforcement special weapons teams or military use, demilitarized, non-EMP-hardened versions are commonly available as well. Other designs, such as Caterpillar's EXO-9 heavy construction exosuit, have a similar chassis and method of operation.

External description

This is a 'Hoplite' exosuit, manufactured by Akechi Motors. It is an anthropomorphic vehicle, nearly four meters tall, with two pairs of arms and thick, heavy legs. The primary sensors package is enclosed in the exosuit's “head”.

The exosuit's arms consist of a pair of armored, jointed sleeves for the operator's arms, attached to either side of the narrow, curved cockpit hatch that protrudes from the front of the exosuit's torso, approximately halfway up the torso; and a pair of heavy arms attached to the exosuit's shoulders. The heavy arms are slaved to the armored sleeves and mimic the operator's arm and hand movements.

The legs house hybrid power units (both microturbines and power cells, explosive-resistant fuel cells, and shock-absorbing systems. In addition to providing power for the exosuit's actuator motors and onboard systems, they lower the exosuit's center of gravity, and provide additional wrap-around protection for the operator's legs from front, lateral, and rear attacks.

This particular exosuit has been fitted with composite armor capable of defeating small arms fire while maintaining maneuverability, and is capable of carrying custom-built light- and medium-weight anti-armor weapons in its heavy arms. Defensive systems also include ECM, smoke/chaff/flare launchers, and millimeter-wave radar point-of-fire detection systems. It is intended to be used outdoors in urban terrain or during military operations where a larger armored vehicle, such as a tank, would not be appropriate.

Interior description

This is the cockpit of an Akechi Motors 'Hoplite' exosuit. It is a confined space with an interior display built into the access hatch that displays information gathered by the exosuit's exterior sensors. Most of the controls are voice-activated or manually actuated via switches on a chin plate.

The cockpit is a padded cocoon, where the operator sits on a saddle-like seat, with one leg inserted into a control sleeve inside each of the exosuit's thighs, and each arm inserted into one of armored sleeves protruding from either side of the cockpit hatch. When the exosuit is powered up, the hatch swings into place, placing the cockpit display at face level.

The exosuit is essentially controlled by the operator's arm and leg movements, mediated by the exosuit's “fly-by-wire” systems. The operator can observe the exterior environment simply by moving his head to look in the direction he wants to see - a head-mounted monocle assists in tracking head movement and also allows for precision targeting, when a rough point-of-aim indicator on the main display is insufficient.

hoplite_exoframe.txt · Last modified: 2011/09/10 21:07 by hagalaz