So, in continuation with the concept of an attempt to protect the soldier from an internal radiation leak, not much comes to mind. Therefore, I have to figure out what to do about that because, otherwise, people will distrust it.
Actually, I might be able to kill two womprats with one blaster bolt, here.
One of the testers was unhappy with the prototype armor in one, specific way: it pinched. He couldn't wear a usual bodysuit or flightsuit underneath the armor which meant he had to get into it in his skivvies. He complained that parts of the suit pinched here and there when moving and that there wasn't much to alleviate the problem once you were inside. Long and short, the thing is uncomfortable.
If I take the concept of the power plant from being breached without injuring the soldier and the need for making the suit more comfortable, then I might have a direction to go with.
Mandalorians wear a type of undersuit below their armor, though many are comfortable with specially made flightsuits or jumpsuits. If we take that concept, we have one problem: they're designed to be a bit baggy.
This allows increased movement while maximizing comfort and air flow. It also allows the addition of extra pockets and such. This suit... can't be baggy. I can make the suit as tailored as I like, and I have, with the addition of adjustable padding and thick lining, but there's only so much that can do.
The alternative was to use a bunch of fabrics that I don't remember the name of and put them together. The result is a skin tight, breathable, and fully functioning undersuit capable of fitting inside the armor and allowing a full range of movement. It comes in Men's and Women's sizes and styles, though the 'styles' are only changes in body type and what support is where. They're durable and even feature built in microsystems to monitor the vital signs of the wearer. These are picked up by the suit and can be viewed by squad, platoon, and company commanders or higher. That way, officers can determine the health and condition of their troops 'at a glance' to gauge their troops.
The suit has some areas where pockets and holsters can be attached to the suit itself. Some sections have increased padding like the shoulders and shins, but for the most part the suit is simply an undersuit.
It does, however, feature a small amount of Phrik in the suit. I had some techs in my company take some of the phrik pulled from Roche and had them create thin, flexible fibers from the material. I took the fibers and had them woven into the undersuit itself. I don't think the suit will stand up to repeated blows from a lightsaber, but if one manages to somehow get through a damaged section of the armor itself, or the soldier is caught outside the armor, it'll keep them alive that much longer.
Anyways, the suit is also radiation shielded and insulated, keeping the wearer warm in the cold and cold in the warm when coupled with the suit's systems. The suit's collar locks into the collar of the actual armor and, when the helmet is donned, the meeting of the three form a perfect seal.
This means that, in order to use the armor, you have to wear the suit. It's both a protection system and a safety system. As the suit is shielded and the collar forms a seal with the armor to separate the body and the wearer's head, any internal breach of the reactor that does not injure the soldier or breach the undersuit will irradiate the outside of the undersuit and the inside of the armor, but leaves the physical body of the soldier untouched.
It's the best I can do for safety at the moment. At least in regards to internal radiation.
The suit itself also helps regulate G-forces on the wearer while in the armor itself by contracting under high g, forcing blood to the wearer's brain. It won't prevent internal injury or physical damage, but it'll keep the soldier conscious long enough to prevent slamming into something or losing full control of the suit.
All in all, the suit functions admirably. I had the tester put the thing on and while he did complain about feeling uncomfortable wearing the skintight suit, when in the prototype armor, he stated that the armor was no longer uncomfortable. Nothing pinched, nothing poked, and when placed in very hot and very cold rooms, he expressed that inside the armor, the temperature never deviated from a comfortable level.
I'm not quite ready to attempt atmospheric reentry levels of heat and stress just yet, but I've no doubt that this armor could potentially handle them quite well. That said, so far, such a concept does open up new avenues of uses for this armor and the potentials of its capabilities on the field.
For now, I'm content with the undersuit as it stands, though I did add one more component that occurred to me at the last second.
I placed an auxiliary commlink into the collar of the undersuit. This will allow soldiers to communicate when outside of the suit with their COs and squad leaders in emergency situations. It will also allow the soldier to possess a backup, reserve comm unit should the suit comms fail for any reason.
With that in mind, and the work put into it so far, I feel I'm now ready to move on to the more complex systems of the armor itself. I recently created the mock up of the helmet design to install the HUD systems and electronics into. With luck, the task will be simple and quick, though I think I may have to program the on-board computer from scratch and then streamline it afterwards.
... Speaking of, where did I put that helmet mockup? ... R9! You put that down right this instant! That is not a toy OR a power conduit!
Actually, I might be able to kill two womprats with one blaster bolt, here.
One of the testers was unhappy with the prototype armor in one, specific way: it pinched. He couldn't wear a usual bodysuit or flightsuit underneath the armor which meant he had to get into it in his skivvies. He complained that parts of the suit pinched here and there when moving and that there wasn't much to alleviate the problem once you were inside. Long and short, the thing is uncomfortable.
If I take the concept of the power plant from being breached without injuring the soldier and the need for making the suit more comfortable, then I might have a direction to go with.
Mandalorians wear a type of undersuit below their armor, though many are comfortable with specially made flightsuits or jumpsuits. If we take that concept, we have one problem: they're designed to be a bit baggy.
This allows increased movement while maximizing comfort and air flow. It also allows the addition of extra pockets and such. This suit... can't be baggy. I can make the suit as tailored as I like, and I have, with the addition of adjustable padding and thick lining, but there's only so much that can do.
The alternative was to use a bunch of fabrics that I don't remember the name of and put them together. The result is a skin tight, breathable, and fully functioning undersuit capable of fitting inside the armor and allowing a full range of movement. It comes in Men's and Women's sizes and styles, though the 'styles' are only changes in body type and what support is where. They're durable and even feature built in microsystems to monitor the vital signs of the wearer. These are picked up by the suit and can be viewed by squad, platoon, and company commanders or higher. That way, officers can determine the health and condition of their troops 'at a glance' to gauge their troops.
The suit has some areas where pockets and holsters can be attached to the suit itself. Some sections have increased padding like the shoulders and shins, but for the most part the suit is simply an undersuit.
It does, however, feature a small amount of Phrik in the suit. I had some techs in my company take some of the phrik pulled from Roche and had them create thin, flexible fibers from the material. I took the fibers and had them woven into the undersuit itself. I don't think the suit will stand up to repeated blows from a lightsaber, but if one manages to somehow get through a damaged section of the armor itself, or the soldier is caught outside the armor, it'll keep them alive that much longer.
Anyways, the suit is also radiation shielded and insulated, keeping the wearer warm in the cold and cold in the warm when coupled with the suit's systems. The suit's collar locks into the collar of the actual armor and, when the helmet is donned, the meeting of the three form a perfect seal.
This means that, in order to use the armor, you have to wear the suit. It's both a protection system and a safety system. As the suit is shielded and the collar forms a seal with the armor to separate the body and the wearer's head, any internal breach of the reactor that does not injure the soldier or breach the undersuit will irradiate the outside of the undersuit and the inside of the armor, but leaves the physical body of the soldier untouched.
It's the best I can do for safety at the moment. At least in regards to internal radiation.
The suit itself also helps regulate G-forces on the wearer while in the armor itself by contracting under high g, forcing blood to the wearer's brain. It won't prevent internal injury or physical damage, but it'll keep the soldier conscious long enough to prevent slamming into something or losing full control of the suit.
All in all, the suit functions admirably. I had the tester put the thing on and while he did complain about feeling uncomfortable wearing the skintight suit, when in the prototype armor, he stated that the armor was no longer uncomfortable. Nothing pinched, nothing poked, and when placed in very hot and very cold rooms, he expressed that inside the armor, the temperature never deviated from a comfortable level.
I'm not quite ready to attempt atmospheric reentry levels of heat and stress just yet, but I've no doubt that this armor could potentially handle them quite well. That said, so far, such a concept does open up new avenues of uses for this armor and the potentials of its capabilities on the field.
For now, I'm content with the undersuit as it stands, though I did add one more component that occurred to me at the last second.
I placed an auxiliary commlink into the collar of the undersuit. This will allow soldiers to communicate when outside of the suit with their COs and squad leaders in emergency situations. It will also allow the soldier to possess a backup, reserve comm unit should the suit comms fail for any reason.
With that in mind, and the work put into it so far, I feel I'm now ready to move on to the more complex systems of the armor itself. I recently created the mock up of the helmet design to install the HUD systems and electronics into. With luck, the task will be simple and quick, though I think I may have to program the on-board computer from scratch and then streamline it afterwards.
... Speaking of, where did I put that helmet mockup? ... R9! You put that down right this instant! That is not a toy OR a power conduit!
