Directorate Officer
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent:To provide a HUD / combat scanner system for future Lucerne Personal Defense products
- Image Source: here and here combined together and modified by yours truly
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: NiteSite IR Sensor, Gundark Power Armor
- Manufacturer: Lucerne Personal Defense
- Affiliation: Directorate, Silver Jedi, Closed-Market
- Model: Loth-Wolf series Combat scanner
- Modularity:Additional sensors, comlink, software, information
- Production: Mass-Produced.
- Material: Micro-Processors, memory core, TeleSonic Audio Pickups, sonic amplifiers, sonic dampeners, external amplifier, typical combat scanner components, optical sensors, optical enhancers, HUSH-98 comlink, miscellaneous electronics, skeletal laminasteel frame
- Integrated Sensor Suite: The Loth-Wolf Combat Scanner builds off the NiteSite previously used by Lucerne Personal Defense, providing the user with plain visual magnification, visual filtering (see through smoke, rain, etc), infrared sensors, motion-sensors, and passive low-light illumination enhancers. From there, LPD focused on making the HUD experience more intuitive. To this end, the Loth-Wolf incorporates a cluster of equidistantly placed TeleSonic Audio Pickups combined with surround sound in order to provide the user with same general aural experience they would have without the HUD or helmet. These audio sensors do use automatic audio filtering through sonic dampeners to lessen the intense volume of loud noises (such as explosions) and sonic amplifiers to highlight slight noises that might otherwise might not be detected by the user (such as an animal creeping through some brush). Like NiteSite, it has extra input ports to integrate additional sensors. These additional sensors may include (but are not limited to) Full-Spectrum Transceivers (common on space suits), DERs (common on combat suits), sonar (common on aquatic suits), and mineral spotters (common on exploration suits).
- Target Tracking: Like its predecessor the NiteSite, the Loth-Wolf can link with a variety of weapons to provide an targeting data through its sensors and places a targeting reticle on the HUD for easy quick-shooting. It can also be used to designate targets for friendly assets, such as artillery pieces or air strikes. The Loth-Wolf can track up to 20 different targets at a time, which is somewhat less than some of its competitors, including its predecessor NiteSite.
- Team View: The Loth-Wolf builds off of the company's earlier Gundark Power Armor in that it automatically provides networked sensor and targeting data from other nearby Loth-Wolfs in the same tactical network. This allows users to see things that others see, thus improving situational awareness and providing resiliency if one user's external sensors are either damaged, jammed, or otherwise not reliable. The user's HUD can also be transmitted through Loth-Wolf's comlink to other secure channels for viewing by people like ground unit commanders.
- Tactical Planning: Like many previous combat scanners, the Loth-wolf does have an automated map and navigation feature based on inertial guidance and matching the Loth-wolf's sensor scans to the terrain. An automapping feature allows maps to be made based on the user's path for later use to help prevent users from getting lost in unfamiliar terrain if they are working with inaccurate information or maps. Along with this feature, Loth-Wolf has a small section of its memory dedicated for a limited tactical database (~20 entries) for understanding how to identify, use, or best fight different persons, animals, weapons, armor types, vehicles, and other types of equipment. For more civilian uses, this databank entries can also be replaced with software on how to use and repair electrical or mechanical devices. Some users even replace a data entry with automatic foreign language interpretation for single language (also useful for those odd situations when you have to team up with a being that you can't understand). All of these tactical planning features can be updated or replaced wirelessly in the field from a larger computer, such as from a home base or a capital warship.
- Quad-Core Computer: The Loth-Wolf uses a quartet of micro-processors each attached to a single, separate memory core to make a distributed micro-computer to operate all of its features. Typically, the Loth-Wolf only needs two of its processor cores to function during normal use, while a third steps in to handle additional computing load if the user is trying to do many things at the once. The fourth unit acts as a back-up unit for the others, or to accept additional software or other hardware that will be integrated into the HUD's control systems (such as jetpacks, personal energy shields, med auto-injectors, vehicle control software, etc). Because these processor units are fairly small, they are typically not placed together, but rather are dispersed into different areas around the head or neck, making it difficult to completely destroy all of the Loth-Wolf's processing functionality in a single blow.
- Communications: Loth-Wolf comes with a mounted HUSH-98 comlink that links up to the Loth-Wolf's other systems in order to facilitate data transmission between other Loth-Wolf units and friendly forces. The HUSH-98 can be replaced with other comlinks, though basic models of comlinks may not be able to handle all of the data transmission needed to maintain all of Loth-Wolf's functions. As with many battle armor helmets, it also includes an external amplifier in order to communicate with people outside of the helmet.
- Enhanced Perception:Like other combat scanners, Loth-Wolf greatly enhances the user's perception of the battlefield through sensors and filtering software.
- Tactical Edge: Loth-Wolf provides a tactical edge to its users by providing onboard weapons tracking, integrating the user directly in military kill-chains, and providing a database to provide supplemental information on the fly for the user.
- Modular:Loth-Wolf is a fairly adaptable piece of equipment, capable of taking in additional sensors and software directly. It can also integrate weapons and other pieces of equipment held by the user or integrated into its host suit/armor.
- External Sensors: Loth-Wolf relies on external sensors which can be damaged in a fight, rending much of the system useless.
- Communication Reliant: Many of Loth-Wolf's more advanced functions, such as team view and tactical kill chain integration, require consistent communication channels, which can be jammed or otherwise degraded.
- Focused Performance: Loth-Wolf is focused on executing team combat, and thus lacks some features found on comparable on other similar systems. It cannot track as many targets as its NiteSite predecessor nor does it have the more comprehensive range of sensors found in the Minerva HUD or Acumen.
When Lucerne Personal Defense decided to expand on their power line armor from their basic Gundark-class Power Armor, one of the decisions made was that the company would need a dedicated combat scanner to replace the heavily modified NiteSite Infra-red HUD system they had been previously using on their armors. Wanting to a find a middle ground between basic systems like MFTAs and some of the higher-end models found on the market, Tresk Ek'ala opted to have his team design their own with development starting from the modified NiteSite they had been originally using. The result was the Loth-Wolf Combat Scanner.
Loth-Wolf relies on a cluster of optic enhancing systems and acoustic sensors combined with a distributive load computing system to form the base of its abilities. The base Loth-Wolf unsurprisingly retains many of the same traits as its NiteSite predecessor, providing the user with an enhanced and filtered perception of the environment along with streamlined targeting abilities. The use of expanded computer with clustered load-bearing architecture though allowed the Loth-Wolf do several things that its predecessor could not, such as make maps and send or receive data. It also allowed further hardware access slots to be made to integrate additional sensors, devices, and weapons to the HUD. This makes the Loth-Wolf a significantly more versatile, though still relatively low-powered device because of its focus on tactical combat mastery.
Loth-Wolf's versatility in accepting new programs and hardware means that it will likely be able to be somewhat tailored to fit certain roles. Consequently, it is expected to be the next generation combat scanner that will see extensive use in the company's armor products, from light battle armor and armored flightsuits to hulking suits of power armor and environmental suits. While primarily intended for the company's own internal use, it is available to certain customers of the company who are interested in building their own suits, armors, and similar projects from scratch.
