GH Technology: The Babble Behind It

[Joseph Hewitt]

Separated from the graphics thread. Since there seems to be some interest in it, here are some details behind GearHead's technology, as taken from my notebooks.

Materials: GearHead mecha are constructed from strong, lightweight materials not currently available in the real world. Lots of composites, ceramics, and other synthetic materials are used. The GearHead universe also contains a number of fictional metals, such as impervium. Presumably impervium would be stronger but lighter than titanium.

Power Sources: Most GearHead mecha run on an atmospheric hydrogen fusion engine. Even in the space colonies the cost of refueling is negligible.

I think I said once that the Escher uses a fission reactor rather than a hydrogen reactor. I can't find anything about that now.

Biotech mecha use a highly efficient type of cold fusion. The technology does not exist to build this sort of reactor from conventional materials.

Movement Systems: Most older mecha use linear motors or pneumatics. Advanced designs may use artificial muscle layered over a endoskeletal frame. Usually, these advanced designs are more manoeuvrable.

Propulsion Systems: Usually thermal or electrothermal engines powered by the fusion reactor. I haven't added reaction mass to the game simply because it seems like it'd be a PITA to refuel all the time; the mecha would require it, though.

Start picking holes.

[Ivan]

Movement systems for mechas.
I aint sure that even in future pneumatic systems would work on anything but the lightest of robots. It would for instance lead to mechanisms pressurised to 50+ atmospheres (it's a minimum from even approx calculations), which, when damaged, would make a damaged missile clip envy the BOOM.

Artificial muscles and electricity are quite okay. For your game I'd suggest simple scheme - bulkier bigger parts, closer to torso, move from synthetic muscles or even hydraulics, while thinner faster parts like hand can be using electricity. A hand can have a hydraulic lever-hook to actually hold the multi ton gun, and the electric fingers to help aim it and pull the trigger, if you ever come to say that equipped weapons actually have one.

The remaining part seems quite good since there's no vivid holes to pick.

[Phil Munoz]

Not really picking holes, just an idea.

Regarding power sources, would it be possible to have smaller mecha that don't have an engine, and instead just have a powerful battery?  I think it would be logical to have battery powered mecha intended to be based around a bigger powersource (space colony or mothership with large energy reactor).  Mostly for sentry duty and short range patrols.

Then again, how would propulsion in space work with just a battery?

[Frumple]

Just throwing out some questions, but how do the measurements work in GH? Other than a change in a number roll, what is DC representing? Just how fast is a mecha running along at 200+ ms going? Does DP (armor, etc) have some sort of parrallel in 'real life'? Would DP factor in specific armor design (Sloped, reactive, etc, etc.)?

On materials, where is the stuff coming from -- there's obviously some degree of astroid mining (Caylay), but is that providing the bulk or just some of it?

Do mecha deal with air drag via aerodynamics, or is there some other technology involved? Can mechs break the sound barrier? How much of a factor is that sort of disturbance in spinners, and do they incorporate technology to deal with it?

To go crossways to propulsion, what's used as propellants? On propulsion and power, how much a penetration of mech-level technology is there in other technology sectors? How standardized is everything, regardless of that?

Haha, questions, questions. Didn't see any particular holes in what you've got, but I'm not exactly a technical expert, heh.

[Snakebit STI]

(relatively) high temperature superconductors + future chemistry == awesome batteries.

Propellants: for fusion reactors, the fuel would presumably be hydrogen, and the exhaust helium (or some isotope of either one). The propellant itself would be charged particles. IIRC hydrogen plasma is ideal. Electricity from the fusion reactor is used to ionize the hydrogen and accelerate it out of the engine with a magnetic field(s) You can carry a lot of fuel/propellant in a small volume. The up side of being in space is that there's no oxygen to turn your hydrogen tanks into bombs.

[Vair]

I was looking at the graphic thread and after noticing screen of full 3D mockup by Phil Munoz, I've started to wonder why, istead of androbots etc people didn't make human-sized versions of mechas with cockpit exchanged for basic AI computer. Just look at that screen - provide that Buru Buru with some regular machinegun and it will look like made to be some automatic guard.

Just a thought that could fit this topic especially as it seems like great potential source of fluff and explanation of how-what-and-why works in GearHead. Compile it, reformat and we can introduce public common-knowledge terminals into the game or informative TV channels

Edit:

Quoting: Snakebit STI

IIRC hydrogen plasma is ideal. Electricity from the fusion reactor is used to ionize the hydrogen and accelerate it out of the engine with a magnetic field(s) You can carry a lot of fuel/propellant in a small volume. The up side of being in space is that there's no oxygen to turn your hydrogen tanks into bombs.

That makes me want to suggest big explosion if a mecha with propulsion system based on hydrogen will get it damaged while on spinner.

[xpace]

Quoting: Joseph Hewitt

GearHead mecha are constructed from strong, lightweight materials not currently available in the real world. Lots of composites, ceramics, and other synthetic materials are used.

Er... Aren't ceramics and composites already available in the real world? I don't mean to be too much of a nitpick. I agree that such futuristic vehicles would by necessity be made of material technology we don't currently have. However, I would find it very hard to believe that no part of the construction was made from any materials currently known to man. And some uncommon materials, such as cermets (ceramic/metal composite), already exist, but are so obscure that most people have never even heard of them.

Similarly, I would guess that in some secret labs scientists have already created new materials that have yet to be made public. Also, some amazing materials have already been theorized as possible or even produced in small quantities, but the problem remains in finding a way to produce it in bulk at a reasonable price. (I think the world has barely scratched the surface of the full potential of microscopic carbon materials such as nanotubes, nanoballs, nanofibers, etc.) Then there's things like mass production in zero gravity, which has already proven to have interesting material science and commercial potential.

One example of exotic, cutting edge materials with strange properties are Metamaterials. (click link for more) Some of the weird properties including bending electromagnetic waves, making cloaking devices one step closer to reality.

Quoting: Joseph Hewitt

Power Sources: Most GearHead mecha run on an atmospheric hydrogen fusion engine. Even in the space colonies the cost of refueling is negligible.

Just so we're on the same page: By "hydrogen fusion engine" do you mean hot fusion? You know, like a vastly improved version of the fusion reactor that Dr. Octopus was trying to perfect in Spiderman II - the kind with internal temperatures rivaling that of the surface of the Sun? (The only alternative I can think of is cold fusion and you've already addressed that.)

Quoting: Joseph Hewitt

Movement Systems: Most older mecha use linear motors or pneumatics. Advanced designs may use artificial muscle layered over a endoskeletal frame. Usually, these advanced designs are more manoeuvrable.

Sounds good. Except, what about hydraulics? Surely some mecha use hydraulics! And I hope artificial muscles are not all that rare. Most mecha would be too slow to swing their giant arms in a punch or kick with legs, otherwise. (Remember the old Robot Jox (1990) movie and how slow the limbs moved?)

Quoting: Joseph Hewitt

Propulsion Systems: Usually thermal or electrothermal engines powered by the fusion reactor. I haven't added reaction mass to the game simply because it seems like it'd be a PITA to refuel all the time; the mecha would require it, though.

[sigh...] Yes, this is perfectly acceptable... for travel in space. But I've said it before and I'll say it again: NUCLEAR RAMJETS! It's entirely feasible to make a hybrid electrothermal/thermal engine that can easily switch between using fuel and atmosphere for reaction mass. This is old technology folks!:

* Project Pluto
* Nuclear Aircraft

Basically, it uses a nuclear (in our case, fusion) reactor to superheat air and this causes the air to expand. As such, the expanding air is forced out the back and the resulting force pushes against the narrow intake, producing considerable thrust. Absolutely no fuel is required, aside from that required for the nuclear reactor. For further questions on how a ramjet functions, see this Wikipedia article ('cause I'm rather lazy).

[Joseph Hewitt]

Quoting: Frumple

Just throwing out some questions, but how do the measurements work in GH?

They don't. They really don't. Originally (as in before GH1 v0.500), the time scale was going to be 1 click = 1/10 of a second, but this resulted in a lot of lag so it was changed to 1 click = 1 second. The speeds and distances now make no sense.

Quoting: Frumple

On materials, where is the stuff coming from -- there's obviously some degree of astroid mining (Caylay), but is that providing the bulk or just some of it?

In L5, nearly everything comes from asteroid mining. I'm not sure about the light elements. I'm not sure what they do for light elements- how easy are those to find in the inner solar system?

Quoting: Frumple

Do mecha deal with air drag via aerodynamics, or is there some other technology involved? Can mechs break the sound barrier? How much of a factor is that sort of disturbance in spinners, and do they incorporate technology to deal with it?

I've been wilfully ignoring aerodynamics so far... shame on me, I know. I could bring in a technology from a mecha comic I wrote years ago, Clipper Jim. In that story the powersuits used a sonic field generator to produce an aero/hydro-dynamically shaped bubble around themselves. Therefore it didn't matter how boxy or ungainly your mech was, it could still fly. On the other hand wings do have a big effect in GearHead so this tech is out...

Some mecha can break the sound barrier. Aerofighters, mostly.

The colony cylinders in the GH universe were built with the understanding that there probably would be mecha running amok in them at some time. None of this mamby-pamby paper thin construction like in Gundam.

Quoting: Frumple

To go crossways to propulsion, what's used as propellants? On propulsion and power, how much a penetration of mech-level technology is there in other technology sectors? How standardized is everything, regardless of that?

In an atmosphere, either air or exhaust from the fusion engine. In space, either stored reaction mass or exhaust from the fusion engine.

What do you mean, "mech-level technology"?

How standardized is what?

Quoting: Vair

I've started to wonder why, istead of androbots etc people didn't make human-sized versions of mechas with cockpit exchanged for basic AI computer.

For the same reason we don't make a toy car by scaling down the workings of a real one, I'd imagine. Of course a defense robot designed to look like a 1/10 scale version of the company's signature mecha would be pretty cool. And it'd save on creating more meshes.

Quoting: xpace

Er... Aren't ceramics and composites already available in the real world?

Ceramics and composites are categories, not specific materials. The specific cermaics and composites that they're using aren't available.

Quoting: xpace

However, I would find it very hard to believe that no part of the construction was made from any materials currently known to man.

Some parts probably are. The main structural parts probably aren't.

Quoting: xpace

Just so we're on the same page: By "hydrogen fusion engine" do you mean hot fusion?

Yes. I realize the problems inherent in that. Must be some kind of phebonium at work.

Quoting: xpace

Sounds good. Except, what about hydraulics?

=slaps forehead=. Yes, forgot about that. The linear motors are as fast as or possibly faster than the artificial muscle actuators.

Quoting: xpace

But I've said it before and I'll say it again: NUCLEAR RAMJETS!

Since I'm being so vague with my terms (you try describing all the technology being used by a non-unified universe), doesn't this fall under the category of a fusion-powered thermal engine?

[Snakebit STI]

Quoting: Joseph Hewitt

None of this mamby-pamby paper thin construction like in Gundam.

Thank you. When you think about it, if the spinners have magical ("sufficiently advanced") gravity generators, then the spinner would have to support its own weight (the 'bottom' half pulls on the 'top' half). It makes sense that it would be structurally sound for that reason alone.
Hey, how do they keep oxygen in the spinners, anyway? I'm assuming it's done with agriculture, giant algal bioreactors, etc. Are spinners mostly urban or agricultural? Are some incapable of sustaining themselves without trade for food and the like?

Interesting question: how big does a ship have to be to have its own gravity generator(s)? The derelict ships evidently have gravity, and I think I know a way to justify it: RTGs. Essential life support systems could have RTG backups. Artificial gravity is included because it's necessary for the ship's structural integrity. The air becomes unbreathable over time because more delicate parts of the system fall into disrepair (filters and catalysts and such). It's a bit hand-wavey, so anyone have anything more plausible?

[Francisco Munoz]

Most food in the spinner is vat grown (go, check Comet Burger basement), just somekind of nutrient soup filled with stuff. As the soup need to came from somewhere my vote is on bacterial bioreactors, processing all waste organic matter.

Originally derelict ships had only microgravity... but it really leaded to some funky movements there (I loved to just float across the corridors just with the inertia of first movement while blasting my laser pistols, you could turn around and continue with the movement in the original direction). So now all space suits have magnetic boots.

[Joseph Hewitt]

There's a discussion of skinsuit technology at Ataraxia Theatre today:

http://ataraxiatheatre.com/2009/10/19/nobody-home/

[Burzmali]

There isn't any evidence of artificial gravity in GH, IIRC.  The Spinners, well, spin to generate gravity, and to keep their air if they aren't 100% sealed.  Most ships could spin to generate gravity as well.  Magnetic boots are the best explanation for current derelicts.  Though, in the future I'd love to see zero-g personal scale combat.

On the tech in general, the powerplants needed to supply the energy weapons many Mecha are using would likely be enough to power entire spinners.  Less so now that GH2 has batteries, but a laser that can fire, through atmosphere and retain the power to cut a mecha in half is tremendous.

[Daemonward]

Quoting: Burzmali

There isn't any evidence of artificial gravity in GH, IIRC.

Cayley Rock Arena Manager: Our arena is on the far side of the rock. It's probably the best arena in all the colonies! We buried a ton of simgravs down there, so it feels just like you're fighting on Earth!

[Burzmali]

Umm, magnetic meshes that pull on the mecha maybe?

[Snakebit STI]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_gravity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_torus
A rotating space station would need to be sealed. I don't feel like explaining details, but the air nearest to the axis of a rotating space station would not rotate much if at all, so it would simply be forced out the opening (at the axis) by air pressure. I suppose there could be giant spokes on the inside of the station that forced the air molecules to revolve about the axis, but sealing the station removes a whole host of issues. On that note, if you travel in one direction around the station, the centripetal force gets smaller (and thus the normal force), but if you travel in the other direction it gets larger. imho magic gravity generators make for harder sci fi than guns that magically correct for this (likely noticeable) Coriolis effect.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_effect
Oh, and how big is Caley's Rock supposed to be, exactly? It would need to be fairly massive (pun...) to exert enough force to allow people to walk around on the surface.

Wikipedia articles linked for convenience, not citation. Please correct my physics if I'm wrong.