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Old 07-23-2013, 08:39 PM   #1
Agemegos
 
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Default [Ultra-Tech] Infantry drones and robot gun carriages

Let's talk about infantry drones, infantry robots, and autonomous self-propelled gun-carriages for infantry heavy weapons.

By "infantry" I mean the stuff that sneaks about in cover because it would get slaughtered by armour or artillery if it got seen out in the open; stuff for which concealment and cover are vital; stuff that thrives of fieldcraft. Fast vehicles with big guns are aviation or armour; stuff for which it's extreme range is like a shield of steel is artillery or ortillery. I'm here to talk about ordnance that is small enough to hide in a culvert or go up a passenger lift, light enough to stand on an upper floor in a residential building, and quiet enough to perform an infantry patrol or infiltrate a firebase. Ultra-Tech armour, aviation, and aircav, artillery, ortillery, and WMD are very fine topics, but I think they would do best in their own threads.

So: nothing heavier than about half a tonne, and best keep it under 200 kg. Nothing that can't get under a 1-metre overhead. Nothing that can't get over a 1-metre fence. Nothing that can't get up or down a flight of fire-stairs. Nothing that can't advance at at least 1 km/hr without audible sound.

In my setting it is a war crime to use autonomous killing machines, considered as equivalent to using indiscriminate weapons such as landmines. So in my setting all this stuff gets to be dedicated AI (see UT p.25) that cannot fire on a probable person without direct orders from an authorised person. (In colonial militaries "unless someone accidentally or inappropriately removed this safety plate, which you must never do because that would be illegal".) But I don't think it would make a lot of difference if in some other settings the same chassis were driven by non-volitional or volitional AIs. So if anyone wants to discuss volitional variants that is fine with me.

My setting doesn't run to superscience on the ground (there is FTL in space), and I consider some things that are widely accepted (the more perfervid visions of nanotech and nanofac, basically) to be superscience. So my setting is basically TL10 hard SF with some conservative, some radical, and some high-biotech features (see UT p.9). And that's what I'm going to concentrate on though I won't mind superscience, radical-hard, and high-biotech subthreads forming. If you want to chat about TL9 or TL11 you are very welcome.
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Last edited by Agemegos; 08-12-2013 at 02:13 PM. Reason: "hear" -> "here"
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Old 07-23-2013, 08:40 PM   #2
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Default Re: [Ultra-Tech] Infantry drones and robot gun carriages

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Old 07-23-2013, 08:56 PM   #3
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Default Hexapod ammo/stretcher mule

First thing I want is a self-propelling, self-guiding carrier for ammo and supplies. Structurally it is a beetle about 2.4 metres long and 720 mm wide: large enough to carry a wounded solider in his commando battlesuit, but narrow enough to get through doorways. The lower shell is armoured to protect the burden from mines, the upper is chamaelon-surfaced and armoured against shell-fragments. The carapace is in two pieces arranged like a beetle's wing-covers, i.e. hinged to open from the sides or the back. The joint is airtight and waterproof, and there is a small filtered air supply for emergencies.

The ammo mule rides on six articulated legs, like a beetle. It runs on electric cells, which can be either replaced or (if time permits) topped up in situ. The mule's brain is hard/firm coded for bringing ammunition, batteries, and supplies from company/battalion HQ to an infantry unit in the field, and can cope with trying to find it if the unit is not in its expected position. It will, as would seem necessary in the circumstances, avoid enemy patrols, lay up to hide, keep to cover and in defilade, tip-toe, sneak, and infiltrate.

The mule is sized, designed, and programmed to be able to effect medevac on a wounded soldier in his battlesuit, seeking the appropriate aid station according to the information available to it.
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Old 07-23-2013, 09:19 PM   #4
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Default Re: [Ultra-Tech] Infantry drones and robot gun carriages

I like this topic.

Here's a template for a relatively-small (40 lbs fully loaded, SM-2) robot, with the ability to carry and use up to a 20 pound, min-ST 15 or less gun. It's basically a TL9 version of a TALON/SWORDS robot, and is capable of performing EOD duties with its single manipulator arm or attack with its mounted turret.

This is also the first time I've featured some output from my robot design system spreadsheet. You can find the Talon Advanced's spreadsheet here. I might describe it in more detail in another thread later, but feel free to experiment with it by going to File->Make a Copy... and editing that copy to your heart's content.

(realize, however, that it was made with my Edgerunners setting in mind and, as such, may use some house rules and definitely only supports ~TL9-10 stuff, with no differences in stats based on TL; also, it's very much in beta and in no way finished)

Talon Advanced - 249 Points, $30K
Design Features: Tracks [-1]; One Arm [-2]; Hardpoint [0.5]; ECM Module 2 [4]; Armored 2 [2]; Rugged [1]; Ugly [-1]; Advanced Sensors 4 [2]; Light [0.5]; Strong [2]. Total DP: 8.
Sensor Systems: Visual Sensor [4]; Hyperspectral Vision [2]; Chemical Sensor [2]; Audio Sensor [2]; Discriminatory Smell [1]. Total Sensor Slots: 11.
Integrated Equipment: 1x Small Tactical Multimode Radar. Total Weight: 1 lbs.

Attribute Modifiers: ST +5 [50]; HT +1 [10].
Sec. Characteristics: None.
Advantages: Absolute Direction (Requires Signal, -20%) [4]; Damage Resistance 20 (Doesn't Stack, -40%) [60]; Discriminatory Smell [15]; Doesn't Breath [20]; Enhanced Move 1.5 (Ground) [30]; Extra Arm 1 (Weapon Mount) [2]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Hyperspectral Vision [25]; Injury Tolerance (No Brain, No Blood) [35]; Machine [25]; Obscure 6 (Radar; Cosmic, Adds to EW, +50%; Area Effect 5, 64 yards, +250%; Declining Area 2, +50%) [54]; Telecommunication (Cable Jack, Infrared, Radio; Burst, x10, +30%; Digital, +50%; Secure, +20%) [26].
Perks: Accessory (Computer) [1].
Disadvantages: Cannot Wear Armor [-20]; Electrical [-20]; Maintenance (One Person, Weekly) [-5]; No Legs (Tracked) [-20]; Numb [-20]; One Arm [-15]; Restricted Diet (Electricity, Very Common) [-10]; Ugly -2 [-8].
Quirks: None.
Features: Battery (2C/8 Hours).
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Old 07-23-2013, 09:54 PM   #5
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Default Squad support beetle

Since latish in WWI (when shooting fuzzi-wuzzis at half a mile with bolt-action rifles went out of fashion) the most successful principle of infantry organisation for full-throated combat has been to get the heaviest weapon that an infantryman could practically carry and to build a team around that, the man who carried it, and whatever extra men were necessary to carry ammunition and spare barrels, scout for targets, and protect the gunner from being swamped by close-in attackers. There was a time in which the platoon supported its Lewis-gunner. I remember when a section of ten men existed to get a GPMG safely into position to engage the enemy (gunner to carry the gun, gun #2 to carry barrels, ammo, and asbestos mitten, lance-corporal as spotter, four riflemen to prevent rude enemies from spoiling the gunner's aim, two scouts to find the enemy, and a corporal). Nowadays, I hear, a four-man fireteam is organised around a light machinegun.

Bearing this in mind, the chief thing I'm going to need is a self-propelling carriage to carry the biggest gun that will fit within the constraints outlined. The advantage of using a robot gun-carriage is that this need not be portable by one man. We ought to be able to go up to what the military calls "semi-portable" (i.e. "a thing half this size would be portable", the size of an M2 .50 calibre machinegun). So lets aim at mounting the 70-lb Gatling laser (UT p.116), 70-lb sonic stun-cannon (UT p.126) for public order operations, or 64-lb. auto EMGL (UT p.142), or 70-lb Gauss HMG or Gauss minigun (UT p.143)

So we have a weapon about 70 pounds or a bit less, which is going to need some sort of aiming mount. I'd like one with a bit of an arm so that the weapon can be poked over parapets and around corners etc. And there should be a lightly-armoured, chamaeleon-surface carapace over the top that opens on motorised hinges. The whole thing ought to walk on four or six legs, with a couple of arms in front to clear obstructions. It might need wirecutters and a power saw on specialised arms. The front legs should perhaps have grasping attachments to help it scramble up steep banks etc. It might need a loading arm that can get cells or ammo out of a mule and load them into the weapon.

How do we thing about a sort of centaur-like form factor? Horizontal trunk with a sort of turretty thing on one end?

This isn't sounding like a 440-lb package to me. Bigger guns? Some intrinsic carrying capacity for power-packs or ammo? Keep it light so that it is faster and can go more places?
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Old 07-23-2013, 10:24 PM   #6
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Default Scout drone

Next we need a scout droid that can sneak around the battlefield to find enemies, objective, cover and so forth. It should be light and fast, with good senses, and discreet communications; perhaps even able to fly if it can do so quietly, but above all stealthy. On one hand a scout drone doesn't really need a weapon at all. On the other hand, at least an accessory rail for an optional underbarrel EMGL can't possibly hurt.

In urban environments, hostage rescue scenarios etc. it will be almost indispensible to have scout drones place microphones on windows and walls, deliver gas and smoke canisters (and foamies!), place charges on windows and locks, deliver flashbangs, etc. A scout drone should also have a speaker and mike for talking with e.g. hostages. They might have to be able to trail a comms fibre in environments where radio comms are unreliable or unsafe.

I wonder whether we need more than one format: a rat-bot for crawling through pipes and ducts, a monkeybot for climbing in urban and forest environments, and a sort of quadricopter scout-bot. Or a spiderbot and a quadricopter?
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Old 07-23-2013, 10:31 PM   #7
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Default Re: [Ultra-Tech] Infantry drones and robot gun carriages

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Originally Posted by Langy View Post
I like this topic.
Good! Let's hope it attracts a lot of interest and input from (a) those people whose military experience lets them know what the infantry really need (b) thoughtful SF fans, and (c) 'leet GURPS/Ultra-Tech hackers. Because I'm doing this without a safety net.
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Old 07-23-2013, 10:36 PM   #8
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Default Infantry picket droid

Finally, to round out the infantry rifle section as I remember it we need a bunch of droids to do what riflemen do: skirmish, hold picket lines, clear the advance for the gunner, and protect the position from being swamped at close range. It has to be agile and stealthy, have good senses, and be armed to pack a punch at close range.

Supposing that combat takes place in an urban environment I guess that the form-factor of a smallish humanoid would be well able to get anywhere, the spaces and access being designed for humans. Perhaps in open countryside a climbing quadruped like a leopard or jaguar might be better. What weapons can we mount? Is there room for a built-in IML?
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Old 07-23-2013, 10:58 PM   #9
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Default Re: Scout drone

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Or a spiderbot and a quadricopter?
How about a quadricopter with Clinging?
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Old 07-23-2013, 11:00 PM   #10
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Default Re: Scout drone

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Originally Posted by Brett View Post
Next we need a scout droid that can sneak around the battlefield to find enemies, objective, cover and so forth. It should be light and fast, with good senses, and discreet communications; perhaps even able to fly if it can do so quietly, but above all stealthy.
There is some thought going on these days that you can make ionocraft that are more practical than simple toy/science fair project status. If so, you could have a small flying drone that was perfectly quiet. The smell of ozone might give it away, and it would need shrouding around the corona wires (to prevent the blue-violet glow from escaping).

This is speculative - ionocraft may never take off (pun intended). But, hey, its science fiction after all, and nothing seems to completely rule it out.

If your setting does have practical ionocraft, they may replace helecopters and allow VTOL airplanes without propellers or jets (just an electrode grid and its structural support).

Luke
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