[HN Gopher] America Had an Atomic Mecha Warrior Robot
___________________________________________________________________
America Had an Atomic Mecha Warrior Robot
Author : riffraff
Score : 214 points
Date : 2021-08-23 13:14 UTC (9 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (orangebeanindiana.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (orangebeanindiana.com)
| acidburnNSA wrote:
| Ah yes the 1950s! When we thought we needed nuclear-powered long-
| range bombers that could stay in the air for months at a time as
| part of the deterrent. The USAF spent a good $10B 1950's dollars
| on this concept and funded some incredible reactors like the
| Aircraft Reactor Experiment [1] and the Heat Transfer Reactor
| Experiments [2] (which you can see yourself if you're ever
| driving through Idaho).
|
| The ARE was interesting in that it was the world's first molten
| salt fueled reactor.
|
| Once Kennedy shut down the propulsion program (because ICBMs had
| been developed and we didn't need nuclear-powered planes
| anymore), the reactor expertise from this program at Oak Ridge
| led directly to the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE), which
| to this very day fuels all the excitement about thorium reactors
| and molten salt reactors.
|
| Interestingly, China is just about finished building their
| version of the MSRE, called TMSR-LF1 [3], and is supposed to
| start testing it in a month or two.
|
| [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Reactor_Experiment
|
| [2]
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion#He...
|
| [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TMSR-LF1
| _joel wrote:
| The Chinese have been developing it for about a decade now, I
| think it's the first one to go to production, not just test.
| acidburnNSA wrote:
| It's definitely a test reactor. You can see some program
| overview here [1]. This thing that's coming online is the
| 2020 several MW test reactor, not the 100 MW power demo.
|
| [1] http://irfu.cea.fr/Meetings/seminaires-
| MSR/4_Programme%20Chi...
| agency wrote:
| Truly a golden age of absolutely insane nuclear projects, like
| Project Pluto[1], a proposed nuclear-powered ramjet that could
| theoretically cruise around for weeks or months before being
| directed to a target.
|
| [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto
| arethuza wrote:
| Pluto looks quite sensible compared to Gnomon and Sundial -
| 1Gt and 10Gt bombs respectively (yes Gt not Mt):
|
| http://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2012/09/12/in-search-of-a-
| big...
|
| Edit: Fortunately the development of these devices didn't get
| too far advanced.
| Someone wrote:
| Rumor has it Russia is developing such a system today
| (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9M730_Burevestnik)
|
| Of course, you never know whether that's wishful thinking by
| the Russian and/or US military. The Russians may exaggerate
| how far they are in order to increase deterrence, and the
| Americans may exaggerate in order to get the money to get
| even bigger toys)
| mcguire wrote:
| One would be remiss not to remember Project Orion (https://en
| .wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propuls...) and
| Project Plowshare
| (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Plowshare). :-)
| neither_color wrote:
| It's too bad this wasnt explored further, there could be non-
| weaponized use cases for a nuclear powered aircraft that can
| stay in the air for days or months at a time.
| marcosdumay wrote:
| As a rule, if a design is deemed too risky to use in times of
| war, it's probably unsuitable for civilian usage too.
|
| I'm sure there are exceptions, but nuclear aircraft does
| really not look like it would be one.
| kevin_thibedeau wrote:
| Here's a more detailed article transcribed from Popular Science:
|
| http://cyberneticzoo.com/teleoperators/1958-62-beetle-mobile...
|
| It mentions the all important ash tray and cigarette lighter just
| before discussing the emergency oxygen system.
| dane-pgp wrote:
| I couldn't imagine how the headline could be accurate, and was
| expecting to be disappointed, but apart from the lack of legs,
| the mentioned robot surpassed my expectations.
|
| A little sad that it seemingly ended up being cannibalized at a
| Nevada test site, but I suppose that's better than being
| swallowed up in a Dirac sea while having its S2 Engine installed.
| jrochkind1 wrote:
| The "Warrior" part seems inaccurate. More like
| Mechanic/Engineer Bot, not intended for combat uses, no?
| 1234letshaveatw wrote:
| Well, the forklift mech in Aliens was pressed into combat.
| Never say never...
| jrochkind1 wrote:
| Yeah, but they called it a forklift mech, not a Warrior
| Mech!
| consumer451 wrote:
| > More like Mechanic/Engineer Bot, not intended for combat
| uses, no?
|
| Something like this would certainly be helpful at Fukashima,
| wouldn't it?
|
| I am flabbergasted by the apparent lack of serious R&D put
| into solutions for contaminated sites like that.
| diskzero wrote:
| Before the pandemic, you could sign up for a tour of the Nevada
| Test site:
| https://www.nnss.gov/pages/PublicAffairsOutreach/NNSStours.h...
|
| The tour would get you close to the NERVA
| (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NERVA) test stand and you could
| see the train tracks and the diesel switchers that would pull
| the reactor core in and out of the protective bunker dug into
| the hillside. Maybe if you looked closely, you might be able to
| find the chassis, assuming the arms were repurposed.
|
| I hope the tours re-open after the pandemic!
| arethuza wrote:
| The only bit of fiction that I have read that mentions atomic
| powered bombers is Charlie Stross' excellent _A Colder War_ -
| where they are armed with Project Pluto style missiles and
| target the Soviet weakly-godlike entity i.e. (a) Cthulhu.
|
| Strongly recommended.
| Baeocystin wrote:
| Link for the curious:
| http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/colderwar.htm
|
| It's a fast read. Well worth it, too.
| vangelis wrote:
| Eh, it had the same unglamorous fate as the robot from
| Evangelion.
| tclancy wrote:
| Ah, I always liked that ending to _Mike Mulligan 's Steam
| Shovel_.
| JKCalhoun wrote:
| A little misleading: not a robot per se but more of an armed,
| treaded vehicle that a person can drive around. Also warrior
| only in the sense that it would be used to service war aircraft
| -- not actually fight soldiers or whatever.
|
| Cool as hell though nonetheless. Being behind a foot of leaded
| glass and sealed in that steel and lead cocoon would creep me
| out. I mean, what if the hydraulics failed and they were unable
| to get the hatch open?
|
| For the nerd traveller, I highly recommend Experimental Breeder
| Reactor 1 in Arco, Idaho.
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimental_Breeder_Reactor_I
|
| In addition to the breeder reactor itself, outside in the
| parking lot are two remaining experimental nuclear aircraft
| engines that the _robot_ was to service.
|
| http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2017/ph241/morris-s2/
| kiliancs wrote:
| > not a robot per se but more of an armed, treaded vehicle
| that a person can drive around
|
| That's typically what a mecha is.
| https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/mecha
| hallway_monitor wrote:
| Mechas always have legs and look humanoid. It's a pretty
| big stretch calling this thing a mecha.
| riffraff wrote:
| I don't think it's true that Mecha always have legs.
|
| I'm on mobile and can't look up a better picture, but
| look for example at the classic tank part of getter robot
|
| https://www.ebay.com/itm/164049621190
| dcuthbertson wrote:
| Okay, then give it more powerful engines, and weapons in
| the place of arms, and you have the beginnings of one of
| Keith Laumer's Bolos.
| mcguire wrote:
| You may want to take a look at the Swedish Stridsvagn 103
| (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stridsvagn_103): designed
| for a crew of 2 (a third was later added) where all crew
| positions can perform all operations.
| jhbadger wrote:
| Or one of Steve Jackson's Ogres. Although both Bolos and
| Ogres were unmanned AI-controlled vehicles.
| dwighttk wrote:
| Also not atomic powered as I would assume from title
| bendbro wrote:
| > It took the Air Force Special Weapons Center three years and
| $1.5 million (roughly $15 million in 2021) to build this
|
| This price seems very low compared to other government projects.
| avereveard wrote:
| atomic - bog standard engine
|
| mecha - tracked
|
| warrior - unarmed
|
| robot - has a pilot
|
| a true post factual headline
|
| it's... it's a crane. a crane with two boom and some radiation
| shielding, which somehow gets called "armor"
| jollybean wrote:
| Yes, but just look at it, that's one of the coolest retro
| things I've ever seen. It's cool enough that it could go into a
| video game today. Sorry to say the cool factor legitimizes
| everything they could put in the headline. That's a beast.
| You're gonna see that in a Guillermo del Toro film soon.
| Apocryphon wrote:
| It's atomic and warrior by association or job description.
|
| There are some tracked mecha in fiction, but they are usually
| considered inferior to the walker equivalents.
|
| As far as robot- you've got it there. It's basically a wheeled
| version of Ripley's power loader from _Aliens_.
| mcguire wrote:
| Whereas tracked vehicles would (likely) be superior in
| practice, due to weight vs load-bearing area issues.
|
| And most cranes don't have manipulator arms.
| [deleted]
| timonoko wrote:
| Soviet Mechas in Helsinki 1922.
| https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipNrktKhhoYNGBcO3jf2ls2o...
| timonoko wrote:
| Is the "Create Link" option more public:
| https://photos.app.goo.gl/Q5SeDkEnvyq6oMnZ8
| timonoko wrote:
| Yes it seems to be. You can view the picture in incognito
| node.
| alde wrote:
| 404
| timonoko wrote:
| This is of course a mod of Jakub Rozalski. I think it was very
| funny. Unfortunately Reddit did think so and banned me for
| life. Reddit actually banned half of Helsinki by the IP-address
| because of this, which was very funny also and to the point.
| x86_64Ubuntu wrote:
| Why on earth does Google want me to sign in?
| api wrote:
| Uhh? To track you?
| Griffinsauce wrote:
| Oof, that first picture. If the operator sneezes she's scrambled
| eggs.
| cookiengineer wrote:
| If you want to know more about the Beetle prototype, this website
| [1] has lots more pictures and details about it than OP's
| article.
|
| Amazing piece of engineering, considering it was the late 50s
| when it was engineered.
|
| [1] http://cyberneticzoo.com/teleoperators/1958-62-beetle-
| mobile...
| ljf wrote:
| Cybernetic Zoo is one of those sites you can lose an afternoon
| to.
| lhorie wrote:
| I thought this article was going to be about Eagle Prime, a $2.5M
| robot that was designed to actually fight against a japanese one,
| but ended up getting auctioned off on ebay after the parent
| company went bankrupt[0]
|
| The japanese robot is pretty cool too: "The vehicle can be
| "armed" with multiple weapons, such as a 6,000 round per minute
| twin BB rotary cannon, a "LOHAS" launcher which fires either
| water bottles[4] or possibly fireworks, and a powered humanoid
| hand called the "iron crow" that is capable of picking up
| objects, and is linked to the pilot by "what appears to be a
| Mattel Power Glove". The main Suidobashi website lists two other
| "weapons", a "Kuratas Handgun", and a "Pilebunker"."[1]
|
| [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu2iKse_GUA
|
| [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuratas
| frankbreetz wrote:
| >>roughly $15 million in 2021
|
| It doesn't say whether this was the whole lifecycle cost or
| not(design, prototype, build...) but there is no way the DoD
| could create something like this so cheap today.
| imwillofficial wrote:
| So close to having a Gundam, so close...
| hammyhavoc wrote:
| METAL GEAR!?
| tibbydudeza wrote:
| I can just image it being in Anchorage Alaska blasting "For
| Democracy" over it's speakers.
| Svperstar wrote:
| "Death is a preferable alternative to Communism!" -Liberty Prime
| djstein wrote:
| Well I'll be damned, it's an actual metal gear
| pugworthy wrote:
| I wonder if this was the idea seed for Liberty Prime, the giant
| robot in the game Fallout 4?
| myself248 wrote:
| I keep wondering about MegaBots, which was unabashedly inspired
| by mecha fiction, but which might've then gone on to inspire
| more. It was founded in 2014 and debuted its first robot in
| 2015. Fallout 4 came out in late 2015 as well, so I assume
| neither knew about the other and they were both influenced by
| similar prior art.
| netule wrote:
| Liberty Prime first appeared in Fallout 3, which was released
| in 2008, so it could be possible.
| nescioquid wrote:
| It was the seed for the headline, maybe.
| handrous wrote:
| Metal Gear, for that matter.
| haspoken wrote:
| If you can't see the pictures, try this archive link:
|
| https://archive.is/GlPuu
| _ZeD_ wrote:
| it's... Getter-3 from getter robot?
| imglorp wrote:
| Kinda.
|
| More like a heavily rad shielded vehicle with manipulators for
| working on atomic aircraft and reactors.
| nix23 wrote:
| >working on atomic aircraft and reactors.
|
| Crashed ones probably ;)
|
| >>This costly mechanical beast had a single purpose: to service
| and repair the USAF's atomic-powered aircraft
| throwaway59553 wrote:
| >Built in Detroit by a subsidiary of General Electric
|
| Wow the USA sure built cool stuff when most of the factories were
| still in the USA and companies were far more focused on getting
| competent employees than with "diversity"
| TOSSAWAY_1 wrote:
| I'm not sure you're allowed to say that out loud.
| wittekm wrote:
| Ah, yes, it's <insert minority here>'s fault that America
| doesn't build mechas. Go crawl back in to your cave.
| systemvoltage wrote:
| I think OP is saying corporations are not focused on
| innovation and manufacturing, instead busy with corporate
| virtue signaling while shifting manufacturing overseas.
| They're faulting mostly white corporate leaders.
| robbedpeter wrote:
| And white corporate politicians and lawyers and the other
| empty nutsacks responsible for dismantling America's
| ability to make anything at scale, or to be self
| sufficient. There's nothing wrong with diversity, it's what
| they used diversity and other virtue signaling to cover
| for.
|
| The failings and benefits of globalization are pretty well
| understood at this point, but some of us are pissed off
| that the boomers thought it was a great idea to hand off
| almost all important manufacturing to an antagonistic,
| imperialist country whose tenets are fundamentally
| antithetical to basic American principles and human rights.
| systemvoltage wrote:
| But they created a lot of value for the shareholders, so
| there's that. smh.
| throwaway59553 wrote:
| I am sure all minorities, specially the ones more affected by
| long term unemployment are happy to know that their means of
| subsistence are being shipped to East Asia, but at least
| Citigroup has a cool new PR op.
___________________________________________________________________
(page generated 2021-08-23 23:01 UTC)