I spent the last $43,000 I had and got....

[WayneLigon]

IT MUST BE MINE!

That's a lot more affordable than I would have thought.

 

[Jdvn1]

That's what I want to be when I grow up.

 

[megamania]

I want one.....

I want the 43,000

 

[frankthedm]

What has me worried is that the models are being designed with mountable guns.

Changing from toy to machine gun won't be hard.

I do wonder what the US weapons developers have currently.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I want seven.

 

[noretoc]

48000?? hmm with all the kinds of people en world caters too, I'm sure we have someone wealthy enough to buy one and tell us what it is like??

 

[Angcuru]

Oh my....

I am so buying one of those when the price goes down.

 

[Nifft]

I do wonder what the US weapons developers have currently.

Autonomous and remote-guided unmanned vehicles, both jet propelled and VTOL (helicopter & hover designs). That's what the current state-of-the-art is. Not walkers which have to support the weight of a person.

I'd expect walkers to be viable only if:
1/ traditional wheeled, tracked and flying vehicles were for some reason unusable;
2/ ECM became good enough to jam remote operation; and
3/ "walkers" got upgraded to at least "joggers" in terms of speed.

-- N

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

With a few of those, Hulk Hogan and The Book of Kells, I could rule the world.

 

[D-rock]

Autonomous and remote-guided unmanned vehicles, both jet propelled and VTOL (helicopter & hover designs). That's what the current state-of-the-art is. Not walkers which have to support the weight of a person.

I'd expect walkers to be viable only if:
1/ traditional wheeled, tracked and flying vehicles were for some reason unusable;
2/ ECM became good enough to jam remote operation; and
3/ "walkers" got upgraded to at least "joggers" in terms of speed.

-- N

Actually having a person there will be better because as you have said ECM could block the transmition turning the unmaned drone into pile of expensive junk that the opponent could just go and grab for thier own purposes. The person could see all around them and could have instant reaction. Somebody who is there could get out if he needed to. You might be able to take a walker into a complex like a factory that would be a pain for a remote VTOL to do. Walkers theoreticaly could move over some terrain better walk over rubble and between trees, perhaps wade into rivers (In most fiction where they exist this is suppost to be one of their strongest advantages). The view of the pilot would be better and higher. They would be less dependent on fuel than flyers(they wouldn't crash when out). They could carry a bigger payload than a flying veicle. They could carry more armor than a flying veicle, and woudn't have vulnerable parts like the rotors that could easily take them out when hit. They would probably be more intimidating than anything but a cruze missle, but you don't know when the missle is coming. You would see the walking monstrosity quite a distance away.

Disivantages are they need to be faster than a crawl, probabl would need a complex gyroscoptic divice to help them stand and run upright, would really need to be armored well(their a big target), and they would probably get a lot more expensive.

Unmaned things do have a place, but unless we get to Star Wars like technology they can't replace people.