How come we have yet to build giant robots like Voltron or Mechwarrior or even Robot Jox? They’re so cool!
Really though, what are the technological limitations keeping us from building giant robots? How could we possibly build giant robots in the future?
If we could build them, what would be the pros and cons of giant robots?
What would be the tactical comparison between a large tank and a similarly scaled giant robot?
I’m mainly thinking of the giant robots from anime, movies, tv, video games, etc. where the robot is essentially a big vehicle (although possibly has AI) that is piloted by a person. When I say “giant,” I’m talking about a robot that is at least tank-sized or at least big enough that the pilot sits in a cockpit of some sort (no “exo-skeletons” or robotic armor).
I think the OP was talking, maybe, about legged ‘vehicles’ that are roughly shaped like large humanoids, instead of the more usual wheeled/winged/etc type.
If that’s the case, the reason is in large part because bipedal walking has yet to be mastered very well by even human-sized robots, combined with the fact that there is no obvious need for giant bipedal robots.
Where do you live? Around these parts, we have giant robots all over the place. Hell, I couldn’t find a parking spot this morning . . . just giant robots all blocking my way.
Yeah, but they’d be coooool
I wanna know why there’s no man-sized robots. Don’t tell me there’s no market for them – you’re not looking hard eniough. My guess is simply that they’d be too heavy, or too flimsy, and there’s no good middle ground.
Plus there’s no really good long-time power source, and I’d keep tripping over the plug.
As far as legged, the question is not “Why not giant?” as we already have giant vehicles, it is “Why not legged.” The answer is that legges vehicles would be immensely less stable and could carry far less weight than a wheeled or treaded vehicle.
For combat, that means less armor on a much more expensive and less dangerous vehicle than a tank. The only real advantage would be the ability to cover more difficult terrain, and there is already very little terrain a modern tank can’t handle.
Well, you can have man-sized robots (a mere $89,000) orbipedal robots (only $89.95), but apparently not both together just yet. I do recall seeing articles on man-sized bipedal robots that were in development, but I don’t beleive any are commercially available just yet.
Okay I’m going to call them “bipedal vehicles” now.
Yeah, that’s pretty much what I thought. What if, however, we were talking about really quick and manueverable bipedal vehicles? Maybe evasive capability could supplant the importance of armor? Perhaps in urban settings, the ability for a bipedal vehicles to scale buildings would give it a tactical advantage?
Also, if the bipedal vehicles were lighter due to less armor and payload, perhaps it would be easier to deploy than a tank? What if they had rocket boosters (like they often do in anime and stuff) allowing it the ability to fly or at least perform rocket-assisted jumps?
In my mind, bipedal vehicle combat would be more akin to dog fighting rather than tank-vs-tank combat.
couldn’t controls on the operaters hands and fet hand stability? think vr suit kinda.the vehical starts to tip the operater instincitvly steps back to keep his balance and the machine follows suit.
not sure of tha tactical benits over a tank though…
It would cost millions if not billions to build Voltron, and it would pretty much give you the worst $ to performance ration no matter what it did(unless it could just make money being Voltron and hanging out at Disneyland or whatever). It’s useless as a military tool, it’s useless as a construction tool, and it really needs a different color scheme.
Don’t all the Japanese giant robots fly, too? Yet we see nothing of their lift or propulsion methods. They just take off and start shooting. As soon as we have antigravity, we can make the Megazord. Until then, the best we can hope for is a giant stomping machine. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Yeah, you say that now. But after it gets hit by lightning, acquires malevolent sentience, and pins you in the corner of the basement with a red-hot curling iron, you’ll change your tune.
