This was another commission I had done by  xii_hm Previously, I had him do a light armor variant here and I decided a heavy, powered armor suit needed to exist as well! This is the result of some collaboration and was chosen from several different initial designs.

The heavy armor was designed and created by a different company than the Common Suit and utilizes a low level Ascendent artificial intelligence. The following is a summary of the press conference and demonstration attended by an agency's representative, known only as M.


Here is the condensed version of Olyphan's latest press conference for the unveiling of their latest hard suit. I agree that this suit appears to be the most promising for our future hard suit needs. There is one major point that concerns me about Olyphan's hard suit that bears adequate consideration. Their design requires any operator to be implanted with a rather sophisticated neural implant, however, this is also what makes their design superior. Of course, future proofing our operators isn't going to be the cheapest option. . .

My personal comments on specifics of the suit are in [brackets]. Let me know if there is anything else you need from me.

-M

Olyphan's Latest Individual Powered Armor – The A.I.I.E.S (Artificial Intelligence Integrated Exoskeletal Suit) [The acronym is pronounced 'Ace'. Clever.]

Helmet
-A design first for Olyphan and the industry [Ascendent technology is the driving factor in this suits capabilities, not just because of the AI]. The interior layer of the helmet effectively molds to the operator's head. The tight tolerances aid in shock absorption from high velocity impacts as well as eases the difficulties of keeping the helmet pressurized in vacuum conditions. This is where the neural implant comes into the scene. The helmet's optics link directly to the operator's implant, which feeds the optical data directly into the operator's occipital cortex; simplifying the helmet design. [This can help offset early expenses; replacement helmets are cheaper than the CS-M1's helmet!]

-An extensive array of optical sensors adorn the front of the helmet. [Reminds me of an insect's compound eyes when looked at up close] A large lens in the center is the main visual sensor, providing a larger field of view than normal eyesight. Several smaller lenses around the main allow the operator to see the following types of view: Thermal radiation, low light/color night vision, electromagnetic fields and some of the ultraviolet range. These can be mixed with the standard view or displayed as separate images.[The implant can send picture-in-picture type data to the brain] Laser designation, range finding and active infrared illumination are also integrated into
the helmet.

-The neural implant allows the operator to change any of the helmet's vision settings just by thinking about it. There is a learning curve associated with operating the suit.[Part of the cost of adoption]

-The helmet is nearly as heavily armored as the major armor sections, however, the neck is still exposed – with an elevated neck protector – to allow ease of movement without inducing fatigue during extended wear. [They mentioned that powering the neck is dangerous and a wearer could accidentally snap their own neck. What a way to go]

-Featuring an elongated snout compared to the average Naerian's the nose of the helmet contains a sophisticated air scrubber. Two 'nostrils' in the nose of the helmet are intake/exhaust ports for the system. Miniaturization has allowed the system to be fit into such a small space while having an output high enough to supply even the biggest air hog. A small slotted grill on either side of the snout each contain a small heat sink that cools the system.

Torso
-The most heavily armored part of the suit. Several areas on the chest and abdomen have magnetically charged panels that allow tools, pouches, weapons and assorted gear to be attached without risk of being dislodged or torn off.

-Capable of stopping even the heaviest armor piercing munitions currently available for personally portable weapons. The torso section can even stop some heavy machine gun and auto-cannon projectiles. [The demonstration was bad ass. I attached a recording to this message] Repeated impacts do not degrade the overall integrity of the armor, however, repeated impacts in the same location can eventually compromise the armor. The main armor panels overlap [like giant scales] to reduce the loss of the operator's range of motion without having to reduce protection.


Back
-Houses the suits electronics packages as well as the power source. While some designs have a sort of 'backpack' this suit spreads the internals across the entire back, creating a raised platform. This reduces the suits overall bulk and streamlines the suit's silhouette. The entire unit is compartmentalized so if one suit system is damaged or malfunctions the entire unit does not have to be removed and replaced. Unit replacements can even be performed in vacuum. The most difficult unit to replace is the power source, due to the danger of handling it. [Not to mention an unprotected unit hit by an explosion or projectile means 'good night' to anybody within 50 meters. BOOM!]

-There are several ports integrated into different suit systems that allow additional add-ons to be applied. For example: communications range boosting, tactical command modules, external medical diagnostic equipment, vehicle integration and powered weapon systems integration [As in strapping the suit into a bigger weapon], to name a few.

-Two magnetic hard points on either side of the tail offer additional space for attachments.

-Tail armor has been integrated into the suit, however, it is not heavy to reduce strain; lacking power augmentation, this was an important consideration. Armoring the tail is a necessity since it is in the vacuum protecting under suit. In the event of a worst case scenario the armor has a special device that surgically removes the tail to prevent the wearer from dying. [Would be silly to get shot in the tail and then have your blood boil and asphyxiate! I kind of like my tail right where it is though]

Arms
-The main downside to this aspect of the armor is for Gene-Born operators. Armoring the small gap between arm pairs, without sacrificing range of motion, is difficult. True-Born operators have better side and shoulder armoring since they do not suffer this short coming. On Gene-Born tailored suits a plate extends from the torso a short distance to cover the unarmored gap between arm pairs. Statistically, this is not a high risk area so the solution is sufficient. This eased the miniaturization requirement for the servos integrated into the shoulders.

-Power augmentation allows the users strength to be amplified about three times on top of what is already being used to move the armor without straining the operator.
However, a particularly strong individual will not experience the three fold increase. The system can only amplify so much. [A weak bitch gets way stronger but a strong one gets only a little bit stronger]

-A screen is integrated into the forearm, mainly as an integration with CS-M1 suit wearers. Everything an A.I.I.E.S operator needs can be shown on the HUD projected in their vision.

-The thickest armor is on the top and front of the arms.

Hands
-Olyphan is particularly proud of the suit's gauntlets. They utilize haptic feedback to allow the user to feel what they touch and how much pressure they are exerting. The gauntlets are well armored and normally the vacuum requirement would leave only the vaguest sense of touch to the operator. Olyphan's haptic technology transmits feeling into the users fingers and palm with millions of microscopic cilia, agitated by electric pulses to extend and move. Higher pressures felt by the surface of the gauntlet induce stronger electric pulses. The system does not recreate pressures that would injure the operator. [They had sample gauntlets on hand to try this out. This is some seriously slick tech. I almost couldn't even tell I was touching something through the gauntlet. At one point they took a hammer to it, but all you could feel was a stiff pressure. They hope to eventually have the entire under suit lined with this stuff. Wonder if they'll conveniently skip the groin. Haptic feedback hand job, anyone?]

Legs
-This is an area that conceded range of motion in favor of enhanced protection. Hard suits were never meant to be highly maneuverable suits and this is reflected in the armor. The front of the leg is heavily armored. The operator is able to enter a modified crouching position but it is not a highly dynamic pose. Armoring on the back of the thighs was reduced slightly to still allow this.


Feet
-The armor on the feet consists of a mix of ballistic non-Newtonian fluid and fabric weaves. A reinforced skeleton rig frames the foot and supports the ankle. The rig is powered to offset the weight of the suit during use, minimizing fatigue to a level an operator would experience wearing conventional body armor. Heavily armoring the feet was an early consideration but maintaining a useful range of motion and not severely hampering the operator's ability to move freely saw the end of that idea. The under suit has several reinforced layers on the feet to protect against breaching. [And even if that happens you still have the emergency containment system, goodbye feet]

-The soles of the rig have an electromagnet in them, allowing the operator to move about on metal surfaces in microgravity. For instance, on the interior of a ship that has lost artificial gravity, or never had it. [Or maybe a sadistic way to crush some skulls. Boot on head, metal beneath, turn the magnetic on. Squish?]

Under suit
-The PRAS or Pressurized Regulated Alpha Suit [Seriously? Was Alpha Suit not complicated enough?] is the under suit worn beneath the A.I.I.E.S, insulating the operator from external conditions and allowing them to operate in complete vacuum. The under suit is highly puncture resistant and areas where the armor sits have been thickened to reduce the effect of wear in the long term. The Alpha Suit is meant to last for years of use.

-Olyphan's Alpha Suit follows the trend of several other manufactures and the suit monitors the operator's health status and has limited internal treatment options. Administering painkillers is probably the favorite of operator's.

-A waste collection and elimination system is part of the under suit. The amount it can handle is limited before elimination is required.

Artificial Intelligence
-Olyphan's hard suit has the distinction of being the only one with an on board AI, which is a boon for the operator. This is also why Olyphan's hard suit was the easiest to pilot and the most efficient. The AI performs micro-inputs in the suit's servos, balancing the suit during movement and eventually predicting how the operator will perform. The AI can handle incoming communications and suit systems far better than even the most adapting programming. It is also integrated into the operator's neural interface, able to tag or analyze the same feeds the operator sees. Target acquisition and overall combat performance was far superior to the other suits, directly due to the AI's assistance. [Let's just hope those tricky Ascendant programmers didn't add in anything special in the back end]

-The AI can be replaced in the event its kernel is damaged. However, the new AI will only be able to pick up some of what the previous saved, as far as adapting to the Operator.

-In the event that the operator is incapacitated the AI can attempt to keep them alive longer than any competitor's hard suit. [In the future they hope to have an upgrade for the suit/AI that allows them to function in an emergency protective state without the operator's input]

-The A.I.I.E.S suits have a special communication channel that allows each suit's AI to communicate with the next. This allows suits to automatically share and exchange relevant information, reducing false positives. The more suits within range the more powerful the collective conscious becomes, as well as the AI itself thanks to all the extra processing power. In a way their intelligence is crowd sourced. [Ascendant AI gets more insane every year. Soon the AI's will be smarter than us!]

Well, that about covers everything that was talked about during the conference. Overall I feel Olyphan is the place to put our money. These suits are fucking insane and despite all the proprietary Ascendent tech, I strongly recommend moving forward with purchasing a number of the suits for test purposes. -M


~Comments are always appreciated!~