It's a Gun...not a Gundam...yet

by Ben

March 12, 2005

There is a question that is commonly asked - how far off are the
true technological developments all MAHQ readers yearn for?  Obviously
some of the developments are way beyond the scope of our lifetimes. It
is unlikely that we will see a Guyver anytime soon. It is equally
unlikely that we will see technology like that of Tekkaman Blade, but
what about Gundam, Full Metal Panic or Zone of the Enders? How far off
are real mecha?

Well, that question can easily be answered with an "I don't know." The
last three years have been an interesting time of development for the
military hardware. Over the course of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars,
numerous new technologies have become available to soldiers in the
field. UAVs, laser based weapons, exoskeleton development. These
technologies are not the bit systems, beam rifles and 10 meter robots
of anime robot lore, but they are the first development of those types
of technologies. Let's pick on Gundam SEED today. Being one of the
most recent developments of mecha anime to hit the market, I think it
is a good choice to look at just how much realism exist in these
future fantasies and how much of it may come to pass much sooner than
we expect.

In Gundam SEED, one of the first technologies we see in action is the
Phase Shift armor on the Gundam suits. A pretty unrealistic thing
right? Activated armor that resists all physical damage? Not so. In the
UK, recent developments into further protecting tanks and other armor
has yielded a new type of defensive plating that makes the tank nearly
invulnerable against all types of physical explosive rounds. RPGs or
armor piercing rounds can be fired directly at the tank and the tank
will suffer little or no damage and can continue normal operations.

How about those beam rifles? Though highly portable beam weapon
technology is still a ways off, Humvee crews in Iraq are using high
power lasers to destroy weapon caches and mines. In addition, work is
currently in development to convert a 747 into a massive very high
power laser turret for intercepting incoming missiles and destroy them
in flight.

As for the actual development of mobile suits, no, we're not likely to
see Gundams, of GINNs or Zakus anytime within the next few decades. In
the mean time, people are building mecha in their backyard. If you
don't believe me, go to Neogentronyx and put your bid in for your own 18 foot mech, complete with flame throwers and claws. Though military mech development is probably a good ways away, due in part to the incredible amount of power and of course cost that would be required to operate such a beast, there is research being done into the possibility of creating humanoid exoskeletons to enhance combat performance. Keep in mind however, battery technology of today is pretty restricted, and of course strapping a portable nuclear reactor to your back isn't an easy find either (they don't exist yet). It is more than likely that any mech of today will be run by either good old fashioned gasoline or another form of fossil fuel. Sorry, no solar powered mechs just yet.

There are hundreds of other aspects of gundam to get into, but I think
Ill save those for the next column. Please e-mail me with any questions, comments or discussion.

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