Pan-O-Rama

by Ben

December 23, 2005

How many of us wouldn't give our right arm for a three-monitor display
system for our home PC? Gaming really takes on a whole new meaning
when you can see your whole plane of vision instead of one square in
front of you.

Panoramic cockpits are one of the very typical components of mobile
suits and weapons, as seen in Zeta Gundam. A three to nine monitor display that allows you to see within almost the full range of your vision, without having to turn or move within the mobile suit. These tools are something even today that we see as an advantage. However, the
panoramic cockpit is only useful to certain kinds of people and in certain situations. Let's evaluate some of the benefits and down sides of this modern innovation, from a combat standpoint.

Benefit #1 - All-Range View. You can see as far as you could see with
your own eyes. You don't lose any perception as you would in a tank or
aircraft, where you couldn't see below you at all.

Benefit #2 - HUD (Heads-Up Display). Though these are modern innovations, target locking and zoom features have always been very limited in terms of their ability to identify the target. Post modern technology and advanced computing allows the panoramic display to act also as a HUD and interface.

Benefit #3 - Periscopic Vision. Similar to periscopes and current
video technology, panoramic screens hold a kind of periscopic quality,
where the camera is not the actual person, and therefore allows a
person to maintain their observance will lessen danger of physical harm.

Benefit #4 - Wide-Range Night Vision. Current night vision technology
has the unfortunate downside of restricting the range of view of the user, even with head-mounted or goggle units. With a multi camera system, a panoramic cockpit can allow a soldier to be just as effective at night as during the day.

Now for some downsides -

Downside #1 - Gradual Damage. Each camera on the surface of the unit
is just as susceptible to damage as the armor itself, and a loss of some monitors during battle is an expected truth. Imagine being blinded in one of nine different eyes. You still have eight eyes, but your body can't compensate for the one that is missing, so it simply goes blank.

Downside #2 - Power Dependence. Unfortunately, because the unit is
basically a massive array of computer monitors, it is dependent on stable flow of power and energy. If for any reason a short occurs, or the power output is reduced, there is always the very good chance the entire suit could go dead, and you would basically be blind and deaf to the outside world.

The truth is, the panoramic cockpit and its functionality are most certainly going to be a part of the future of warfare. Personally, I see it taking a much different route. As we move more and more into a world of drone-based warfare, I see many pilots, gunners and artillerymen moving to remote control units. The panoramic cockpit will indeed be a critical component of our future, but I feel they will more often than not be sitting at desk or in simulator chairs than in the vehicles themselves.

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