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Scotty...I need more POWER! by Ben That's a BIG difference from the person-sized reactors we hear about in Gundam or any other story. Ok, you're right. Fusion generators probably aren't the ONLY way to power a weapon like that. I mean, we run construction equipment on gasoline or propane right? I suppose we could run the mechanics of a mobile suit or mobile armor with a standard gas engine. That is what most modern engineers would have to do. What about battery power? Well, no offense to the folks at Duracell, but I don't know how reliable any battery would be for running an 8 ton robot. It's uncommon to see an electric car even nowadays capable of running for more than an hour, and I guarantee it would take a lot more power to operate a giant robot. I read an article on a bipedal mech by Sakakibara Kikai that recently went into mobility tests in Japan. The unit is powered by a diesel engine, walks on two legs and is armed with Nerf ball gatling cannons. There are videos available as well. While this is extremely impressive, its practical applications are extremely limited. Its dexterity is close to nothing, unable to lift its feet more than an inch or so off the ground without losing its balance. In addition, its movement rate is extremely slow. While I feel this is an impressive step forward in the development of low cost bipedal vehicles, "These aren't the mechs that you're looking for." So that cuts down our options quite a bit doesn't it? We don't understand fusion enough to make a micro fusion reactor, gas and battery power just doesn't quite cut it, and other forms of alternative power such as solar and wind don't even come close. So what's left to the realm of possibility? Well, we're left with two possibilities at this point. A less efficient form of nuclear power, fission, has been in use since the 1950s. While not as efficient as fusion, it does generate a large amount of energy that could be dispersed into various systems. It is also within the realm of possibility that we could create an extremely small reactor specifically for use in fission. We already employ smaller nuclear reactors in our submarines. Continuing to condense them is only a matter of time, and is quickly approaching. The major downside to fission is that it is dangerous in a volatile environment. Fissionable material releases high amounts of radiation, and can be extremely hazardous to human beings and almost all other life on the planet. Placing a fission reactor in a mobile suit poses two dangers, surface radiation exposure and the possibility of meltdown, both killing the pilot and possibly causing a nuclear explosion. You'll note that earlier I said our submarines use nuclear reactors, the reason we haven't employed the same units in ground based weapons is because at sea, radiation can be contained to affect only sea life, and an explosion or meltdown at sea wouldn't necessarily affect human life around it. The other alternative, and probably the most likely option in the next few decades, is the development of high efficiency fuel cells. Working on the same principles as batteries, fuel cells present the downside of limited operation, but also are easily replaced and can store immense energy capacities compared to their battery counterparts. fuel cells also have very little risk involved. Though they are flammable and could explode, it is no more dangerous or risky than a typical gasoline engine. Eventually, I can see us developing more nuclear based weapons if we ever find a more safe method of containment or perfect fusion, but for the time being, I think fuel cells are a safe, efficient alternative and we should look into their use for mobile weapon development.
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