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Gunship Tech Talk: Enforcers 10/6/2013 11:34:43 AM
In the first of the series, J.J. Snow talks about the research she has done on the cutting edge technologies used to create the world of "Gunship". The idea for the Enforcer came from my research into recent advances in robotic technology, especially those being made by the DoD (DARPA) and some private companies like Boston Dynamics, Recon Robotics and Ekso Bionics.
DARPA's original model, the cheetah (28 mph) has now transformed into the Wildcat, an untethered four legged advanced version of the cheetah that will be able to run up to 50 mph over a variety of terrain. Add weapons and armor plating to that robot and maybe we can expect to see Enforcers sooner than I thought. Excerpt from Gunship below on how Enforcers are used in the Captain Reilly Campbell's times.
Enforcers had been created by the black-market programmers as mobile security systems. They were relatively cheap and more reliable than regular human security forces. Over time, they had developed numerous forms, although many looked like overgrown metallic lizards, cats, or wolves, depending on the designer. Class ones were the cheapest models and could be easily defeated by anyone with the right training.
The versions Reilly and Ty had encountered in the field had been class threes. It was rare to come across them, but someone with the right connections and enough cash could pick up a few and save some change on the care and feeding of regular thugs to watch over their stash. The machines were much more reliable and completely loyal to their programming. Each machine had its own unique code that was generated securely and provided to the owner to ensure that the system had not been compromised. After receiving the code, the owner could set up any number of daily tasks or situations for the machines to respond to, create a schedule, and then let the program run. A computer log and updates could be sent to the owner’s handset as well as alarms and resolution reports when a threat had been stopped or neutralized.
The Enforcer series went up to class five. During her time in the ISUs, Reilly had only ever seen one class four. It had taken apart an entire platoon and a half of elites before the firepower from two other platoons and an interplanetary tank round rendered it a smoking hole in the ground.
