IRON MAN'S TECHNOLOGY: Is it possible?

In light of the upcoming movie, and really just cause i think it'd be cool, i thought i'd open up a fairly large crosspost discussion, because i'm interested in many points of view.

Heres an explantion of who Iron Man is...all the people at the Marvel group know him, so i thought i;'d just add a link for you who don't.

formatting link
Mainly i'd like to dicuss the feasability of the technology described, or if parts of it are total nonsense or whatever your thoughts are.Really i just want to see waht people think, so we can see what comes of it.

An excellent description from Iron man board FAQ

formatting link

IRON MAN ARMOR TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

The "Iron Man" individualized armor system is possibly the most advanced such system in existence. Years of compounded improvements have evolved the initially very advanced system to a technological marvel. The system incorporates several systems that each continue to represent the pinnacle of development in each specific field. At least in theory. The writers of our favorite series appear to suffer regular fits of acute amnesia, forgetting aspects of the armor that were established many years ago.

GENERAL OVERVIEW STRUCTURAL: The armor=B4s basic structure started out as relatively simple, solid-state steel parts, incorporated into a system that, as a whole, resembled nothing so much as a medieval knight=B4s armor. The seeming primitivity was a result of the extremely tight schedule under which the entire system had to be completed - less than one week - as well as the main function of the suit: generate a standing electromagnetic field of sufficient intensity that it would "freeze" metallic particles within it in place, but without harming organic tissue. It=B4s solid-state principle hindered mobility and created vulnerable spots at the joints. However, the mark II armor was already based on a chainmail-like structure, actually a microscopic metallic mesh which could contract and expand like a three-dimensional accordeon, when polarized by an electromagnetic field. The practical upshot of which was a relatively heavy, cloth-like armor roughly the size of a doll=B4s outfit, which would increase its size to that of a man upon activation, while attaining a light, wafer-like structure. As this principle was expanded upon, areas of the mesh would become flexible to allow movement while others remained rigid on a millisecond to millisecond basis. This basic paradigm was maintained, although continously improved upon, until the advent of sufficiently advanced microtechnology to construct electromechanical "cells", miniaturized armor units which each were complete in themselves, but co-operated with many other such units to form one whole structure. The result was a non-expanding, but highly flexible armor which could fix any damage very fast, because each of the units (about the size of a grain of sand) could take the function of any other. The units, although physically connected, mostly rely on electromagnetic fields to hold together. The structural integrity thus evolved from a fully material-based strength, to one that was already partly based on the power of an electromagnetic force field, until finally basically being a force field around some circuitry.

STRENGTH: Originally, the armor converted electrical energy into raw strength through miniaturized, transistor-based electro-motors. After the development of sufficiently advanced electromagnetic force-fields, however, these became the means of providing strength as well as structural integrity. This more "organic", integrated approach proved very succesful, and the Iron Man-armor is quite probably the most powerful individual armor in the world today.

ENERGY SOURCE: The original armor and many models after it relied on battery charges, and could receive power from the mains, simply by plugging in. This was convenient, as the wearer, Tony Stark, also relied on the breastplate to keep his heart beating, but the amount of power was of course limited, even despite Stark=B4s advances in energy storage technology. The problem was solved only temporary by making the armor more and more energy-efficient, as its systems become more and more powerful and more demanding. Fairly soon, however, the armor was fitted with systems that allowed it to absorb current through any part of the suit=B4s surface, simply by making contact with an electricity source. The armor proved capable of handling a considerable peak, absorbing energy from as exotic a source as a magically generated bolt of lightning. The system proved invaluable on many occasions. The energy absorbtion grid was eventually improved to the point where it could absorb any kind of energy that hit the surface of the suit, absorbing sunlight and heat to power up. Later still, an internal perpetual generator was included in the armor - it generated power from decelerating the continous rain of cosmic particles, a source of energy that can never be exhausted and can be tapped anywhere. At least one model of armor, the second type "space"-armor, incorporated a miniature nuclear fusion reactor.

PROPULSION Apart from the obvious fact the armor - which, after all imitates every motion of the wearer, only magnified many times - can walk, run and jump much faster and further than a person, the primary way of travel for Iron Man is of course flight. Several systems cooperate to allow efficient flight. A less forceful version of the structural integrity force field, which allows Iron Man to shift hundreds of tons after all, can "push" against the Earth=B4s own electromagnetic field and keep the armor aloft. It also allows Iron Man to fly at speeds of up to about 200 miles per hour. Incorporated into the boots of the armor, however, are small, but very powerful jets which can propel Iron Man at a speed of about Mach 7. They provide enough power to lift a load of about 500 tons. Specialized space armor was outfitted with self-contained jets which allowed manoeuvring in space, and the first model of "space" armor could reach orbit using integrated, nuclear-powered jets. These were, however, deemed too dangerous for use in later models. Recently, the Iron Man armor has been utilizing repulsor-based propulsion systems, possibly for energy-efficiency reasons.

WEAPONRY Although the Iron Man armor provides its wearer with immense strength, this was considered too limiting as a means of offense or defense. Thus, the armor was outfitted with a range of advanced weapons. The basic weapon of the Iron Man system is the repulsor, a potent electron/proton beam which exerts a powerful "pushing" effect, the actual effects of which can vary from punching someone out without doing permanent damage, to vibrating falling glass shards to sand, to blasting a hole straight through a mountain. The repulsor can also exert a thermal effect, although this is less powerful. Each Iron Man armor is fitted with two repulsors - one in each hand. The early models, up to Mark III, did not possess repulsors, relying instead on powerful electromagnetic fields to repel, attract or otherwise manipulate metal objects. The secondary weapons system is the Omnibeam, an electromagnetic lasing beam mounted on the chest, capable of projecting a bundle of light greatly varying in width, intensity and wavelength. It can act as a searchlight, an image projector or a powerful laser beam. This weapon, initially simply a spotlight, evolved through stages referred to as the Monobeam, Unibeam, Tri-beam and Multi-beam. The final main weapons system is the "pulse bolt" projector. Integrated in the wristcuffs, this system projects a pulsed sequence of electromagnetically charged kinetic charges which start out less powerful than the maximum output of the repulsors, but pick up ambient energy from the atmosphere as they travel, accelerating and increasing their charge. The thermokinetic impact over a distance is enormous; over more than a few miles, however, the bolts destabilize and disperse. Auxiliary weapons systems include lasers in the fingertips (perhaps actually cabled through from the chest laser), TASERs , recently a "shock pulse" which repels assailants in close quarters, and knock-out gas pellets in the gauntlets which can render someone unconscious without doing harm. The vocalizer system, which normally serves to change the wearer=B4s voice so as to avoid it being recognized, can also produce ear-splitting (and in fact rock-splitting) noise of any frequency, from piercing ultrasound to disabling infrasound. The specifically combat-oriented Mark VIII, the infamous "War machine", lacked the chest beam, but was instead equipped with an electric, small calibre minigun, a rocket launcher capable of holding eight road-flare-sized missiles (both shoulder-mounted), dual, wrist-mounted cannons, a flame thrower and a plasma-based "light sabre". A second version incorporated a chest beam, as well as four instantly interchangeable shoulder weapons instead of two (the new additions being a larger projectile launcher and a particle beam). The remote controlled NTU-150 or Mark IX, which was actually a hollow slave-type robot, contained a similar array of weapons, which could be stored inside its shell when not in use. The Mark XV possessed a small number of semi-independent, spherical scout drones that could fly under their own power and act as "smart bombs" when the need arose. It also possessed actual missiles and an energy blade of more advanced design than the one included in the "War machine". The Mark XVI demonstrated on one occasion the ability to combine the power of its repulsors and chest laser to deliver a devastating "pulse blast" with an effect area the size of a city block. Finally, the armor has a last-ditch defense against opponents or threats that are based on electronic systems: an electromagnetic pulse that, although not permanently damaging EM-hardened systems, does knock them out until they reboot. A side effect of this is that it also knocks out the armor itself, with exception of the life support systems (which are so small they are solid-state, and as such run with optical circuits), for six minutes (the time it takes to reboot from optical back-up).

DEFENSE Obviously the primary defense the armor provides is its structural integrity. Even when it is not activated, it is about as resistant to damage as a modern, solid-state full body armor such as used by riot police forces. It is bullet-proof (even to large calibers at point blank range) and can protect the wearer against considerable kinetic impact (like a lance being driven into it at full force by a knight on horseback). It is, however, quite vulnerable to chemical attack, such as with acids. When activated, there are not many things in the world that can harm the wearer. The structural integrity force field also acts as a barrier and an inertia suppressor (albeit a limited one). The suit can withstand almost unlimited kinetic and thermal impact, as well as most forms of radiation thanks to its refractory coating. Generally speaking, the armor can survive anything short of a nuclear explosion at ground zero. The suit automatically protects its wearer when he enters an intrinsically hostile environment, such as naked space or deep sea. The armor even has specialized circuitry that guards against telepathic attacks.

GENERAL DATA Height (when worn): 195 cm (6=B45") Weight: app. 18 kilos (40 lbs.) Composition: Crystallized iron Crystallized carbon (diamond) Titanium oxide [armor] Gallium Arsenide [circuitry] Various polymers Surface hardness (inactive): 6200 (Knoop)

Heres a description i found at this fan fiction link.

formatting link
(1%2F20)+-=+Mega+cross-over&rnum=3D1&hl=3Den#17737dd09df1a66b The red and gold Iron Man armor hung on the refurbishing rack. This suit was one of four; typically, two were housed here at Stark's home, one in a secure sub-basement at Stark Solutions, and an older model was stored at the Avengers Mansion as a backup. In addition to the full suits, Stark had multiple replacements for certain key parts of the suit that tended to wear out faster, such as helmets, gauntlets, and boots.

The suits were among the most sophisticated pieces of equipment ever made by human hands, and therefore, were fallible. Tony Stark's life, and often the lives of others, depended on the suit working as designed. Therefore, Stark had not only built triple-redundant fail-safes into each of the suit's major systems, he had also duplicated the suit several times over. That way, he would always have a suit and its spares ready when the need arose.

The popular press often referred to the suit as a suit of armor, which conjured up visions of knights in bulky plate armor riding horses in medieval battles. In actuality, the Iron Man suit had far more in common with the Jetsons than King Arthur.

Like most successful machines, the Iron Man suit was a basic design that worked and worked well, but which was constantly refined and improved. The original suit had been little more than shaped steel plates riveted together and powered by simple direct current motors. Each version of the suit became more sophisticated. The latest version bore little resemblance to the original.

While some parts of the suit were still solid pieces of shaped metal, most of the suit was actually composed of millions of tiny "tiles," each smaller than a dime. Most of the tiles were hexagonal in shape, but some are pentagonal or triangular (as location and function dictated).

Each of the tiles interconnected, mechanically and electronically, with

adjoining tiles. When joined, like some complex geodesic jig-saw puzzle, the tiles linked together to form the components of the suit: gauntlets, boots, legs, arms, torso, and helmet.

A typical tile component was comprised of many layers; each layer providing a specific function. The outermost layer of most tiles was a electromagnetically-deposited surface of diamond for overall thermal and scratch protection. Under the diamond surface, a thin layer of gallium arsenide provided solar power collection. Both of these two layers were so thin, they were basically transparent. The next layer was a protective layer of high temperature enamel which provided the characteristic gold or red color. This was the only portion of the entire suit design which bowed to appearance; and then only after conforming to a specific function.

Inside the enamel layer, there were various components such as energy storage and heat exchange mechanisms, as well as structural components for each tile.

Deep within each tile were several small linear motors. These motors were interconnected with the motors in each of the adjoining tiles. In unison, the motors provided the mobility and power to the suit. Just as the individual muscle cells in say, the thigh, might contract together flex the knee and lift the lower leg, so too do the motors in the tiles contract

together to provide similar movement. Although each of the tiles was actually smaller than a dime and can affect movement over only about

1/16th of an inch, in concert, the tiles allowed for tremendous strength amplification. When combined with an adequate power supply, the Iron Man suit allowed its wearer to lift tons.

To coordinate the various functions of the tile and to interact with the adjoining tiles in unison, each tile contained a complete computer system. This custom-designed computer "chip" at the heart of each tile was the equivalent of a 64-bit mainframe computer, complete with memory. Together, the suit tiles formed what would amount to the world's most powerful massively parallel computer system.

The tiles worked together mechanically to provide the mobility and strength of the suit, but tiny magnetic fields generated by each tile formed a "force-field" around the entire suit, providing an integrity field for defensive purposes. Although the combination of invincibility and physical strength clearly classified the Iron Man suit as providing "superhuman"

abilities to its wearer, there were additional sub-systems providing other "powers."

In each boot, there were six tiny (each less than 2-inches in length) electromagnetic turbines. Each of these turbines spun at 100,000 revolutions per minute. The combined thrust of all twelve turbines was around 4,000

pounds of thrust, which provided flight capability to the suit.

The complexity of the turbines contributed to the fact that the boots tended to wear out faster than other parts of the suit. Just like airliner jet

engines, the boot jets had to be overhauled after a certain number of hours use.

The turbines and the air intakes were built into the thick "cuff" of each boot, basically encircling each calf. Thermal-protected ducting directed the resulting exhaust to the sole of each boot, where recessed nozzles directed the exhaust flow as dictated by the need. For hovering, a broad, widespread exhaust provided stability, whereas horizontal or high-speed vertical flight required a more focused, narrow exhaust.

The major offensive weapon of the suit was the palm mounted "repulsor rays." A derivative of government-funded Space Defense Initiative (SDI, or "Star Wars") research into particle beam weapons, the repulsor were actually two-inch diameter semiconductors in the palm of each gauntlet. When energized, the semiconductor array in each repulsor unit emitted a beam of neutrons. When the beam struck a solid object, the sub-atomic interaction resulted in the object being "repulsed," or jolted away from the beam. By varying the beam strength, the suit wearer can produce an effect from a

simple nudge to blowing a hole through a six-inch plate of steel.

  • * * I have managed to round up some stuff, i'll list sources below plus some site i recommend you visit, so we're all looking at the same information.

Heres a list of some of the best. I recommend looking at these before posting.

formatting link
's_armor
formatting link

Will Gillies

Reply to
Will Gillies
Loading thread data ...

what was the power source again? watch batteries?

Reply to
TimPerry

Reply to
Bob Ferapples

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.