Non-Military Roles for Power Armors

[Kitsune]

I was thinking that in some Science Fiction, there should be non-military roles for Power Armors. I am thinking of three types: Police, Fire Fighting, and Paramedic.

Two Questions related to this:
First; What special equipment would armors for these roles mount?
Second; What other roles can you see power armors being used for?

[Hawkwings]

Not so much the armor part, but the increased strength would be useful for warehouse work and construction work. Actually, the armor would be useful if heavy crates and whatnot fell on the worker.

As for construction work, well, I'm sure they could put the increased strength and durability to use. And especially in space construction, where the power armor can also be an EVA suit.

[Archaic`]

Mining also, and probably treecutting. Both for the increased strength/durability, and for the ease of attaching heavy equipment to the armour to increase potential carrying capacity.

[Sidewinder]

In most of the sci-fi I've seen, the military power armor is an adaption of one originally designed for construction or other tasks that require moving VERY HEAVY objects. One example would be Ripley using the power loader to fight the queen alien, which led the creators of the 'Alien Vs Predator 2' FPS to put a machine gun-armed version in the game (see here). The "turn walking construction vehicles into walking tanks" idea was also used in several anime series, e.g., Power DoLLS, Patlabor, and IIRC the 'Gundam' franchise.

[FOG3]

Are people just that unaware where the technology is right now, that the real stuff isn't mentioned?

Meet the Cyberdyne HAL-5, the most advanced of its type of powered exoskeleton. In other words a "power armor" designed to allow the lame to be able to walk.

Meet the Sarcos exoskeleton now effectively under Raytheon jurisdiction. At the moment it development stands to be an aid in the logistics side of things, of which other FCS projects reaching maturity also are involved in assisting.

[Zixinus]

Fire-fighting comes from the top of my head. Isolated system, though as hell, can easily shove aside most obstacles and most likely has its own cooling system. Plus, surplus military-issue one can be retrofitted to have various fire-fighting equipment instead of weapons. Of course the people rescuing and healing part will most likely be easier done by a guy with a flameproof suit and oxygen mask, but I can imagine such a suit being handy in a very bad situation.

Following that logic, a guy in a power suit can do fucking miracles in disaster control. It would be able to haul more people in an emergency, get nasty stuff out of the way, have equipment that would otherwise would be required to be requested (IR googles come to mind), have far greater carrying capacity for stuff that other disaster control teams would need (food, water, medical supplies, etc). Not to mention in-built communications a power suit is likely to have (if you are going to have a powered exoskeleton, you might as well throw in a radio).

Riot control also comes to mind. It would beat horse cops easily. It's unlikely that there is anything an average rioter could have that would faze anyone wearing a power suit and we don't have to worry about a rioted stampede. Well, we have to worry about a guy wearing a power suit panicking, but he can be taken to court for that. You can't do that with a horse. Well, you could, but it would not have much of a point (I haven't slept during the night, so sleep deprivation is making me funny).

Deep undersea diving is also a likely possibility, now that I think about it. Of course we are then talking about a highly-modified power suit but it would still be nifty for it. A power suit could withstand pressure, help movement, wouldn't look like a snack and keep the wearer safe from stuff like underwater vents, poisonous plants and occasionally something coming from above. A researcher could observe plant life directly and mount considerable equipment with him.

Junkyard work. Lots of stuff needed to be brought around, especially in the future that most likely has a greater industry then what we have now. Lots of heavy stuff most likely included, some of which may be dangerous enough to warrant a thin layer of armour (low grade radioactive-, toxic-, biohazard- materials that might become more dangerous in a mixed environment), power suit being handy where a crane is not enough. This would be especially true if it came to stuff like car wrecks and other broken machinery. It might not be a usual sight if its just dumping that's going on, but if there is a recycling company interested then it might be possible for it to be more convenient then forklift.

I am pretty sure there are some more exotic stuff as well.

[Raxmei]

In Warhammer 40k the Terminator armor was once repurposed plasma reactor safety suits.

[CDiehl]

I'd give any such suit of armor a few basic features:
Independent air supply.
Immunity to radiation, toxins, heat, cold.
Ability to operate in water and in the air.
Ability to climb vertical surfaces quickly.
Sensory equipment that augments the operator's senses.

For a firefighting version:
Arm-mounted fire retardant dispensers.
Extra oxygen masks.

For a police version (riot control):
Riot control equipment in place of weapons (tear gas launcher, weapons firing non-lethal projectiles)
Arm-mounted tasers.

(SWAT version)
Anti-personnel weaponry.
Tear gas and flash-bang grenade launchers.
Breaching shotgun.

For a paramedic version:
Extra oxygen masks.
Defibilator.
Supplies of emergency medication (coagulants, disinfectant, sedatives, insulin, inhaled steroids, antihistamine, antitoxins).
Ability to lower the strength of the suit so CPR can be performed.

[gizmojumpjet]

Oh please. How often are paramedics required to lift the sorts of loads that would warrant a powered exo-skeleton? Talk about a solution looking for a problem that doesn't exist...

[Teleros]

Oh please. How often are paramedics required to lift the sorts of loads that would warrant a powered exo-skeleton? Talk about a solution looking for a problem that doesn't exist...

Dunno about that...

Quite aside from the extremely overweight though, if we're talking about more soft sci-fi settings then I doubt we're going to find that 99% of all aliens are easy to lift: certain hospital districts and the like might have exo-skeletons for their ambulance crews etc for this sort of emergency, assuming robots aren't an option (although that holds true for most of the ideas in this thread anyway).

[Mobius]

Oh please. How often are paramedics required to lift the sorts of loads that would warrant a powered exo-skeleton? Talk about a solution looking for a problem that doesn't exist...

Find people in rubbles? (post earthquake or car crash?

[gizmojumpjet]

Fair enough, I retardedly overlooked the first eight words of the OP. Carry on...

[Sidewinder]

For rescues, I think it's best to have firefighters in exoskeletons pull survivors out of the rubble, and then have paramedics NOT in exoskeletons perform first aid. It would seriously suck if a paramedic tries to perform CPR on a survivor, but forget to reset the exoskeleton's strength output, and end up punching a big hole in the survivor's chest.

[frogcurry]

Q2: Hill-walking, mobility and hiking assistance, for those physically unfit (through weight, age or health). Also for increasing the ability to travel with large backpack weights and with reduced risk of injury, such as for climbing mountains, Everest etc.

i.e.
http://blogs.spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/

[Swindle1984]

I wouldn't say that powered armor for riot control would be unfazed by anything rioters could throw at it. Molotov cocktails would make things pretty uncomfortable, as well as blinding the operator (flame overloading IR/thermal sensors and smoke obscuring normal sight). Might even render it immobile if it uses an internal combustion engine, and you know being doused in flaming gasoline is going to be pucker-inducing.

Not to mention that if they can flip a car, they can flip a guy wearing a bulky suit of armor right onto his back.

[Hawkwings]

...and the guy would just get up and taser those rioters. I don't see the problem. It's not like they're mecha, they're just large suits of armor.

Besides, if power armor can operate in a "modern" warzone, i don't think it will have any issues with measly molotov cocktails.

[Kanastrous]

WWF-style fighting, in a heavily-reinforced cage.

[Venator]

I'll second the armoured firefighters and un-equipped paramedics. Perhaps having an emergency suit in an ambulance, but generally if things are bad enough that you need heavy loads moved to reach victims the fire department will be all over it.

Having a suit with Jaws of Life, a water system, and a built-in cooling unit would probably be the dream of every fireman.

For riot duty, depending on the strength output of the suit and it's staying power/anchorage, one could stop a riot from growing simply by standing in a line. Bonus points for the suit's speakers bellowing a digitalized Gandalf impersonation of "You cannot pass!"

Otherwise, the suits would still be effective since the troopers could easily pacify/restrain rioters with little fear of retaliation.

[FOG3]

Oh please. How often are paramedics required to lift the sorts of loads that would warrant a powered exo-skeleton? Talk about a solution looking for a problem that doesn't exist...

Find people in rubbles? (post earthquake or car crash?

Wouldn't the Tmsuk T-52 Enryu qualify more as a mech? Simple fact of the matter is you need a rather heavy vehicle to do that kind of lifting. Unless you want it, you know, tipping over and faceplanting instead of actually lifting anything.

I think there's a little tendency to over estimate just what this technology is capable in here. Immunity to radiation in anything you could move in that would be considered power armor for one.

[Vendetta]

Fire-fighting comes from the top of my head. Isolated system, though as hell, can easily shove aside most obstacles and most likely has its own cooling system. Plus, surplus military-issue one can be retrofitted to have various fire-fighting equipment instead of weapons. Of course the people rescuing and healing part will most likely be easier done by a guy with a flameproof suit and oxygen mask, but I can imagine such a suit being handy in a very bad situation.

Cooling would be the fail point. Not just for the operator, but to keep the mechanical components in safe operating conditions. If your actuator motors and power linkage can't take the heat, the suit's deadweight.

Anything built on modern or even currently concievable real technology is probably not going to be useful in a fire, there's too much to go wrong.

Better to use a straight unmanned device, because if that breaks, the operator doesn't cook.

[Lord of the Abyss]

Exploring life bearing alien planets. For the first wave at least; both for protection from local wildlife until you know what kind there is, and to carry the maximum amount of scientific equipment wherever you go.

[Zixinus]

Better to use a straight unmanned device, because if that breaks, the operator doesn't cook.

Still, having a power suit handy can be great for a quick hit and clear in a big fire, even if only the entrances and exits. I don't know much about firefighting, but having something flame-proof and strong on the double might be very handy, even if it can't stay in the heat for too long.

I don't have anything to answer about the heat issue. Then again we are talking about future tech.

Better to use a straight unmanned device, because if that breaks, the operator doesn't cook.

Telepresence?

[Kitsune]

While I say "Non-Military", how about stretching it to combat paramedics as well?

[Hawkwings]

You could have a combat medic, slinging a wounded soldier in each arm, bounding across the battlefield at 30 miles per hour over rough terrain, all without breaking a sweat.

Sounds pretty cool.

[Zixinus]

While I say "Non-Military", how about stretching it to combat paramedics as well?

The guts and the like are rather delicate things, one where the dexterity handicap of a power suit may be bad.