INSTALLMENT 2 “AS CONTROLS AND TACTICAL CHARACTERISTICS”
As you know, the AS control system imitates the operator’s movements. This system, commonly known as the master/slave system, can also be seen in the earlier “Hardiman” (the prototype for the reinforced exoskeleton) developed by NASA. Already a very standard method for remotely controlling humanoid objects, this system has recently been adopted for use not only in the AS, but also as the control system for remote-controlled objects linked to virtual realities.
This is where a problem emerges. Because the AS is a weapon, only a limited amount of room can be allocated for the operator.
The body of the AS is crammed with components such as the frame, power systems to drive the movement of the unit, the engine and all sorts of electronic devices; so there’s precious little room for a person to move around freely. For this reason it’s not possible to equip the AS with a control system that imitates a person’s movements directly.
In the end, the AS overcame that hurdle in a very simple way – amplifying the operator’s movements many times over.
For example, if the operator bent his arm only 1 cm, the AS unit’s on-board computer would multiply that tenfold, in which case the arm of the AS would make the same type of movement, but the AS arm would move 10 cm instead of only 1 cm. In the AS world, this amplification ratio is called a “bilateral angle.”
It’s called an angle, because movements of humanoid objects all involve bending at some angle. When we gave the example of the operator moving his arm, we used centimeters to describe the movement, but a bending movement is usually described using an angle. It’s called a “bilateral angle” because the computer performs the calculation for the movement in degrees of amplification.
However, the AS wouldn’t be able to set foot on the battlefield if the control system did nothing more than follow its operator’s movements. It must also allow the operator to work the secondary battle equipment, such as firing the on-board guns and operating the sensors.
In the case of a master/slave-style control system, the operator’s entire body is locked into the control system, making these secondary operations extremely difficult.
For example, in a fighter plane, the pilot has to have enough freedom of movement to be able to reach out to the instrument panel and use his fingertips to toggle the switches on and off. During battle, he has to be able to press the button on the stick at the appropriate moment.
In the case of the AS, the operator can’t control the secondary equipment in this way because very operation in an AS unit relies on the operator to perform it. Just walking requires operator control.
So, what do we need to do to solve this problem? The answer is to automate things like walking and the guns’ tracking of selected targets – basically any operations that are either too routine or too troublesome for a human to perform.
In the ideal AS control system, the master/slave system would control the limbs during battle, and the operator would only have to handle firing the guns, monitoring the sensors and gathering tactical information. Everything else would be left to a reliable automatic control system. In reality, that goal has yet to be reached. In order to achieve it, third-generation and higher AS units are said to be fitted with a thinking-type AI system. Right now, we can only wait for further reports to determine how this AI system is faring.
SERIES: AS STRUCTURE AND APPLICATIONS
Pertaining to particular AS models, the cockpit of the M6 Bushnell looks just like the cockpit of a fighter jet. The M6 series model even has a monior and instrument panel between the pilot’s legs. The cockpit of the M6 series gives off an open, roomy impression. The operator feels like he’s sitting in a seat, connected to the master/slave system at the arms and legs, and uses the stick to control various functions. The operator’s arms are fastened inside the ring-shaped parts. The M6 is designed for the single and more rare two-seater cockpit features. Tactical information is recieved from the seven-panel multi-monitor at the front of the cockpit.
The Rk-92 cockpit, in contrast, is more tightly arranged in a cylindrical shape, packed with instruments and devices in a smaller space. The stick has a fixed rotational axis. The whole seat must rise up fromt he cockpit when the operator gets in and out as a result, the operator gets into the seat as if he were getting on a motorcycle.
