Poll of the Day > Ok, lets say you actually do have a bipedal tank... why walk?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I mean, it'd be safer for roads to use wheels and more stable in mud to use tracks...

So why walk?

To go up mountains and shit I dunno

I need more info. Does my bipedal tank also have tracks? If not, I would walk to get around.

If I have tracks, then I walk to go up stairs...of course.

well, that's the premise. what if... very large bipedal vehicles became the dominant military asset?

The demand for tow cables would increase?

...or ropes for tripping at a minimum.

wpot posted...

I need more info. Does my bipedal tank also have tracks? If not, I would walk to get around.

If I have tracks, then I walk to go up stairs...of course.

Sahuagin posted...

well, that's the premise. what if... very large bipedal vehicles became the dominant military asset?

The idea is that lighter Wanzer-esque bipedal tanks would be launchable from aircraft carriers/freught helicopter in lieu of landing craft for tanks. They don't need to go very far once landed - just do regular tank stuff until the marines arrive

I guess I don't know what is meant by "bipedal tank"? do you just mean battlemechs? battlemechs are bipedal, tanks are not.

Mecha go in that 'cool but totally impractical' bucket of sci/fi technology.

Lokarin posted...

I mean, it'd be safer for roads to use wheels and more stable in mud to use tracks

Tracks (and wheels) can only scale heights up to a certain degree, and can potentially get stuck in rubble and ruins. Legs would be less efficient on relatively stable ground but would be able to take you places that treads can't.

Of course, it's also a question of just how you build legs. You're dealing with different dynamics if you're talking traditional Japanese mechs with two legs, versus more animal-like mechs with four legs, or even something more akin to a spider with multiple independent legs (potentially with climbing/grabbing/pulling hooks/claws of some kind).

And, of course, there's always more exotic designs...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:VF-1S-Strike-Valkyrie-02.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W4MYJt8c4w

well, aside from mechs there's also, like, the AT-ST

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eco7yAEJhB4

Sahuagin posted...

I guess I don't know what is meant by "bipedal tank"? do you just mean battlemechs? battlemechs are bipedal, tanks are not.

Probably talking about Metal Gear.

Not all battlemechs are tanks though, i just wanted to emphasize I mean more Wanzer/Metal Gear scope than Gundam scope

How about multiple legs fir stability and a locking wheel mode for speedy traversal of smoother terrain?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S0zdeINSDpo

Ya, there's also Final Fantasy's MagiTek armour as well as the XT-098 or whatever

Let's say you actually do have a beef frank...

Lokarin posted...

well, aside from mechs there's also, like, the AT-ST

What happens if somebody forgets to turn off the lasers?

Gaawa_chan posted...

Probably talking about Metal Gear.

Was gonna say metal gear calls them bipedal tanks and I assume cause that sounds about what the military would call them if they invented the concept

There are a couple potential advantages. A bipedal tank would stand taller than a wheeled or tracked vehicle, allowing a higher gun platform. This, of course, also has the tradeoff of being a better target.

A bipedal tank could crouch behind cover and pop up to fire its weapons, then crouch down again, like a mobile disappearing gun.

Of course, in the face of air superiority all tanks, wheeled, tracked, or legged, are pretty much sitting ducks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRDl5_-wJ0Y

Why not both legs and wheels? Like Armoured Troopers and early gen KMF?

but have you considered how dope it looks

Nichtcrawler X posted...

Why not both legs and wheels? Like Armoured Troopers and early gen KMF?

Ya, Wanzers (Front Mission) work like this, but that series also has spider tanks, as well as gundam torsos on tank treads

Because you need the exercise.

Nichtcrawler X posted...

Why not both legs and wheels?

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/6/8/AAQwHjAAC2Eo.jpg

Science has proven time and time again that nothing cool is practical.
The most practical killer robot for military applications would probably just look like a box with a gun on it.

well I was gonna say that with wheels maybe you'd have center of mass issues, but then I remembered we already have pretty awesome bipedal wheeled robots:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7xvqQeoA8c

I do think footed bipedal robots have the advantage of being able to move their feet to balance, whereas wheeled bots have their feet more or less fixed and have to move their arms and torso to balance.

footed bot for comparison:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF4DML7FIWk

it does still need to use its arms I guess but maybe not as much

Sahuagin posted...

well I was gonna say that with wheels maybe you'd have center of mass issues, but then I remembered we already have pretty awesome bipedal wheeled robots:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7xvqQeoA8c

That's an AT-ST.

The purpose is to have a weapon to surpass Metal Gear.

wpot posted...

If I have tracks, then I walk to go up stairs...of course.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/4/8/AAYIg3AAC2Q0.jpg