Fiction Armor Design Ideas

ARMOR
Dead weight armor – like the knights of old
Single layer suits
Multi-layered suits
Power assisted armor
Bio-armor like the Guyver
Biotech: like the x-o man-o-war or the witchblade
Material suspended in an energy field: parts, powder, liquid

Modular Component Armor Suit.
Cellular-scale micro machine: molecular scale motors, manipulators, connectors, energy field generators/manipulators, color-change, transceiver, sensors,
Material reservoir.
Processors, Memory, secondary systems: the memory is on the inside surface of the shell, the processor is most of the nucleus.

Armored forms that trade places with the normal form through a dimensional gate.
Armor you wear:
Armor that you drive and operate
Armor that is just part of you.

“There are basically two kinds or divisions of personal armor, mostly explored in fiction of what ever genera. The divider for this discussion is in 'weight bearing': Does the wearer bare the weight and stresses of wearing and carrying the armor, and of manipulating it; or does the armor bare its own weight and move in concert with the wearer.
Un-powered armors, leathers, fabrics, mail, scale, plate, etc. are all deadweight carried by the wearer. In a more nebulous area, some plate armors were fitted to the individual and all but carried their own weight. The design being close enough fitted that the armor could stand on its own, so long as the joints were locked or otherwise kept in alignment.
In fiction, from deadweight armor the next step is a kind of hybrid of flexible under-suit that strengthens the wearer to carry whatever dead weight is attached. For some versions the external suit is deadweight armor, but self supporting as the aforementioned plate armor.
Other versions move on to powered and fitted exo-suit. Other design configurations circulate.
The next step from the powered fitted exo-suit is a suit better described as driven and operated than worn. These tend to carry their own weight while enhancing the operators abilities. In size these vary from bulky person sized apparatus to several times larger, becoming automotive sized mecha piloted by an enclosed operator, or an exposed one in some variant of deadweight armor.
The silently agreed upon line between an oversized armor variant and a small piloted mecha is generally how tall and bulky the machine is. Up to twice the height of the average operator and its still a 'suit of armor.' Larger than that . . . The secondary aesthetic point is how well the armor echoes the shape and kinematics of the being within. Kinematics that follow the operator are more likely to be considered an armor, than not.


What does the armor protect against:
Environmental – weather/climate
Enviro – temperature extremes
Enviro – moisture extremes
Enviro – particulate (dust/dirt)
Enviro – pressure extremes

Physical damage – general impact
Physical – abrasion/friction
Physical – puncture
Physical – cutting/laceration
Physical – kinetic
Physical – ballistic

Chemical – toxic-health, corrosive, combustible, explosive-reactive, etc.
Biological – pathogens, organic matter, etc.
Nuclear – radiation, particles, etc.
Energy – electromagnetic, 'exotic,' 'other,' etc.
Other – psionic-mind powers, telepathic, magic, chi, etc
Anything else imagined, or not easily classifiable

Coverage:
Partial:
by component
Full

Load Bearing:
Dead weight
Self-supporting
Power assist

Assistance type:
lever/pulley
hydraulic
servo
fiber analog
biologic tissue
energy field
'hard light'
'exotic'

Design:
sheet:
solid
weave
mesh:
open
closed

flexible
semi-flexible
plate:
suspension:
bag
energy field
suspended medium:
parts
powder
liquid
gel
other:

layers:
Single
Multiple

coverage:
Contiguous
Overlapping/Interlocking
'necessary gaps'

Joints:
solid/reinforced
flexible

Material:
Organic:
leather
plant-leaves
plant-fiber
(synthetic fiber)
Inorganic:
metal
polymer
composite
'exotic'
Biologic:
separate organism
symbiote
parasite
Self:

Components:
type:
dedicated
modular
connection between components:
dependent
independent
interdependent/integrated
scale of components:
macro
micro
nano
morphability:
none/fixed
mailable/some
flexible/much
power supply:
none
ambient - draws on world around
user
internal
external
power duration:
limited
unlimited
electronic/computerized components:
none
self-contained
communicate component-to-component
communicate suit-to-suit
network:
none
L.A.N.
W.A.N.
'exotic'
input/output connections:
none
A/V sensor output
helmet
external
tactile i/o (buttons)
neural link
other

Sensors:
none
visual
extended
audio
extended
tactile
olfactory/chemical
electromagnetic
radiologic
other-mind
other-magic
'exotic'
unit integrity
wearer integrity-medical

Movement:
user
power assistance locomotion
jump assistance
other-than-walking:
swim-liquid medium
flight-gas medium
ceiling:
sustained flight
orbit-deorbit
flight-stellar void
void-capable
trans-orbit
other-astral travel
'exotic'

On-board weaponry
none
fixed position
adjustable position
field articulation
integrated component
power draw:
none
suit
self contained

Auxiliary shielding:
none
'a shield'
ablative armor
energy field
other

Miscellaneous ideas:
Combine the Predator mesh with the idea of armor from movie-“Stargate.”

Use wings as solar panels and sails “a sail boat as a star flight tactic.”

A cadre of people in Guyver type armor.

Double layer lined cloak – with pockets sewn into the inner lining

Combine B5-Mimbari fighting stick with a light saber. A laser cable variant with an emitter on the end.

A powered suit: personal interstellar clothing, i.e. a space suit. It rides gravity waves to go from planet to planet, and withstands most environments. In-story this becomes more common and popular than spaceships.

“He needed a weapon. Concentrating, the mass on his right arm shifted according to pre-ordered design. The generalized mass that had up to now been solid armor began to shift and reform into individual components, taking shape and connecting. The level of function shifted from one hierarchy to a different one, and each quickly slotted into place in less than an eye blink. An energy weapon formed on his right arm and started humming as it built up to its functional energy level, ready for discharge.
“Just ahead of his fist a ball of plasma formed as a priming charge. Then through manipulation of energy fields and charges, what appeared to be disks of energy streamed off at the target.”

Bikini Armor of Monstrous Protection: So long as the female is wearing (only) it, she can summon up to a dozen ‘monstrous’ hunks to her aid. She only need call.

The Chastity Helm of Galihad. You can not see anything perilous to your chastity while wearing it.

The Breast Plate of Unobtainium: It makes a woman’s bust appear like a 24’E’, regardless of actual size.
Male counterpart – Breastplate appears as a 48” chest.

A Catsuit of Unobtainium: no matter the real size of the wearer, the catsuit makes the person look like ideal proportions to observer.
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On aesthetics

'Some scientists and military men are bickering over a weapon design.
“If you want a weapon made, have a warrior make it. A warrior does not make war on the weak and helpless. women and children. A conqueror does. When a scientist makes a weapon, it is usually for a conqueror. It is usually a means of indiscriminate mass destruction, making war on the weak and helpless. women and children.
“A craftsman makes a warriors weapon.
“To a warrior, weapons and armor are a symbol of justice and power properly and responsibly held. To a conqueror, a weapon is a means of control and consolidation of power”.'

Warrior: “If you have to kill and entire generation to preserve your power, perhaps you shouldn’t stay in power.”
Conquer: “You don’t yet understand. Power is the end in itself. Power to command and be obeyed. Power over life.”
Warrior: “Yes, I do understand. Power with out responsibility. Choice without consequences. Life without joy. Or liberty.”

“Winning the battle by loosing the Empire is no victory. Saving the Empire by loosing a battle is no defeat.”

Hitchhikers Guide: About the Kill-O-Zap.
The designer of the gun had clearly not been instructed to beat about the bush. “Make it evil,” he'd been told. “Make it totally clear that this gun has a right end and a wrong end. Make it totally clear to anyone standing at the wrong end that things are going badly for them. If that means sticking all sort of spikes and prongs and blackened bits all over it then so be it. This is not a gun for hanging over the fireplace or sticking in the umbrella stand, it is a gun for going out and making people miserable with.”

The catch moves from 'Safety' to 'Extreme Danger'
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