Attack on Titan 3DMG; Feasible?

[scottym23]

I am a fan of the anime/manga Shingekinokyojin, better known as Attack on Titan among American viewers (abbreviated as AoT). In AoT the characters use 3DMG in order to maneuver quickly along structures. I don't feel like I can adequately describe the gear's mechanisms and intricate aspects, but most people who are reading this post probably watch the anime or read the manga and already have a good understanding of it.

 

My question is simply would it be feasible in a real world situation? Basically, if I made myself a replica 3DMG right now that had all the mechanisms and parts that the gear depicted in the show did, with enough practice could I ever perform the movements the characters in the show do?

 

My opinion is no, and i'll explain why. The force required to launch the hooks into the wall is feasible with steam power (i'm not 100% sure, but i'll give the benefit of the doubt on that point). However, once they're launched into the objects, it needs to have a strong enough hold to be able to slingshot a person forward (if you hooked two perpendicular objects like they do on the show often times to just go straight). How then, could the hooks seamlessly detach within a fraction of a second, and then rewind and be ready to shoot once more in far less than even 3 seconds (I say 3 seconds because I watched the anime and it was roughly that for even the longest intervals. At some points it was 2 seconds for the entire process to take place).

 

With my potentially flawed understanding of the gear, it has three functions. Shoot the hooks, release gas to propel yourself forward, and release the blades if it's broken to replace it. There are no other features that deal specifically with the hooks that would justify the seamless unhinging from an object.

 

I'm curious to see what your opinions are. Thanks for reading this far btw, and if you have any thoughts/ideas you want to discuss on this topic, please share them with us!

[Vindekarr]

My initial assessment would be maybe. The overall design could probably be made, the issues would be weight, cable storage and g-force, which I'll cover one-by-one.

 

Weight is an obvious concern. You'd need high-power motors to fire the winches, and they aren't light. Co2 powered hydraulic mechanisms would be your best bet for power and lightness, but even then a single Co2 winch is a heavy object: I have a Co2 powered rattlegun at home which all-told weighs around 65-80 kilograms. You'd also need a frame solid enough to mount that too. A number of composites exist and are used in aircraft and sports cars which have extraordinary structural strength and are very light, >but< are extremely expensive. Carbon nanofibre would be the best bet but would likely push the cost per device into the tens of millions of dollars.

 

The next issue would be finding a cable strong enough to survive those sorts of G-forces, while still being light enough and thin enough that you can carry a decent length of it. Steel or Titanium braided cables would do, but they're monstrously heavy. This cuts both weighs: a heavy cable is very strong and would have an excellent range when fired at a wall, BUT would limit your cable storage and thus range, while further driving up the vehicle's mass. The other option is a light synthetic cable, which has the opposite properties: wouldn't fire as far or do anywhere near as much damage if it hit an enemy, but by the same token you could carry a lot more of it.

 

Finally, G-force would be the biggest and most immediate concern: you'd need to redesign the harness for it to be feasible in real life. The main concern I have is how low the system is mounted: ideally you'd move the device up to shoulder height to capitalise on the wearer's muscular structure and mitigate the weight better. You'd also need to brace their neck and limbs somehow: they'd be exposed to potentially injuring G-forces, so a support frame would be required for safety.

 

This creates an opportunity: fitting a generator would be neccessary to make this work in reality, and if you have a generator you can also run a hydraulic system. My suggestion would be to add segmented, hydraulically actuated exoskeletal supports(read: mecha-legs) to protect the wearer's limbs from the wild G-forces they'd be exposed to. If you could do that, you'd also mitigate the weight problem.

 

Overall if you modified the design into a more mecha-like structure, and moved the device higher up the wearer's body it would be feasible, but obscenely expensive. The real thing would probably look a bit like one of the Loaders from Aliens.

 

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/09/raytheonxos2.jpg

 

From my perspective though, using cable isn't a very efficient solution. If I was to try and improve on the idea, I would replace the cables with two or four ducted fans attached to the back of a powered exoskeleton to provide constant thrust. These fans could be powered through a variety of means, and would simply serve to keep the exoskeleton airborne.

 

Actual mobility could be achieved through a variety of means. Jet engines can easily and cheaply downscaled to provide high-speeds and solid-fuel rockets could be used for abrupt emergency manoeuvring. We've already made jet engines about the size of an Apple which have more than enough power to push a large adult male's weight around.

 

http://www.rctoys.com/pr/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/jet_engine_on_model.jpg

 

A commercially available Turbine Jet engine. This one costs about $80, runs on Lawn Mower fuel and is about five inches long-about the size of a flashlight battery.

 

http://www.rcmodelcentre.co.uk/images/uploads/resized%20some%20also%20in%20paint/GWS%20EDF55%20DUCTED%20FAN%20UNIT.jpg

 

A ducted fan. Putting a propeller inside a duct(fancy name for a pipe) makes it more efficient: a little propeller in a pipe produces as much lift as a big one that isn't in a pipe. Because aerodynamics. And reasons.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Vindekarr

[Vagrant0]

Probably a bigger problem in the sheer weight of the equipment; Two spools of steel cable of 20-40 yards thick enough to resist forces, a high speed winding mechanism, 2 cylinders of compressed hydrogen, the 6 standard issue 3.5 foot long steel blades inside holder. The weight of the cable alone would be more than enough to make it difficult for a person to move around swiftly.

 

Beyond that, in a real world setting, it wouldn't be advised due to the way that most buildings just have a facade that is loosely anchored to the building structure. Meaning that if you even attempted to swing from a building with the ~500lbs standing weight, plus velocity, you'd probably be ripping bricks or panels loose and tumbling uncontrollably toward a painful (and given the hydrogen, explosive) conclusion.

[MinkiePie]

As you said, the 3dmg has a weight problem, but this can be fixed with carbón nanofiber. Carbón nanofiber is a material woven from flexible, yet incredibly strong nanotubes. These are woven into sheets (still flexible) then coated un resina and layered con top of eachother and ley harden. These nanotubes can alzó be woven into a cable .5 cm thick and still be hable to withstand thousands of pounds. Because its carbón and rolled into an atomical tube, its essentially graphene. Which is a conductor of electricity. This can be used with a simple eléctrica to mechanical system un the hooks, triggered by the user, one could latch and release these hooks by sending a eléctrica signal through the cables. Another plus to the nanotubes is that 200 ft (.5 cm thick) would weigh approx 20 lbs.

 

Also those double straps con the legs and one over the chest are parte of a weight distributory system which allows quick and precise movements with muscle efforts al over the body. This should alzó help with not snapping tour spine in quick manuvers and would be tour "support frame".

 

Hace you ever noticed the white stockings that they all wear? These could be a sort of spandex material used to keep blood un the head and not draining to the legs. Aire force and the Blue Ángeles use these kind of pants for these purposes. They alzó incorporaré a "hic" tecnique for high G turnos. Loog up the "hic" tecnique for the blue angels of you dont understand. Althoigh these would help contradict the g force , blood sucking effects, you will look completely constipated and conversatory communications would be imposible for combate while using the hic method.

 

The 8 Standard issue blades could be an aluminum/steel alloy that is actually extremely light and "superhard", it is actually used in most aircraft planes toda y.

 

For the hook propellant, i would say setting it into a winch rigged into a cylinder which is pohours by a sort of hydroxy introversial combustion.

 

Sorry about the spelling and the grammar, i did this at approx 300 hours Mountain Time US but km in spain so its like 700 h here in Spain. Im here for a chemistry course that they want me to teach. I now hace my computer changing to spanish autocorrect and being a complete annoyance. I justo arrived in spain yesterday and muy jetlag is murderous.

 

Of you hace any more questions pertaining to the 3dmg just respond and ill get back to you asap (took me 7 tries to write " asap")