Chapter 71 - 70: Mechanical Arm Simulation Armorl
Three days later, Harrison Clark passed the Azure Dragon Armor’s basic theory exam with a perfect score.
After going through those exaggeratedly difficult textbooks and refocusing on practical application, it was a joyful relief to just need to pay attention to sending mental commands and coordinating with the Azure Dragon Armor.
The core operating mechanism of the Azure Dragon Armor is bioelectric control.
The principle of human movement is actually quite simple.
When the brain wants to control a certain joint to make a certain movement, it issues a command. This command, in the form of a bioelectric signal, is sent through the nervous system to the target muscle group’s many nerve fibers, then divided into countless, more subtle bioelectric signals, stimulating the release of energy from ATP at different sites and controlling numerous muscle fibers to contract or expand, thus enabling the muscle group to exert force.
This enormous and intricate process of signal and energy transmission ultimately forms external movements, which could be the curling of a finger, a blink, or a hundred-meter sprint.
The process of coordination between the Azure Dragon Armor and its operator relies on the inner sensing system’s detailed dynamic capture of the operator’s bioelectric field.
By modeling the bioelectric field, rapid observation of subtle changes can be made, allowing for nearly perfect synchronization with human movements.
The main structure of the Azure Dragon Armor is divided into three layers. The innermost layer is the bioelectric field sensing membrane, followed by the flexible metal colony, completely different from the gear-driven rod structure, providing coordinated power and protection for the human body.
The outermost layer is armor with both resilience and super rigidity. The armor covers the limbs and main trunk, with retractable alloy blades hidden in the forearms.
Operators do not need to constantly send commands with their hands, feet, or mouths as in the past when controlling large mechas, and then wait for a delay of about 0.1 seconds to get the corresponding action.
The Azure Dragon Armor can basically move with the operator’s thoughts.
This improvement greatly simplifies the difficulty for operators to control individual soldier armor, but at the same time, it places higher demands on the operator’s physical condition.
During these three days, Harrison Clark’s theoretical knowledge mainly includes reading parameter methods, parameter meanings, understanding one’s own and the armor’s status, overload control, energy distribution methods, and other practical skills.
He doesn’t need to understand why and how the Azure Dragon Armor moves, the signal transmission process, nor does he need to learn repair and maintenance since there are professionals responsible for it.
The Azure Dragon Armor is designed to be semi-integrated with the operator and any broken parts can simply be replaced with new ones. The damaged parts are sent back to the factory for repair.
That’s where the professionals gather.
Everyone’s life and energy are limited, and operators don’t need to learn these things, nor can they.
“Your learning progress is slightly faster than I had imagined. I originally thought you would need at least five days to pass.”
Upon hearing that Harrison Clark got a perfect score, Daniel Thompson allowed the other new soldiers to study on their own and came immediately to the practical training yard.
Harrison Clark was composed, “It’s okay.”
If it were before, he would have definitely wanted to show off his intelligence and wit.
But after being humbled by high school textbooks, he learned to be low-key.
Take Professor Owen, who is standing nearby in his white lab coat, as an example. Apparently, his IQis as high as 107.
But for Owen, getting into the top ten in his college class is a challenge, and he’s struggling.’
“Harrison Clark, do you want to go back and rest now, or go straight to the simulator training room?”
Professor Owen asked as he approached.
Harrison Clark rubbed his hands together, his expression excited, “Straight to the simulator, I can’t wait.”
The three of them walked side by side to the training room.
Harrison Clark asked, “Do I need to inject coagulant serum for the simulator?”
“No need. You’ll see.”
As they entered the training room, Harrison Clark discovered that the so-called training room was actually a metallic-walled hall that seemed impossible to see to the end.
There were two rows of five-meter-square metal boxes arranged from the inside to the outside. Each box had a green-painted number on the front, ranging from one to twenty.
“These twenty simulators are the pride of our base. There are no more than five bases in the world that have more simulators than us.”
Professor Owen boasted with a proud expression.
He looked at the indicator board, “Number eight and sixteen are free now, which one do you want?”
“Are there any differences?”
“No.”
“Number eight.”
Harrison Clark decisively chose the lucky number.The three of them returned to the square box, and with a few operations from Professor Owen, a small door opened on the metal box number eight with a pop sound.
“Go in.”
Professor Owen pointed to the doorway.
Harrison Clark was puzzled, “Aren’t you coming with me? No one is going to teach me how to use this thing.”
“You’ll know once you go in. You don’t need to rack your brain.”
As Harrison entered the door and it closed behind him, he saw eight mechanical arms lifting a humanoid metal object about two meters and eighty centimeters high.
Professor Owen’s voice rang in his ears, “Take off your coat and put your hands and feet into it like you’re putting on clothes and pants. Don’t worry, all the inner lining structures will be fully disinfected after each use, so you don’t have to worry about catching skin diseases from others.”
Harrison did as instructed, embedding his hands and feet into the holes of the metal object.
He then felt the object wrap around him tightly, automatically adjusting its structure according to his body size. It wrapped around him completely without hindering his breathing.
Only his head was left exposed, and then a fully-enclosed large helmet was presented by another mechanical arm and placed on his head.
Harrison recalled the operating tutorial and gave mental commands. The helmet’s front panel quickly became transparent, and he noticed that there were dozens or hundreds of mechanical arms connecting the simulator armor from various angles, lifting him slowly into the air.
“Now you can try to recall the tutorial and perform some basic walking, running, and jumping movements. These mechanical arms will cooperate with the simulator armor to make corresponding postures for every movement you make. Besides, you might feel a little bit of pressure and weightlessness. This is to simulate the real wearing experience of the Azure Dragon Armor, but it has been weakened a lot, and the maximum acceleration won’t exceed 5G. Therefore, there is no need for serum injection.”
“Once you have fully adapted to the operation and can complete the individual combat assessment in holographic VR projection, scoring more than ninety points in the assessment, you will be able to leave the simulator and put on the real Azure Dragon Armor.”
Harrison suddenly understood.
He had previously imagined that the so-called simulator would directly input data into a person’s brain, just like the holographic games described in novels.
It turned out not to be the case.
Even after thousands of years of technological development, people were reluctant to tamper with the human body’s internal structure casually.
The embedded brain chip seemed to have some unsolvable side effects and had not become mainstream technology.
“Harrison, I have faith in you, strive to complete this in just two months. You start learning how to walk. It took me more than a week to barely stand stable,” said Daniel Thompson outside, grinning.
Thinking of the embarrassing moments he experienced when he first encountered the Azure Dragon Armor, he eagerly anticipated Harrison sharing the same experience.
Harrison had no idea of Daniel’s wicked humor and simply replied, “No problem, but two months is too long. I’ll do it as soon as possible.”
“I’ll sync your training simulation signal to our team, and some of the other guys have told me they want to see you and learn from you.”
Daniel snapped his fingers.
On the other side, the new recruits under his command were gathered in a small viewing room.
A holographic projection appeared, forming a 3D image on the left side of the floor in front of the viewing room.
The new recruits saw Harrison in the simulator armor, suspended in midair with the support of numerous mechanical arms.
At the same time, Daniel’s explanations sounded in the room, “Pay attention, everyone, learn from this. Every excellent new recruit dreams of wearing the Azure Dragon Armor someday. What you are seeing on the left side of the screen is the real image of Harrison. Soon there will be a projection on the right side, an overhead view of the 3D image, which is the simulated training scenario that Harrison constructed in the simulator.”
“In real combat, the external environment is not constant. Different battlefields require different responses. Mountains, forests, deserts, space, oceans, skies, the Moon’s surface, inside starships, and the outer layer of battleships can all be our battlegrounds.”
“Each environment varies in terrain, visibility, cover, temperature, and even gravity. So don’t think it’s just a simple matter of walking, there’s a lot to learn.”
These words were not only for the new recruits but also for Harrison.
Harrison was an outstanding performer, and Daniel deliberately used him to stimulate everyone’s fighting spirit, especially Marthus’s.
Of course, it was not possible for everyone in his team to wear the Azure Dragon Armor, as the basic physical requirements were too high and the adaptability barrier was a concern. But as long as more people could reach the basic standards of shipborne soldiers and board battleships, it would be a huge success.
“Alright, Harrison, start moving. First, choose the most basic flat farmland terrain.”
Daniel ordered, waiting with delight for Harrison to slip up.
Farmland might look flat, but the soil is soft and would sink to a certain extent when stepped on.
The ten mechanical arms supporting Harrison would perfectly simulate the sensation of stepping on the soft soil.
Harrison was bound to mess up and fall flat on his face!
That would be delightful..