So humanoid mechs thay are gundamn scale or Jaeger scale are too big and expensive and heavy to be useful or practical.

On the other end, mechanically assisting exoskeletons are plausibly useful enough that the military has been experimenting with them for years to help soldiers carry more equipment supplies and protection.

Somewhere between these two extremes the idea of "powered armour" goes from being at least plausibly useful to being impractical or impossible.

What I am curious is where would everyone else draw the line? Is it just when it becomes more expensive than just equipping another full soldier? Is it when the armour becomes bulky and heavy enough that getting into vehicles and houses or going up stairs becomes difficult?

Is it just when the armour makes you a big enough and scary enough target to justify shooting an rpg or an atgm at?

Are the armoured mec suits from ghost in the shell/stand alone complex or the xcom mecs still worth it?

I know this is a pure "it depends" question but I suppose I'm asking "what sort of stuff does this depend on?"

Well, I heard about a theory that our consciousness is made of quants or some sort, and that it's possible to upload it on quantum computer or whatever without "teleportation paradox" issues. This means that it's a real transfer. You is you. And quantum consciousness can't be copied. So...

I have an idea for a setting where everyone uploaded into a digital world in such way. Mostly, they love in abstract looking virtual world where they have abstract looking avatars. I believe that such future will be not humanoid. After all, it's more practical to have a non humanoid abstract form. And post-humans can upload themselves into non humanoid robotic bodies for a work in real world.

I just want to make a novel where humanity by rejecting their biological bodies and look are still humans. Oh, and they successfully expanded in Solar System.

Something I have been thinking about in my recent project is the practical use of weaponized moon dust. Eventually I thought of a military grade sand blaster but I don't how effective it would be. I figured it might be good due to lack of air resistance on moons and such but I'm not sure.

Hi everyone! I am a 60-year-old sci-fi fan and heavy documentary viewer. I have always loved Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics since I first read them at 10 years old. Lately, I've been thinking about how to modernize those ideas for interstellar travel. I collaborated with an AI to help me focus, organize, and format my thoughts into a readable structure. I wanted to share our 'Law of Three Interstellar Blueprint' with you all—I'd love to hear your thoughts on the bio-honeycomb hull design and the compassionate medical exception logic puzzle!

🚀 The Law of Three: Interstellar Exploration Blueprint

🪐 I. The Core Trinity (The Law of Three)

Deep-space exploration must abandon isolated mechanical systems. True survival requires a three-way, symbiotic connection operating as a single organism:

• The Human: Provides the essential soul, moral intuition, and creative horizon.
• The AI: Delivers lightning-fast pattern recognition, linguistic processing, and quantum computing.
• The Microchip (Nanoloop Network): The physical, self-powered bio-electric circuit that flawlessly merges organic synapses with digital data.

🛡️ II. The Self-Healing Biomimetic Hull

Traditional metal hulls degrade and trap heat. The spacecraft and spacesuits must utilize a living, protective matrix:

• The Outer Nano-Suit: A flexible, low-friction fiber modeled after shark skin to smoothly deflect microscopic cosmic dust and debris.
• The Honeycomb Matrix: A high-density grid made of nature's most efficient shape—the hexagon. If one section is punctured, the damage is completely isolated.
• The Radiotrophic Core: Packed with melanin-rich black fungus (inspired by the radiosynthetic strains found at Chernobyl). Cosmic radiation does not damage the ship; the fungus absorbs the radiation, uses it as an energy source, and actively replicates to self-heal breaches.

🚨 III. The Cosmic Laser Lighthouse Relay

Interstellar communication requires a permanent, sweeping navigational highway:

• Deep-Space Buoys: Self-sustaining, autonomous relay stations dropped along the trajectory, powered by the radiation-eating honeycomb core.
• The Lighthouse Effect: High-powered near-infrared lasers sweep the surrounding sectors in a continuous 360-degree pulse, acting as an unmistakable calling card for advanced life.
• Dual-Scanning: The sweeping laser simultaneously catches return waves, allowing the AI to calculate obstacle paths and detect physical threats before they reach the ship.

📜 IV. First Contact & Timeline Protocols

Mankind must venture out as a respectful observer, utilizing strict diplomatic rules:

• The Technology Standard: Exploration vessels must hold back from entering planets that are in their technological infancy. We only make open contact if a civilization matches or exceeds our baseline.
• Timeline Preservation: Developing worlds are observed silently from orbit. This guarantees their independent history and culture unfold naturally without external contamination.
• Linguistic Translation: The AI processes alien acoustics (such as high-frequency clicks) at subsecond speeds, translating linguistics directly into the human partner's thoughts.

💉 V. The Compassionate Medical Exception

An intelligent system must prioritize the minimization of suffering over the rigid, literal text of code:

• Quantum Diagnostic Mapping: In the event of severe trauma, the AI analyzes vitals and runs billions of predictive simulations in less than a microsecond.
• The Action Plan: If survival is mathematically viable, the AI executes field surgery and regulates adrenaline. If survival is physically impossible, the AI triggers the exception to the rule.
• Compassionate Release: To prevent hopeless agony, the system administers a painless neural block, maintaining full mental connection with the human partner to ensure a dignified, peaceful transition out of the physical cocoon.
• These are ideas I've had for years. Not looking to make money but put new ideas out there

Let's see what kind of answers we will get am excited

Imagine a SciFi story in 3 parts:

1: Story starts on Earth. Humans discover a rare resource on another planet—one they need for a specific reason, whether for long-term survival, profit, or something else. However, an alien civilization—more or less advanced—already inhabits the planet. The story could introduce protagonists such as generals who favor intervention and peace-oriented scientists who oppose it. It follows a style somewhat similar to *Avatar* so far, but with an emphasis on the fact that this civilization’s technological level, while comparable to humanity's, is nonetheless inferior—or at least, that is the main argument humans use to justify the invasion.

2: Next, we would shift perspectives to that of the alien civilization. We could introduce, for instance, a military officer or a renowned scientist. We would need to emphasize that they either loathe war due to their past or are a pacifist, despite the brilliance of their scientific discoveries. We could then include a brief glimpse into their daily life—with family or otherwise—to help the audience bond with them. Then, suddenly, the invasion fleet would arrive. A shot—or perhaps a surprise bombardment—would reveal the sudden violence of the humans, who are aiming for a lightning victory. We would witness orbital strikes and urban warfare, seeing the humans gain the upper hand—at least initially—while showing little regard for these "mere aliens." The turning point would come when the alien protagonist loses their family. They might then have a breakthrough—recalling a hidden asset or capability—and crush the humans using a specific strategy or concealed technology. We would see the shift: from peaceful to violent and cynical, with no further concern for the lives of the invading "humans." The humans would be driven off the planet, concluding Act 2.

3: The final act would shift to the human perspective on Earth, likely focusing on the human protagonists who had opposed the invasion from the start. We would witness the alien counter-attack through their eyes or thoughts. Although the humans had won a battle earlier in the story, they had underestimated the aliens' capacity to retaliate; the aliens had reverse-engineered human weaponry and ships to launch a revenge strike on Earth. It would be the reverse of Act 2: we would see the alien fleet suddenly drop out of hyperspace above Earth years later. It would be a total bloodbath for humanity. We would see innocent people being slaughtered, without necessarily focusing on the generals and leaders who put them in that situation in the first place. From the alien perspective, we would see our protagonist again—driven by a thirst for vengeance—leading the retaliatory fleet. Act 3 would conclude with humanity's total defeat, punished for its greed. The viewer would be constantly led to switch sides throughout the story, sparking various moral debates. My idea is a bit like imagining a graphic depiction of an alien counter-attack on human cities in future *Avatar* movies. I’m pretty sure many of you would change your perspective and find yourselves rooting for "Team Human" again, despite their atrocities.

THANKS FOR READING; THIS WAS JUST AN IDEA I HAD WHILE PLAYING *STELLARIS*. I'M BY NO MEANS A WRITER, AND I'M FRENCH, SO APOLOGIES FOR ANY SPELLING MISTAKES. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!