Quote:Quote: I can deal with the subsonic speeds. What's the vibe on the idea of 'sensors?'
The more you load into the knife, the bigger and heavier it gets.
I pictured Safety as being the smallest possible container for a grav-drive, a sensor package, and a full AI that can communicate with the outside world, and she's a 1/12 scale human. But that was my idea, not something decided by the Collective. One could say it's possible to get a smaller package without the full-AI and the humaniform hardware and software, or one could say it was only possible to get something that small because the handwavium copied the existing fictional prototype.
The "Working" Model we have now is about the size of a small Sword. We're reducing the Functionality of the Grav Drive already, so adding sensors, and a more functional AI Isn't going to change the Weight much. Mind, with a Grav drive extra Weight is not going to be much of a problem.
A Missileknife is based off of "The Culture" Personal Weaponry base. They really Only have to communicate fully with one person, and generally have a limited AI, and clearly require the Support of a Fully Awakened Inteligence (Artificial or Otherwise).
Quote: (And since I mentioned Raising Heart in an earlier post... IMHO, there's no way a Nanoha-style Intelligent Device can be built in Fenspace to be as small as the ones in the anime. The AI, the holo-forcefield generator (to "create" the larger form of the device), the power supply, and the ranged weaponry (Edit: and the speed drive, to provide the owner's flight capability), as a package, would have to be made of something smaller than nanotech to fit in a gem, badge, or pendant. And there's no picotech described in the Scott Archive. A PalmPilot/iPhone/TV remote might be large enough to hold a Fenspace Intelligent Device, but I doubt it...)
Palm sized ID, are probably going to be at least fourth or Fifth Generation Wave Tech. We will probably have to build them backwards Starting with the Full Sized Version, then figuring how to store it physically in something the size of a Palm Pilot until needed.
And That's before we even get into things like a Cartridge system to boost the Power to/past Starship levels...