Hardsuits are reinforced, full-body exosuits that are primarily designed to protect its user and augment them with several features. Some hardsuits are rated for EVA (extravehicular activity), and they can be built for specialized purposes ranging from electrical and radioactive insulation to ballistic protection and thermal imaging.
The Sol Defence Corps employs over a dozen hardsuit variants for usage by its personnel. The following article describes hardsuit technologies as well as their capabilities.
Technology
Standard layers
All military-grade hardsuits have, at their core, a multilayered body glove for keeping the wearer comfortable. This body glove consists of several layers, from innermost to outermost:
- A padded, porous inner layer that directly touches the wearer's skin, to keep the wearer comfortable and wick away any sweat or fluid buildup on the skin.
- An active thermal control layer that directly heats or cools down the wearer via a network of vein-like tiny pipes, millimetres in diametre, that pump either heated or cooled fluid (typically deionized water) whose temperature is regulated by an attached Thermal Control System (TCS, see below).
- An insulating layer that shields the wearer from vacuum or extreme temperatures, as well as background radiation. Hardsuits designed for engineering or exploration use might have reinforced insulating layers.
- An emergency outer ablative layer that aims to protect the wearer from extreme heat sources (such as fire) for a short period of time. This layer is temporary and must be replaced (via a spray-on solution) if it is expended.
The body glove by itself, if combined with a helmet, boots and gloves, is already airtight and can be used in vacuum; however, it is comparatively fragile and not well-insulated enough for long-term use, and outer layers must be used for additional insulation and protection.
Armor
Most hardsuits come with additional armor for added protection. These can range from standard ballistic armor, intended to shield against meteorite fragments, to full-scale, multilayered combat armor for battlefield usage.
Infantry hardsuits such as those of Marines, Gunners, and Spec Ops operators contain the following layers:
- An additional, non-expendable ablative layer for protection against heat or laser-based weaponry.
- A kinetic distribution layer consisting of flexible, yet stiff, textile plates that attempt to evenly distribute the force of an impact throughout the wearer's body.
- A carbon-nanotube reinforced nanofiber (CNF) layer that remains flexible while being able to withstand limited small arms fire and sharp objects.
- Outer armor plating that varies in composition depending on the suit's type.
Outer armor plating for standard infantry consists of ductile titanium-ceramic fiber metal matrix composite (TCMMC) plating, consisting of at least two layers. In between the layers is a graphene spall laminate, intended to protect against armor penetration and potential shrapnel. The outermost layer of TCMMC plating is reinforced by an additional vapor deposition coating of titanium carbonitride (TiCN) for added hardness and environmental protection. Cosmetics are usually added on top, such as ceramic-based paints or decals.
Additional CNF padding is employed on armor joints, especially around the knees, elbows, wrists, shoulders, and neck, minimizing the vulnerability these areas have compared to fully armored sections such as the chest.
Visors and other translucent components are typically constructed of aluminium oxynitride (ALON), with additional spall laminate layers to protect them against shattering.
Devices
Hardsuits also come attached with several monitoring and regulation devices for the wearer. These are usually governed by an onboard AI-powered computer installed on each suit that can intelligently adapt to wearers' attributes and behavioral patterns.
Wrist-mounted Interface (WMI)
Also simply referred to as the wrist computer or wrist pad, the WMI forms the main interface between the wearer and the suit's controls. It contains a multimedia information display that can control various things and give readouts on the wearer's condition.
Thermal Control System (TCS)
An attached thermal control system unit regulates the wearer's temperature by using an electric heater/cooler assembly to change the temperature of the liquid coolant that flows throughout the suit. Up to two pipe networks, each containing 1-2 kilograms of fluid, can exist: the first connects to the wearer's body glove while the second, if applicable, cools down attached components and machinery, like computers.
Biomonitor
Several sensors and electrodes on the body glove give readouts on everything from the wearer's heart rate, brain activity, blood pressure and oxygenation, and their oxygen consumption rate. These can send alarms to their wearer via the WMI if any reach a problematic threshold and, if configured, can automatically send an emergency message via the onboard communications transponder if it gets critical or the wearer becomes incapacitated.
Communications transponder
The onboard transponder acts as simultaneously an antenna (of variable range) and an IFF transponder, communicating to allied personnel or vehicles the affiliation of the suit's wearer. Depending on configuration, suits can use their transponder to broadcast either communications radio, biomonitor readouts or location data of the wearer.
Computer
Hardsuit computers are powered by a Class I AI that manages the suit's functions as well as the wearer's statistics. They can be of various processing powers and can also be used as the CPU for several attachable components that require a computer to function.