novelsite Chapter 23: Test
Chapter 23: Test
January 1st, New Year's Day.
Flags were flying high in the shipyard, and red Hello signs were everywhere.
During this festive season, shipyard workers are scattered in twos and threes, calling out to friends and watching the projections in front of them intently.
Inside the projection, two figures ascended a mobile corridor about six meters high and entered two identical mechs with different equipment backpacks.
Yes, after six months of working overtime, the two low-cost, dual-use (police and civilian) AS prototypes have been fully produced and assembled.
Today marks the first test of these two AS aircraft.
Therefore, not only were the shipyard staff paying close attention, but many qualified individuals were also closely monitoring the situation through dedicated networks.
"Unit 1 has completed its self-test and everything is normal. We can proceed with the first phase of testing."
"Unit 2 has completed its self-test and everything is normal. We can proceed with the first phase of testing."
After Liao Haizhou and Wu Jinhao, the two test pilots, finished their reports, Guo Yi instructed from the monitoring and command room: "Activate the mechanical claw and disconnect all cables."
"Opening the mechanical gripper, gripper fully opened, retraction complete... Disconnecting all cables..."
Following reports from the relevant operators, the mechanical grippers used to secure the AS first loosened and then retracted simultaneously. Subsequently, all the cables connected to the AS disconnected and fell off one by one.
Once there was nothing obstructing AS, Guo Yicai continued to give instructions: "Begin the first phase of testing. Leave the assembly room in order."
"Yes."
After receiving the order, Liao Haizhou and his team began to move cautiously inside the cockpit.
Following Liao Haizhou and his team's actions, the two AS aircraft also began to move in sync...
AS did not use the MS operating system, nor the operating system in Patlabor. Instead, it used the original AS operating system, which had the lowest learning cost: the semi-master slave system.
The semi-master slave system can read the pilot's minute movements and then amplify the pilot's movements using a bidirectional corresponding angle at a certain multiplier, so that the mecha can make the exact same movements as the pilot.
For example, if the pilot's elbow rotates 10 degrees and the ratio of the corresponding angles is three, the machine will immediately react by rotating the elbow 30 degrees.
"Phew~"
Slowly pushing open the assembly room door and leaving, Liao Haizhou and his team breathed a heavy sigh of relief, their mood slightly relaxed: "Report, we have left the assembly room and can proceed with the second phase of testing."
"Sigh~"
Guo Yi took a slight breath and solemnly ordered, "Begin the second phase of the test. Run through the obstacle course at full speed."
"Yes."
The obstacle course was just outside the assembly room, and the obstacles were various large and small sensors. So, after Liao Haizhou and the others responded, they lowered their bodies slightly and assumed a standing starting position.
"Boom! Boom!"
Two loud bangs rang out, and the ground cracked open instantly. Two ASs shot into the obstacle course like arrows at a speed of 69.44 meters per second.
In the blink of an eye, Liao Haizhou and his group appeared in front of a rectangular prism that was 20 meters high, 10 meters wide, and 10 meters long.
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, Liao Haizhou suddenly jumped up and leaped over the cuboid with a somersault.
At the same time, Hou Yifei made a sudden stop, then crossed the cuboid at a 90-degree angle, and then continued to rush forward.
"Boom!"
Just as Hou Yifei continued to charge forward, Liao Haizhou landed perfectly using a basic parkour landing technique.
After a one-second pause, Liao Haizhou took off running and continued to sprint forward.
Jumping, leaping, leaping like a monkey, leaping like a gorilla, rolling on the ground, stopping abruptly and changing direction, the two ASs, like real-life parkour performers, perfectly avoided all obstacles with a variety of fancy moves, chasing each other at high speed.
In exactly one minute, the two ASs completed the two-kilometer obstacle course at an average speed of 33.33 meters per second, and stood proudly at the finish line.
"..."
After a moment of stunned silence, the onlookers erupted in shouts and cheers: "Mecha! We've successfully built a mecha!"
"We have mechs now!"
"..."
"Um!?"
Just as the audience was celebrating enthusiastically, Li Mu suddenly exclaimed in surprise, asking with some doubt, "Chief Engineer Guo, was the footage we just saw real-time footage?!"
Also, what type of concrete was used for the obstacle course?
Before anyone else could speak, Li Mu took the initiative to explain: "Everyone, look closely at the obstacle course... the entire course only has a few cracked sections."
I noticed that all the cracks were caused when AS started running, and none of them were caused when AS landed.
The AS did not cause the road surface to crack when it was running.
An object weighing more than ten tons falling from a height of more than twenty meters should have created a huge crater in the concrete used for municipal roads, right?
Even without a large crater, it would still break apart, right?
How could he be completely unharmed?
After explaining, Li Mu and Guo Yi reminded each other: "Chief Engineer Guo, the ground beneath city roads is not necessarily solid soil. It could be various pipes, sunken cavities, or even man-made spaces like subways."
Have you considered these environmental factors?
"Don't worry, we've already taken that into consideration."
Guo Yi replied affirmatively, and then explained: "The reason why AS does not damage the road surface when it lands is because AS's foot is made of segmented cushioning material with high damping cushioning material."
The soles of the feet can reduce the noise when the AS moves, and also disperse the impact force when the AS lands, preventing it from slamming to the ground with a "thud".
Secondly, AS has a high-precision balancing system that can actively reduce force upon landing, allowing it to land as lightly as a cat.
Thirdly, AS's electromagnetic muscles have a soft-start function, which can buffer the impact before exerting force, changing the impact force from "smashing" to "pressing".
In addition, the pilot's deceleration maneuvers ensure that the AS landing will not damage the municipal road.
As for why AS breaks the road surface when it starts but doesn't break it when it runs, it's because Fang and the others use Assault Mode when they start, and Mobility Mode when they run.
AS has three driving modes: Road mode, Mobility mode, and Assault mode.
The first two modes are suitable for low-speed work and medium-speed movement in the city. The greatest damage they cause to the road surface is leaving a shallow footprint, and they cannot have any impact on the underground man-made space.
Well, if the road surface is substandard or has subsided, that's a different story.
Assault mode is the AS's combat mode; buffer-related functions are minimized, and all of the AS's performance is geared towards combat-related functions...
At this point, Guo Yi zoomed in on the crater that the AS had smashed, then frowned: "It seems we have to restrict the AS from using assault mode in the city."
Otherwise, it's entirely possible that the man-made underground space could collapse.
After Guo Yi finished explaining, the elderly man who frequently appeared on television made the decision: "Chief Engineer Guo, whether it's a civilian AS or a police AS, lower the performance a bit. Just make sure it's sufficient. It doesn't need to be that high-performance."
"Alright, I'll have Elder Zhou and the others make some improvements later."
"That's settled then."
The old man nodded, then smiled at Guo Yi and said, "Chief Engineer Guo, Elder Zhou... Happy New Year."
You've all worked so hard lately, please take a few days to rest.
"Um~ Happy New Year."
"..."
After the person on the screen left, Guo Yi let out a heavy sigh of relief, then announced over the loudspeaker: "Everyone, AS has passed the test!"