When you hear the word mech, chances are that you think of things like Robotech, Japanese giant robots, Battletech or even the action film “Real Steel.” However the idea of mechs, and of giant machines being used on the battlefield can probably be traced back to England and to the early science fiction writer H.G. Wells. “War of the Worlds” had the alien invaders using gigantic, mechanized tripods that could walk across a battlefield and bring death rays to bear almost anywhere, creating a lasting euphemism for the war machines that would be fielded in the future. However, when it comes to real, working models of steam era tech, America is responsible for one of the earliest examples; the Walking Truck.

This unusual mechanism was designed to take supplies to soldiers no matter where they were in the field, up slopes, over muddy ravines, or even across lakes and streams that even the toughest Humvee would have balked at trying. These trucks, which upon completion stood over 11 feet tall and looked like a metallic quadruped were the perfect beasts of burden. They were able to move at a 35 mile per hour canter (with a talented driver at the controls), haul several tons worth of equipment, and there were even slings that could be stretched between two of these walkers to haul bigger equipment that couldn't be stored in just one truck.

Testing for this unusual device began as early as the 1960s, with the United States military handing the contract over to General Electric. By the end of that decade the pedipulator (a more official, though less illustrative name for the walking truck) was unveiled to the public. The driver was held in a harness, where his hands worked the front legs, and his feet worked the rear legs, allowing him to bodily control the entire walker with movements that could be easily learned or at least assimilated by anyone in today's video game heavy culture. It was all fairly intuitive, and as GE proved in open displays to the public as well as in demonstrations to the military backers, the machine worked. But despite that, these machines have never been fielded and the dreams of an American military where massive walking robots roam the fields to deliver supplies and pick up the wounded is still just a dream.

So why was the walking truck, which was celebrated as a success of ingenuity and engineering in its time, just put on a display pedestal at the U.S. Army Transport Museum? Why is this machine, capable of a 35 mile an hour lope over terrain that no wheeled vehicle could go into and which can kick a Jeep across a room sitting on its legs and being goggled at by people rather than being out in the desert or roaming the borders? That's a very good question... but it isn't one that has an answer.

You could say that it has something to do with the consumption of the walkers, and how introducing them would create a superfluous role in the military. You could also point to a lack of style or imagination, especially since the military is concerned with the practical, and when the days of the treaded tank are numbered a walking truck might be just as much an oddity as a useful tool. However, that doesn't make anyone that has seen one of these unusual objects in action want one any less.

The skies of the steampunk genre are filled with all sorts of strange vehicles and unusual forms of locomotion, but the stately air ship is perhaps one of the most well known among them. While air ships may be mostly a vehicle of years gone by the simple science of how they work has yet to be truly outmatched by our modern technology, even with its faster speed.

An air ship is referred to as a lighter than air (LTA) craft. The craft is a blimp when the structure is non-rigid, and when the craft is rigid it's referred to as a dirigible. See, you're learning something new already! However regardless of the variety of the craft the science behind them is relatively the same. These vehicles have a gas bag called the envelope, which is filled with helium and air. Helium is lighter than air, and the more of the envelope that's filled with helium the more lift you'll have. Think of these ships like aerial submarines (which shouldn't be hard to do with the shape of the air ship), since that's essentially how they move. It's less of a thrust and more of a piloting motion, which makes the word air ship extremely appropriate.

Once an air ship has gotten into the sky its equilibrium is regained by letting air into the envelope. Air is heavier than the helium, so to change the balance all you have to do is increase one or the other of the gases in relation to the other. Air ships are steered the same way as a plane or a helicopter, but the power plant used to drive the air ship is much smaller since it powers the fans that cause locomotion. Additionally, since there's lift, the engines don't have to thrust the air ship into the sky, and it can hover or drift in addition to directing its movement. This results in a ride that is slower, yes, but it also uses less fuel and creates a quieter cabin experience.

While air ships might be considered vehicles of the past, modern technology hasn't left them too far behind. Modern air ships are covered with resistant materials that are nearly immune to UV radiation, and nearly as strong (if not stronger than) modern steel without having to worry about the weight of such a strong metal. This means that building a battle blimp is a much more possible reality than one might have previously thought. Though hydrogen was once used since it's even lighter than helium, the accident with the Hindenburg put a stop to that quickly. Additionally helium is non-flammable, and a blimp that uses helium, even with a leak in it, will go down slowly over hours or even days. Perhaps the safest form of transportation you could ask for, especially with the advances made in technology that keeps your craft even safer from the elements. But despite that we rarely see these lighter than air vehicles used for practical purposes beyond advertising above a city where all those looking up are surely wondering why they're waiting for a bus when such a convenient form of transportation is making the rounds of the city.

http://www.americanblimp.com/fly.htm

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