BUILDING DEFINING A MECH

摘要

The first thing to do was to define a mech and then establish the qualities of a sports mech. We had many design constraints and criteria. It was to have legs only; no wheels would be allowed. No external part of the machine could rotate more than 360 degrees continuously; that is what makes it a mech. It had to be 100% human piloted, using the pilot's arms and legs; that is also integral to what makes it a mech. It should be fun. That's what makes it a sport. Fun can involve serious engineering that translates to comfortable, learnable, stable, and responsive. If it has automation, that's not fun. If it is an untameable beast, that is also not fun. Achieving that balance between challenging and rewarding is at the heart of what defines a good sport. It had to be lightweight, which is not something that usually figures heavily in off-highway hydraulic equipment. But in a sport machine, dynamic loads become more significant and weight is king. It needed to be 100% electric powered. It required high efficiency. Solving inefficiency by adding more radiators and power would add weight, particularly when batteries are used, offering diminishing returns.