Thicksuit
near baseline vacuum tech (advanced)
Emergency
drill for a
near-baseline human wearing a Thicksuit;
the vast antenna/solar sail can be seen as it starts to unfurl
the vast antenna/solar sail can be seen as it starts to unfurl
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Thicksuitnear baseline vacuum tech (advanced)Emergency
drill for a
near-baseline human wearing a Thicksuit;
the vast antenna/solar sail can be seen as it starts to unfurl |
A thicksuit is designed to allow a near-baseline
biont to operate for an extended period in a vacuum environment. It
gives the nearbaseline wearer some of
the innate abilities of certain vacuum adapted clades such as the Sailors
of the Ebon Sea.
The basic structure of a thicksuit is a somewhat rubbery looking
layer
of material of about 1mm thickness across the hands and thickening to
10mm across the torso. An integrated backpack of some 30mm
thickness contains the primary suit systems that cannot fit within the
structure of the suit itself. Sensors and tactile feedback circuits in
the suit cause it to transmit
textures thru the suit to the wearer, while supporting nanobots clean
both the suit and the wearer by absorbing and recycling/removing
moisture and materials from sweat, body oils, and the flaking of dead
skin. Thin-film solar collectors cover the outside of the
suit and provide power when in proximity to a star. The
backpack unit contains a small, but powerful flywheel-based power
source, bionano recycling systems, communication equipment, a crashcache,
and a folded emergency solar sail/communications antenna that extends
to some 10km in diameter when fully deployed. A complex network of
nanofiber based artificial
‘muscles’ running throughout the interior layers of
the suit permits users to amplify strength to ten times
normal, and to reduce the apparent force of impacts by a similar amount.
In its inactive state, a thicksuit is simply a rather heavy, rubbery,
full-body covering with a large slit extending up each leg and across
the torso. When put on and activated, the suit automatically
seals across the body and then configures itself into a comfortable
mask-like arrangement around the wearer's head, bulging out over the
eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Phased array display elements over the
eyes allow the user to see across a wide range of the electromagnetic
spectrum and provide text and graphic information as
required. Vibrating membranes in the earpieces of the suit
provide full-spectrum audio interfacing.
In addition to covering the wearer’s body, an activated
thicksuit automatically deploys a network of fine tendrils into the
user’s gastrointestinal and urinary systems for the purpose
of absorbing and recycling biological wastes and infusing nutrition and
liquid into the body. Deployment takes place through the
urethra and rectal openings with secondary connections made directly to
the bloodstream at various points around the body where major veins and
arteries are accessible. This process is accompanied by
bionano nerve blocking mechanisms and is also quite gradual, requiring
several minutes to occur. As such the
‘melding’ of a thicksuit with its user usually goes
almost unnoticed, especially with regular use. When the suit
is being removed, the tendrils are withdrawn and the secondary access
points are sealed with fast acting bionano gel. Complete
healing is usually accomplished within 2 hours.
A thicksuit permits the user to operate in a vacuum environment for
varying lengths of time depending on their state of activity.
If fully awake and active, a near-baseline can operate comfortably in a
thicksuit for several weeks, their wastes removed and recycled by
bionano based support systems, and energy provided by either incoming
solar flux or flywheel based energy systems.
If the user places themself in stasis using the suits medical systems,
the thicksuit is rated to keep them alive and revivable for a period of
up to 3 years under normal conditions. Using the onboard
solar sail/antenna system, this is usually sufficient for the user to
either return to civilization or be retrieved by rescuers summoned by
signals from the antenna. However if this is not sufficient the suit
can use the oboard crashcache and built-in nanosystems to upload the
wearer
into a cybernetic core and then convert the now vacant body into
reaction mass to help propel the user's mindstate to a place of
safety. After the initial impulse provided by consumption of
the wearers body and the non-essential suit components, the solar sail
can be deployed to continue the voyage to the destination or place of
rescue.
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