Meet the first real Halo Spartan
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Jan 15th 2007 at 10:45AM }
Jumping from svelte science fiction to much clunkier science reality, Halo's famous Mjolnir armor has come to fruition. Troy James Hurtubise, the man behind Project Grizzly (the guy made a bear proof suit, someone call Stephen Colbert), has created a full body protective exoskeleton in the hopes of selling them to the Canadian and American military. Despite the obvious visual similarities, the technical similarities are downright uncanny. The suit is made of a ceramic lined plastic over ballistic foam. Included in the suit: emergency morphine and salt, flashlight, pepper spray gun, recording device, transponder, and clock. In the helmet: solar powered air system, water hose attached to back mounted canteen, laser pointer, and LEDs around the face. The damned thing even has magnetic holsters. Not only that, but Hurtubise even calls it "The Trojan." Come on, man!The entire suit weights 18 kilograms, and reportedly costs $2000. Okay, we've seen some nice Halo costumes before, but this one wins. Sorry everyone, the contest is over. See a full body pic after the jump.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ciaran @ Jan 15th 2007 11:04AM
In a game it's cool, but if it's being sold for military use, then it's not cool.
Killing people is not cool.
Liqwid @ Jan 15th 2007 11:09AM
This man is a true credit to the human race. If I had two thousand dollars, I'd buy one on the spot.
Liqwid @ Jan 15th 2007 11:12AM
RE: Ciaran
Killing will always be a part of our existing life and has been for centuries and centuries and centuries. You will never see it cease, and don't expect it to. Killing isn't a good thing, but defense is.
Ciaran @ Jan 15th 2007 11:30AM
RE: Well then I'll just have to wait until the day that all countries drop all their weapons and feel that they don't need to defend themselves because there is no threat...
but anyway... that probably will never happen...
Johnny @ Jan 15th 2007 11:45AM
this suit is a Coffin
its got no real value on in real warfare.
it'd get you killed easier than being un armored.
1. it makes you a target.
2. 4 hours? when was the last 4 hour war?
3. your head can still come off.
4. if its bullet proff..then the enemy will know this and just RPG your dumb ass.
this suit, is best used for extended camping trips.
Tim UF @ Jan 15th 2007 11:58AM
figures he named it 'trojan' not 'spartan'...
if theres one name synonymous with protection, trojan is it.
Veras Gunn @ Jan 15th 2007 12:02PM
Actually I'd have to say it looks more like COG armor than the MJOLNIR. Sure he doesn't have the giant shoulders and such, but it looks like a spot-on COG uniform.
Joe @ Jan 15th 2007 12:17PM
Yeh i'd have to agree it does look Cogish!
Charlie @ Jan 15th 2007 12:19PM
I have 3 grand US if he can deliver me a custom fitted fully functional suit before Oct 1st 2007.
Das @ Jan 15th 2007 12:24PM
I agree that this armor might not be practical in that the usefulness of this armor might be limited by the fact that it impairs your movement. But if it really does weigh 18kg then, wow, it seems like a great idea.
@Johnny, you're an idiot. Point 1 is irrelevent and point 4 doesn't even make sense.
L Capitan @ Jan 15th 2007 1:45PM
Am I the only one that thinks it looks ridiculously lame? Not to mention ineffective.
I kind of see the the resemblance with COG armour, but with one big difference, the COG armour actually looks COOL. This looks like some kind of fantasy hobby project.
GANNONSMASH @ Jan 15th 2007 3:54PM
It looks like RoboCop.
Can I get it in Green?
Johnny @ Jan 15th 2007 4:19PM
Whatever Das.
Anybody wearing that thing is going to become the main focus of everybody else.
and maybe you didnt know RPG ment rocket propelled grenade.
Though a Sniper could easily take out one of the joints or throat.
All different equipment does is yeild different tactics from the opposition.
In R6: Vegas if you got a guy carrying a sheild, you dont shoot at him. you blow him up.
Scy @ Jan 17th 2007 8:03PM
Johnny> If RPGs were as useful/cheap as guns, don't you think the opposition would simply use RPGs today?
RPGs are far more expensive and unwieldy then bullets are.
Drawing analogies from video games (aka your R6 comment) can be extremely flawed. When was the last time you heard of people 'nade spamming in real life?
Your #1 point of "It makes you a target" make absolutely no sense either. Airplanes and tanks make the pilots targets as well, so we should stop using them! Plus, you're not going to send a single person with this armor into combat. If everyone is wearing this armor, you have the exact same chance to get targeted as you did before, but now you have protection.
Please, think before posting.
Murc @ Jan 15th 2007 9:28PM
Jesus Christ!, the very first post is from some lame arse tree hugger who doesn't appreciate freedom.
Hey, CIARAN...no threat!? Thousands of terrorists dont count? Or Iran saying its building nukes and wants to wipe Israel off the map…that’s not a threat? Do you even know what the word THREAT means.
and yes...Johnny is a douche.
1. If they want to shoot at you...your already a target.
2. Where did you get the 4 hour part...I see no mention of 4 hours anywhere in the article?
3.Not sure what you mean...would you prefer they weld the helmet on for you?
4.I wouldn't call serving in the military is dumb. What’s easier for an insurgent to hide on them...a hand gun or an ak-47...or a rocket in a tube? *rolls eyes*
I think this is pretty cool, and 2 grand per unit really isn't that bad, especially when your talking full body armor, and the fact that its just under 40 pounds, is pretty good.
I think the (US) Army should buy a couple hundred of these are teach the soldiers how they work, and battle test them in Baghdad...after of course they do some testing at home...like seeing if it truly is bullet proof, and what happens when a IED blows up nearby, and things like that.
The Army would paint it shades of camo...which would look sweet, and the Special Ops guys would go for flat black, which would also look sweet.
Hope the US Military buys some...I'm curious to see how they would fair.
rateoforange @ Jan 15th 2007 8:34PM
Ciaran, I hope you can come to realize how vapid your position is. Do you consider the body armor we presently send our troops into battle with to be 'not cool'? If you take a moment to reasonably examine your sentiments--and that is all they are--you'll see that your beliefs are merely for your own warm fuzzies.
While I appreciate what the man is doing/trying to do, I don't think he's going to get taken seriously by a major military after his quixotic bear protection suit. Not that individuals with ideas can't change the face of warfare. I mean, just look at Richard Gatling. That said, getting a major military to listen usually involves them to get their asses truly kicked first.
As far as his suit specifically, I was under the impression that the forces we are deploying now generally prefer high mobility to protection. The 'armor everything' concept is a political darling, not a great military doctrine.
Johnny @ Jan 15th 2007 9:51PM
I read the FULL article at the read link thank you very much. thats wear the 4 hours came from.
as for being a target.
yeah if your in a a war your a target thats a given. what I'm saying is that wearing this Rig will make you a primary one.
head coming off, was a illustrate that all the jointed areas od this armor weak and provide no armor. and as such, a shot to them will drop you, but more harmful is that an explosive device will still rip you apart. maybe even more violently.
I would never call military service dumb. I have personal experience with the US Army.
my point their was to show that tactics will be adapted to the point of making the armors strengths null and void. the RPG was just one example. if you need a more practicle one. any explosive device or a sniper will do.
if this armor had practicle uses, I think that the US government would have already developed their own version by now and that it would already be in circulation.
call me douche.
but im not the guy placing faith in body armor simply becuase it looks cool. Id rather have my body armor be effective.
Tel Prydain @ Jan 15th 2007 10:04PM
This is actually very cool.
If you watch the video you’ll see it’s bullet proof, shock resistant and can protect against small explosions. It has withstood knives, bullets, light explosives and clubs. It is air-conditioned and has a small water supply contained in the system.
Jimmy, you’re a complete tard.
1) Everyone has one – it’s just like current armour, it wouldn’t make you stand out.
2) It has a solar power, just incase you don’t get a chance to recharge.
3) At the moment there is NO face protection for soldiers, so this design is an improvement.
4) Aside from the obvious fact that most people don’t carry around RPGS, this suit is shock resistant and can protect against small explosions.
Perhaps you misunderstand that this suit isn’t for a single man who will go on a rampage al la Rambo/Halo. It’s to outfit the whole darn army instead of the current vest.
A sniper could shoot the joints, but that’s still harder to hit then running about with nothing on.
Tel Prydain @ Jan 15th 2007 10:21PM
Whoops, messed up point 2 there…
The article mentioned a four-hour car ride, I thought you had said the battery only lasted hour hours. The reason point two is wrong is completely different.
The news-paper article reads:
“Hurtubise, 43, wore his suit -- helmet and all -- on the four-hour drive down south, partly as a way of making sure it would be comfortable enough in the field.”
But it goes on to say:
“Even sitting on his armoured butt cheeks, he said he was fine.
As he drove his black pickup in his black getup, other drivers gawked and honked. Just south of Huntsville, he was delighted to be pulled over and gave an apprehensive OPP officer a close-up look at the suit.
Once he established that he could see just fine in his helmet and that the guns attached to his magnetic holsters were just props, Hurtubise was free to continue his trip.”
It didn’t suddenly become uncomfortable, and (surprisingly) the officer found that the helmet didn’t impair the dude’s vision.
Johnny @ Jan 15th 2007 10:38PM
you cant honestly belive that every soldier would have one of these.
If they did, then so would every soldier in every other armed force on the planet.
On the way off chance this did get picked up. bet on specialized units and training. The only place I could remotely see it is bomb squads. but the suit is incapable of taking a blast from any explosive that would require the attention of a squad. so again, its useless.
Its not the suits power I'm worried about. It's the person inside. Will a soldier be able to wear this thing for extended periods of time. 4 hours? try 4 days.
The face protection is an improvement. however, you dont need an entire combuersome suit to protect your face.
I've already explaned that that alternative tactics would be immediatly put into use. but nobody seems to understand it and cant get passed the RPG thing.
Besides. What makes anybody think that this armor would be exclusive to one country?
What makes anyone think that if their was a practical need for it, that we wouldnt already have it by now?
What makes anybody think that the US military doesnt already have its own R&D program and/or private contracts dedicated to body armor, and that they havent already been over similar concepts several times by now?
Digitarius @ Jan 16th 2007 12:29AM
Johnny is obviously a troll. Nobody else feed him- if you deny them attention, they wither and die.
That said, I'd be interested to see how this thing would hold up in combat. The obvious questions are 1) How durable is it and 2) How much does it encumber the wearer. Some of the features of the suit- like the face mounted laser pointer- don't do much for me and seem to have little practical value.. but if a cheap air conditioned full body armor suit were deployed, it'd be a Godsend. Nobody is saying this thing is a "God Mode" suit... but if it can deflect a few bullets or keep your gibs together against an IED, then it's going to save lives.
John O @ Jan 16th 2007 11:43PM
Whoever said
"4. if its bullet proff..then the enemy will know this and just RPG your dumb ass."
Easier said then done, try getting off a shot with a RPG on a moving human sized target when your shooting at people armed with machine guns trying to kill you right back.
People armed with RPG in such real combat have missed , large trucks, tanks,low hovering Transport helios even entire buildings in such cases.
The RPG is not a accurate weapon it was never designed to hit a human sized moving target. The RPG is large cumbersome, very expensive compared to the prolfic AK and at most you can only carry a few shots. The RPG is a dangerous weapon but not for mowing down soldiers.
Full body armour though I doubt this is it. Militaries are putting lots of money into such R&D. Most likely utilizing something like carbon nanotubes which will be much stronger then anything we have today
Kirby @ Jan 18th 2007 2:54AM
If they could cover the weak points, the neck, knees, etc. This suit would be very useful. It would not make you a *primary target because every freaking person would be wearing one by the time it got into (mass)production. The only off-side I see is if we lose a gun-battle, the opposing side has only to raid one of our soldiers , pillage the suit, make off with the technology... and soon they will make the very same product for themselves, with small modifications even. Still I must agree that wearing this entire suit is so much better protection from snipers than just wearing a bullet-proof vest. Oh, and one that very first comment. War is inevitable, humans are flawed. Greed, envy, and desire all fuel our emotions and eventually send us into hatred for one another, thus creating diversity. New religions, politics, economics. Soon, countries emerge. Alliances are made, factions built. And eventually...one country is really going to piss another off.....And all hell breaks loose from there. ------Personally I can't wait to see our very own form of 'Spartans' roaming around the world as 'Trojans' I think that'd be too cool. ----------And guys, cut them some slack. Just looking at the suit you can tell it's a prototype. They will make the critical adjustments as necessary.
Tiger @ Jan 26th 2007 11:05PM
I agree with everything that Kirby said. Seeing our own soldiers into battle with those suits would be really cool. And at $2000 I might buy a few! That cannot be expensive..The government could pay for hundreds of thousands of those and it would barely hurt their deep pockets. So If this is tested and it is 100% bulletproof, I want to see our government pay for one of these for every soldier that is active-duty. I also noticed there wer a few weak spots... such as the neck, under the helmet(Not in these pictures, at another website) and the knees are also a weak point. I hope these are fixed ASAP. I know the chance of someone getting hit there is really small compared to everywhere else you can get shot... But still, we should protect our soldier As Much As Possible! Ya'll say what you want. I agree with Kirby(#23) and may God Bless America!!!