Furries in the playground

[SiuiS]

Oh, my fault then. I came in after the scrubbing so I thought it was active insulting which was the issue, and figured civil discussion of the thing was fine.

More specific apology to Coidzor, as I got pushy and now you can't really provide a response.


How does a quad suit work? The mechanics behind that look fascinating. Is it comfortable to wear?

[Iruka]

Spoiler: It's just the suit pictures from earlier.

Show

Spoiler

Show

Blog's here: http://nambroth.tumblr.com/post/9150...con-and-it-was

I dunno. Some kind of dinosaur or bird-dinosaur. I don't really care right now. You can check the blog link in the bottom, maybe the creator says on the site.
I've been [trying] to draw again recently, even though I can't get **** out with my busy schedule. It's basically relevant to the thread, so maybe I'll post it here later.

IT#s a raptor. Guess I'm still not used to dinosaurs with feathers.

[Killer Angel]

I missed your earlier post. Is that an Archaeopteryx?

I would say yes, the similarity is impressive.
One of the few possible furries-dinosaurs, I think.

[Jaycemonde]

How does a quad suit work? The mechanics behind that look fascinating. Is it comfortable to wear?

I would guess it just takes some practice to walk around in. I don't think the front legs are the length of the arms inside them (obviously), I think they've got stilts inside of them. Otherwise it's just bending over. I read about this once.

One of the few possible furries-dinosaurs, I think.

Are you talking about "one of the few possible dinosaur fursonas"? That's not true at all, there are hundreds of fur/featherless dinosaur personas on FA alone, to say nothing of Weasyl and SoFurry. And SecondLife. Having actual fur isn't a requirement for being furry. At least not to most people. I am not going to debate whether that's "correct" or not in usage, it's just how it is.

[Teddy]

I would guess it just takes some practice to walk around in. I don't think the front legs are the length of the arms inside them (obviously), I think they've got stilts inside of them. Otherwise it's just bending over. I read about this once.

I'm guessing stilts in the forelegs with handles in the final joint above the hoves so you won't get sore wrists. Because I'm pretty sure physics doesn't allow you to walk like that without putting weight on your hands...

[Jaycemonde]

I'm guessing stilts in the forelegs with handles in the final joint above the hoves so you won't get sore wrists. Because I'm pretty sure physics doesn't allow you to walk like that without putting weight on your hands...

Well yeah, of course. When I said it was just bending over I didn't necessarily mean you could walk like that, just that it wasn't particularly complicated. I never did figure out where the hands would go on the stilts, though.

[shawnhcorey]

If you google "quadsuit", you will find all sorts of instructions and images.

[SiuiS]

I'm guessing stilts in the forelegs with handles in the final joint above the hoves so you won't get sore wrists. Because I'm pretty sure physics doesn't allow you to walk like that without putting weight on your hands...

Im seeing a bracing actually, for the elbow with padded handles to disperse the force, and similar for the back.
Hmm.

[Killer Angel]

Having actual fur isn't a requirement for being furry.

It seems very strange to me, but, if this is the common PoV, then i stand corrected.

[Kaworu]

Of course having fur IS NOT a prerequisite to be a furry!

There is even a whole subgroup called Scalies who do not like fur ;-) ;-) ;-)

[Killer Angel]

Of course having fur IS NOT a prerequisite to be a furry!

There is even a whole subgroup called Scalies who do not like fur ;-) ;-) ;-)

Really?
wow... I feel I'm entering an unknown world. I like it.

[Jaycemonde]

Really?
wow... I feel I'm entering an unknown world. I like it.

Welcome to the World of Tomorrow! We have jackets. Loads and loads of jackets. And posters. A few dozen books, too. And music. And a couple decent movies. Even a couple games.

[AtomicKitKat]

*looks at his signature*

Yup.

I'll admit, if they existed, I'd probably be one of those clients of that company from Batman Beyond/Batman of the Future who would pay for the genetic modifications(or steal them).

Edit: Quadsuit sounds interesting. I had an idea last year about how to make a "-taur" suit. If I had any level of robotics engineering(and the money. Then again, if I could actually build a prototype, the Kickstartering would probably pay for it.), I'd totally give it a go. It basically came down to "rear leg aims infrared to corresponding front leg. If front leg is further than X metres away, move rear leg to bring back within X metres of front leg". Would have been a killer(and if it malfunctioned, probably in the literal sense) at cosplay conventions and the like. Not that I've ever been to those. :/

[Jaycemonde]

Quadsuit sounds interesting. I had an idea last year about how to make a "-taur" suit. If I had any level of robotics engineering

I used to think like that concerning suit ideas. Somebody I know refers to heavily mechanized designs as "military-grade fursuits", since that's basically what they amount to. Most real ones (quad or not) are honestly just running off of straps and thick rubber bands when it comes to jaws and tails moving, sometimes with servos for the ears. It's not all that impressive.

[AtomicKitKat]

I used to think like that concerning suit ideas. Somebody I know refers to heavily mechanized designs as "military-grade fursuits", since that's basically what they amount to. Most real ones (quad or not) are honestly just running off of straps and thick rubber bands when it comes to jaws and tails moving, sometimes with servos for the ears. It's not all that impressive.

Thing is that I hadn't really figured that anyone was doing that sort of thing when I had the idea(always been more of a "fringe" furry. As in on the outskirts, not that I have a thing for furry fringes. :P). The idea I had above would have the hind legs follow their corresponding pair a couple seconds behind, in order to simulate a more natural "adjustment" as might be seen when a horse is just stepping around/maintaining balance. Because the alternative would have been to decapitate a horse and graft one's lower body to it. Which creates its own set of problems(mostly legal and ethical. ;) ).

[SiuiS]

*looks at his signature*

Yup.

I'll admit, if they existed, I'd probably be one of those clients of that company from Batman Beyond/Batman of the Future who would pay for the genetic modifications(or steal them).

Edit: Quadsuit sounds interesting. I had an idea last year about how to make a "-taur" suit. If I had any level of robotics engineering(and the money. Then again, if I could actually build a prototype, the Kickstartering would probably pay for it.), I'd totally give it a go. It basically came down to "rear leg aims infrared to corresponding front leg. If front leg is further than X metres away, move rear leg to bring back within X metres of front leg". Would have been a killer(and if it malfunctioned, probably in the literal sense) at cosplay conventions and the like. Not that I've ever been to those. :/

You'd want the legs to cross wires so left one moves whe night detects distance, really. Gets complex.

[Teddy]

You'd want the legs to cross wires so left one moves whe night detects distance, really. Gets complex.

Well, unless she wants to make a camel or Iceland pony suit. Or any other of the few animals which do ambling.

If I would do it, I would put sensors on the joints of the front legs to tell what angle they are in (not very hard) and use a microchip to calculate the positions of the back legs. The positive side of this is that you can calculate each joint angle of the robotic legs simply as a function of the current joint angles of the non-robotic legs and don't have to worry about calculating where a certain foot should be put (requires quite a lot of complex matrix multiplications). The negative side is that that the system probably won't adapt very well to extreme situations, such as you tripping on a doorstep, and stairs are probably right out of the question.

So yeah, if you want to make a natural looking quadsuit, I think the best idea is to do as in the video and simply construct it for walking on all four...

[AtomicKitKat]

You'd want the legs to cross wires so left one moves whe night detects distance, really. Gets complex.

I'm aware that most use an alternating gait. I was considering my method for more "interesting" functions, eg. centaur races. You can't exactly gallop with criss-crossing wires.

[Jaycemonde]

I'm aware that most use an alternating gait. I was considering my method for more "interesting" functions, eg. centaur races. You can't exactly gallop with criss-crossing wires.

I honestly can't say I know of ANY centaur suits that work, outside of the ones that require two people.

[SiuiS]

Well, unless she wants to make a camel or Iceland pony suit. Or any other of the few animals which do ambling.

I did not know camels did that. Thanks.

Honestly, I would likely end up using clockwork. Braces on each thigh which crank the appropriate leg in a facsimile of movement. Would even allow running if given a wheel.

I'm aware that most use an alternating gait. I was considering my method for more "interesting" functions, eg. centaur races. You can't exactly gallop with criss-crossing wires.

For something that functional I would dumb it down and add a simple wheel between the rear hooves. No reason to complicate it to the point of uselessness, and the minor aesthetic hit would be acceptable to me.

I honestly can't say I know of ANY centaur suits that work, outside of the ones that require two people.

Mmm. There's the repeatedly mentioned wheel, but yeah. There are limits I think.

[Teddy]

I honestly can't say I know of ANY centaur suits that work, outside of the ones that require two people.

And even those are kinda so-so, seeing how the front legs of a horse are jointed in the wrong direction.

I did not know camels did that. Thanks.

One of the reasons they're called ships of the desert, the ambling makes them sway like a boat on high waves.

Honestly, I would likely end up using clockwork. Braces on each thigh which crank the appropriate leg in a facsimile of movement. Would even allow running if given a wheel.

That would be pretty cool, but making it capable of carrying its own weight would probably be a bit tricky...

Mmm. There's the repeatedly mentioned wheel, but yeah. There are limits I think.

Weeell, one could alwasy try to ask DARPA nicely...

[SiuiS]

That would be pretty cool, but making it capable of carrying its own weight would probably be a bit tricky...

Maybe. That's a self fiulfilling prophecy though. The more machinery you have, the more you need to compensate for weight.

A horse torso (a horso?) which belts onto your belly could be supported primarily through the lumbar and the rear legs, and all you would need is a single arm on the thigh (maybe straps to ensure it stays put), a drive shaft to convert the movement across the torso (one for each leg so likely in the middle of the horso) and then a sort of bike-wheel mechanism that pulls metal cord as it spins and then releases. Generating tension and then slack on a hinged limb. This should lift the leg into cc. On reaction and then drop it into extension, and because of the basic mechanism it would happen in a circular manner like a walking leg.

I mean, aside from where the pillows and motors are placed, "pull string, make limb bend" is how a real leg works right?

[AtomicKitKat]

I mean, aside from where the pillows and motors are placed, "pull string, make limb bend" is how a real leg works right?

Assuming you meant pulleys and motors. It's not exactly how legs work. Fingers and toes though, are in fact on "strings"(hence the lack of actual musculature within said extremities). For most vertebrate legs, it's a combination of strings(ligaments and tendons) and water balloons/hoses(muscles). You swell the balloons up, they pull on the strings, the weight gets moved. Arthropod legs are similar, except they take out the string part. The leg is basically a series of balloons in a hard candy coating, that straighten when the balloons are swollen.

DARPA...You mean that freaky pack mule that refuses to stay down? That thing is total uncanny valley material.

I still think my infrared "self-adjuster" has merit. Perhaps to make the gait less "camely", have the receptor/transmitter on opposing diagonals. That way, when you move your left leg, the right rear leg follows about half a second later, and likewise for the other 2.

What was the old saying? Go big or go home? Yeah, I feel like wheels are going small.

[SiuiS]

Assuming you meant pulleys and motors. It's not exactly how legs work. Fingers and toes though, are in fact on "strings"(hence the lack of actual musculature within said extremities). For most vertebrate legs, it's a combination of strings(ligaments and tendons) and water balloons/hoses(muscles). You swell the balloons up, they pull on the strings, the weight gets moved. Arthropod legs are similar, except they take out the string part. The leg is basically a series of balloons in a hard candy coating, that straighten when the balloons are swollen.

DARPA...You mean that freaky pack mule that refuses to stay down? That thing is total uncanny valley material.

I still think my infrared "self-adjuster" has merit. Perhaps to make the gait less "camely", have the receptor/transmitter on opposing diagonals. That way, when you move your left leg, the right rear leg follows about half a second later, and likewise for the other 2.

What was the old saying? Go big or go home? Yeah, I feel like wheels are going small.

"A good enough answer today is better than the perfect answer tomorrow when there's a deadlines ;) but yes, if you could build an actual robotic horso go for it. I can't. Yet.

And I know how the musculature works. But you wouldn't need as much space because machines are more energy efficient than muscles (less efficient for broad purpose though, muscles are totes amazing). As long as you had sufficient hinging you could do amazing things by pulling only a few strands.

And yes. That post was just full of typos. Och. Artifact of how my browser deals with the forum change. I can't actually see the last two lines of text as I type them. They universally fall below the edge of the input field.

[Powerdork]

Hate to be off the current topic, but greetings from a Canadian polar bear! I come in peace!

[Jaycemonde]

Hate to be off the current topic, but greetings from a Canadian polar bear! I come in peace!

Haaaai. Texan goat.

[Asta Kask]

So... are furries more likely than non-furries to be vegans or vegetarians? Or less likely? Or does that depend on what animal you feel an affinity for? Is this a field where generalizations can be made? And I hope you don't feel crowded out in your own thread.

[Mystic Muse]

Might depend on animal. I can see 'predator' ones being more willing to eat meat than 'prey' ones.

[Jaycemonde]

No statistics have ever been collected on that to my knowledge. At least, not unbiased ones collected by actual furries rather than just people taking psychology classes who need a quick and easy project.

It all kind of depends on the individual, which is the general case.

[Mystic Muse]

No statistics have ever been collected on that to my knowledge. At least, not unbiased ones collected by actual furries rather than just people taking psychology classes who need a quick and easy project.

It all kind of depends on the individual, which is the general case.

Yeah. Not trying to imply that what I'm saying is true, since I have no damn clue, just that I can see it being the case.