Comments on: The device was designed to make an injured soldier more self-sufficient https://www.isegoria.net/2026/06/the-device-was-designed-to-make-an-injured-soldier-more-self-sufficient/ From the ancient Greek for equality in freedom of speech; an eclectic mix of thoughts, large and small Sun, 26 Jul 2026 11:51:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 By: Isegoria https://www.isegoria.net/2026/06/the-device-was-designed-to-make-an-injured-soldier-more-self-sufficient/comment-page-1/#comment-3762468 Isegoria Wed, 10 Jun 2026 23:26:47 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=54406#comment-3762468 Apparently “Descendant“ appears in his The State of the Art collection.

]]> By: Bill https://www.isegoria.net/2026/06/the-device-was-designed-to-make-an-injured-soldier-more-self-sufficient/comment-page-1/#comment-3762467 Bill Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:13:47 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=54406#comment-3762467 Eventually, the US Army will get to the logical conclusion of this line of development, namely, the smart suit from “Descendant”, a 1987 short story by Iain Banks. After a bad crash, the protagonist is badly injured; can he walk back to base?

The suit stands up and starts walking, gripping me round the calves and waist, taking the bulk of my weight off my throbbing feet. The suit walks faster than I do. It reckons it is only twenty percent stronger than the average human. Something of a come-down for it. Even having to walk must be galling for it (if it feels galled)…

I am worried that, apart from anything else, the suit isn’t being completely honest with me. It says it thinks our chances are fifty-fifty, but I suspect it either doesn’t have any idea at all, or knows things are worse than it’s telling me… This is what comes of having a smart suit.

“How far did we come yesterday?”

“Thirty-five kilometres.”

The suit walked all of that, carrying me like a dead weight. It got up and walked, clasping me inside it so I wouldn’t bump around, and marched off…

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