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Gundam Tech Brief 002: I-field/Beam Deflection Technology by Ben It isn't long into the Gundam chronology that a flaw in some beam technology becomes apparent. While a beam saber works exactly as a modern lighter would, with a constant energy supply, beam rifles and cannons instead release shorter more variable burst of energy. The laws of physics dictate matter and energy can not be destroyed, but it can be dispersed, deflected and absorbed. In the UC Gundam universe, there are several technologies over the course of the era that emerge and counteract the powers of beam technology on a number of levels. The first is the creation of a technology called I-field. I-field technology is for all intent and purpose a generation of an energy barrier than encompasses an objected that forces beam energy on certain wavelengths and energy patterns to be deflected or dispersed. Of interesting note, was that the kinetic energy caused by the impact of beam energy on the I-field was actually capable of adjusting the course of the mobile armor/battleship, dependent of the strength of the impacting beam. I-field technology however had two major flaws, one being the requirement of a near battleship-sized reactor to create even the most basic of fields, and two, that the generator itself needed to be exposed, on the surface of the vehicle. The I-field technology however did not provide any protection for the mobile armor or battleship from any form of shell fired weaponry or close range beam weapons that were provided a consistent power source, and provided no resistance to mobile suits that got through the energy bubble of the I-field. A basic beam saber was enough to easily disable an I-field generator. Because of its flaws, I-field technology was only useful in space combat, and was rarely if ever used in an atmosphere. The next technology to come about was the multi-point force field technology. Unlike I-field, the multi-point field tech was designed for use by mobile suits, specifically by those piloted by Newtypes that were equipped with funnels. Funnels were remote controlled objects that usually contained beam weaponry or energy generation technology. It was during UC 0093 that the first set of funnels specifically designed for defense and offense were released as part of the MS known as Nu Gundam. These fin funnels, which unlike the normal pod type weapon canisters were shaped like giant folding straws, were specifically designed to work as remote wingmen for Nu Gundam, and to provide it with a mobile, adjustable beam defense technology. Equipped with initially four funnels, the Nu Gundam system was redundant, allow for the destruction of one, possibly even two funnels and still retaining at least a partially effective defensive shield system. In addition, these funnels could also be used as remote beam cannons, and could interchange between defense and offense. The fin funnels could also be remotely controlled to protect alternate targets, besides the equipped suit. Though dramatically more reliable, the fin funnel system did have a few flaws. Most notably, the funnels could only create a field protecting one side of the suit at a time, acting more like a large, full body shield than a defensive field. The second fault, which was the reason the technology never saw heavy production, was the requirement of a Newtype level of acuity and control to operate the system effectively, which severely limited its use. The final technology to arise in the known UC era was beam shield technology. Drawing more from the concepts of beam saber technology than any previous shielding tech, beam shields were the ultimate evolution of personal defense for a mobile suit. Positioned identically to how a standard shield was designed, a beam shield allowed for anyone to protect themselves easily and effectively without new training from all kinds of beam weaponry. Projected from the arm and powered directly by the suit's reactor, a beam shield was able to effectively fend off not only burst weapons such and beam rifles, but also act and a very effective defense against beam sabers and other melee weapons. If beam shield technology has a flaw, I would say it is that it is restricted to the same defensive ability as any normal shield, protecting the body only if it is positioned well. In the AU series of Gundam, a number of technologies similar to I-field, beam shield and funnel technologies have emerged. At their core, they are all the same basic defensive systems, with minor differences. We see the funnels in Gundam Wing and X, the I-field in SEED DESTINY, and the beam shield is about to make it's return in DESTINY as well. These three technologies are all feasible advancements to modern technology, but their development is still a long way off. The application of I-field-like technology in particular is too good to ignore, especially as we begin to advance in our exploration of space. Who knows, maybe we'll see it sooner than I expect.
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