Armor Frame (Dust & Argon)

In the fiction of Dust & Argon, Armor Frames are a category of large robotic vehicles employed for purposes both civilian and military. The first Armor Frames (hereafter referred to as 'AFs') were deployed in the middle 23rd Century. Five technologically-distinct 'generations' of AFs exist as of A.D. 2321, the development of which have often been spurred by armed conflicts and government interests. Most AFs are powered by internally-contained Jurgensen Drives, a type of ultracompact fission reactor that is often found in medium-to-large vehicles.

Basic Concept & Principles
An AF is independently mobile, and foregoes wheels or treads in favor of articulated limbs, allowing for operation on rocky terrain. AFs need not be bipedal or humanoid in form, but always feature limbs in some capacity, oftentimes ending in complicated manipulators used to grasp objects and gain purchase on uneven surfaces. The average bipedal AF is typically no more than 10 meters in height, though non-traditional designs have pushed the size envelope along every axis. Later generations feature articulating 'heads' that contain optics and sensor packages, further contributing to the humanoid silhouette of the typical AF. AFs must be independently-powered by internal engines or reactors, though they may require refueling for continued use.

First Generation (A.D. 2220s)
The first AFs ever produced and deployed were retrofitted construction machines given legs for gressorial movement. Originally made by small private interests in the United States, the concept of a bipedal, vaguely-humanoid robotic vehicle was extremely valuable to many independent groups vying for power during the Second Dark Age, when the territories of North America were no longer under a single federal government. First generation AFs were often operated from reinforced plexiglass cockpits or full enclosures featuring primitive optics, contained no ejection or safety features, and were lightly armored (in the case of military units) in order to keep gross weights down.

First Generation models include:

Second Generation (AD 2240s)
This highly-experimental generation of AFs saw the implementation of robotic limbs and features into non-hominid, non-bipedal forms. New AFs were developed to traverse the air, land, and sea, and fully-enclosed cockpits became a standard feature. Likewise, the first Afs to use transforming bodies and variable geometry were produced, leading to the eventual development of Siege Frames (SFs). SFs were large siege engine-style robotic mobile weapons that built upon AF technology in order to engage battle groups with a single machine. Because of their high cost and the challenge of engineering such large machines that could move independently (thanks to the square-cube law), SFs eventually fell out of favor and very few complete, combat-capable designs were ever produced.

Second Generation models include:

Third Generation (AD 2270s)
This era of AF development saw the implementation of Eisenflugelkraftwerks, or 'E-Krafts', into AF frames in order to achieve aerial mobility. A relatively new technological innovation, the E-Kraft saw widespread use in commercial engineering as the future of aerospace propulsion, and new models were produced that could be fitted into 'flight packs' and modified leg frames; for the first time, robotic machines took to the sky. Furthermore, newer and more-refined J-Drives with higher output powered heavier weapons and more advanced avionics and special electronic equipment on production AFs, helping them to virtually replace most other armored vehicles in modern militaries with the exception of mass transports.

Third Generation models include:

Fourth Generation (AD 2290s)
The fourth generation of AFs bore only marginal enhancements to bipedal designs, including the standardization of miniaturized spine-mounted cockpit blocks with ejection mechanisms. Video monitors slowly gave way to VR helmets and holographic displays; Prototypical particle weapons such as beam sabers, beam shields, and arc guns began to see widespread deployment; E-Krafts were now being integrated directly into new designs rather than being produced as optional equipment requiring ground crews to mount. AFs were also being produced in larger numbers by non-state entities (e.g. KoBar, I-Lock, and M-CORE).

Fourth Generation models include:

Fifth Generation (AD 2320s)
AFs of the fifth generation are virtually indistinct from those of the fourth, and continued AF development has become focused on miniaturization and refinement of existing technologies while enhancing basic performance and mobility. Some AFs of this generation are capable of powering true charged particle weapons ('beam cannons'), which were previously only available for use on large battleships.

Fifth Generation models include: