Post Disaster Technology

This is list of technologies from the Post Disaster timeline featured in Mobile Suit Gundam IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS.

General

 * Alaya-Vijnana System (阿頼耶識システム（アラヤシキシステム）)
 * An organic device system, it is an old type of man-machine interface. Apparently, the system was developed during the Calamity War to maximize the abilities of mobile suits, hence most mobile suits from that era, like the Gundam Frames, are compatible with it. However, it is possible to modify these mobile suits so that they can be operated without the use of the system. As it is part of the excessive mechanization that was thought to be the cause of the Calamity War, Gjallajorn abandoned the system after war's conclusion. However as the system's performance is too great, they continued researching it in secret.


 * Aside from mobile suits, the system can also be used with mobile workers and ships. The Alaya-Vijnana system consisted of two parts: one part is installed in the mobile weapon, and the other part (informally referred to as "Whiskers") is implanted into the pilot’s spine (usually at a young age to let implant fuse as they grow, but can be done on young adult as in the case of Ein Dalton), those with the implant are sometimes derogatorily called "Rats". The implant surgery is dangerous and can have lethal side effects; should the surgery fail, it may cause an extremely grotesque cell growth around where the Whiskers are implanted, as well as loss of other bodily functions, such as being unable to move one's legs. After the implantation, the person has a protrusion on the back for physical connection to the Alaya-Vijnana interface in the mobile suit’s cockpit. The Alaya-Vijnana System creates a pseudo-brain lobe in the pilot's body using nanomachines, and this allows the pilot's brain to directly process mobile suit data fed through the physical connection. As the pseudo-brain lobe also governs spatial awareness, the pilot's spatial awareness is enhanced. The more implants a person has, the higher their information transfer rate through the system. The system also allows the pilot (even illiterate ones) to operate the mobile suit for combat without requring instructions or reading a manual of any sort.


 * As the system works by linking the pilot's senses with the mobile weapon, it would become more effective if the mobile weapon is designed to be as close to a human as possible. For this reason, mobile suits like the Gundam Frames and the Graze Ein were designed with such emphasis in mind in order to take full advantage of the system.


 * Ariadne
 * A large network of relays that are used to facilitate long range communications. Because of the jamming effects of Ahab Waves, it is impossible to communicate at long distances without it. In addition to communications, Ariadne may also serve as a navigation assist system that will point ships to the correct direction to their destination. Each relay in the network is known as a "Cocoon" and is given its own four digit identification number. The relays have also been casually referred to as "transponders". The network is controlled and operated by Gjallarhorn but an outsider with the correct expertise may infiltrate and use the network for their own purposes.


 * LCS/WCS
 * LCS is method or protocol that is frequently used to facilitate direct audio and video communications between multiple parties. It is usually seen on mobile suits, mobile workers, and ships in combat but can also used in normal settings such as offices. Its communication range can be extended with the use of LCS drones LCS can be disrupted by Nano Mirror Chaff. A variant/similar system called WCS is also sometimes used but is not seen as often.


 * Nano Mirror Chaff
 * An ancient type of chaff that can be used to disrupt communications and sensors including LCS and optical sight. While effective in a narrow manner, it thought to be too impractical for use in actual combat and can easily be erased by using missiles. Some communication methods such as light signals are unaffected and can be used to coordinate a quick counterattack to re-enable normal communications.


 * Quantum Cryptography Communication System (QCCS)
 * A quantum encryption communications protocol. Much like LCS, it has been used to facilitate real time video conversations as well as to send messages. Aside from from the fact that the QCCS is known to make use of quantum encryption methods, any other specific differences between the two protocols as well as their strength and weaknesses is not known. It has been observed that QCCS seems to be preferred for long distance telecommunications.


 * Artificial Gravity
 * Ships like the Isaribi as well as stations like the Ares have been seen to possess some type of artificial gravity mechanism.  When entering combat, they can be turned off in order to preserve power. It is generated by Ahab Particles created within the Ahab Reactors, and may even remain active even after a ship's destruction. In addition  to generating artificial gravity, the Ahab Particles can also used to reduce G-forces within mobile suit cockpits. . In addition, Artificial Gravity technology is advanced enough to control the inertia of objects and passengers inside ships and Mobile Suits to a reasonable extent.


 * Improved Life Expectancy
 * Advanced medical technology have produced medicine that makes it possible for humans to live up to 200 years. However this is only accessible to the wealthy as the average lifespan for people of the lower classes is only around 50 to 60 years old.


 * Medical Nanomachine
 * An advanced piece of medical technology, it consists of a semi-enclosed sarcophagus to hold a patient inside. The patient seems to be naked and is exposed to a liquid or gel contained within the sacrophagus that enables nanomachines to repair the wounds/injuries. The machine also comes with a life support display to show the patient's condition along with an oxygen mask. Unfortunately, not all wounds/injuries can be treated with the device if they are too severe (e.g. necrosis has set in on major organ systems). The device is also portable to enable patients to be treated behind the front lines.

Mobile Weapons

 * Ahab Reactors
 * High output reactors that are commonly used as power-plants in mobile suits and ships. Since they're physically indestructible, once one is manufactured it will continue to produce energy forever. They also possess a sleep mode that will cease their Ahab production and will require a manual rebooting for it to become operational. They generate a special type of particle called Ahab Particles when a phase transition occurs inside the vacuum device. In addition, the Ahab Waves are generated/emitted from the Ahab Particles. The Ahab Particles are used for artificial gravity and inertial control, while Ahab Waves are able to disrupt radio waves, communications and guided weapons.


 * Currently, the technology has been monopolized by Gjallarhorn and as a result, other factions like Teiwaz have to resort to other means to acquire them, such as recovering old pre-Post Disaster reactors or salvaging reactors from other Mobile Suits that have been disabled. They are thought to have been the cause of the Calamity War, but are still being widely used in spite of that. Even though they are mass-produced, each Ahab Reactor produces a unique frequency that allows sensors to identify them to specific mobile suit units. Machines using Ahab Reactors are not allowed to be operated in cities, as they can disrupt the city's infrastructure (such as traffic lights). The reactors were invented by a scientist named Ahab, of which they are named after.


 * Nano-Laminate Armor
 * A powerful defensive paint with a multi-layered structure that is applied on the armor of mobile suits and ships. It works by absorbing the impact from attacks in order to protect the machine's body from damage. It is so effective to the point where ranged firearms can not score decisive hits against them and may only shave off small pieces of it unless at close range. Because of its strength and widespread usage, anti-mobile weapons are usually in the form of melee weapons as they are best at dealing damage to the armor.  It is also known that continuous hits from Napalm can melt the armor altogether.


 * The armor's strength is positively influenced by Ahab Particles/Waves, thus if the Ahab Reactor shuts down the armor's capability will drop. However as the foundation is strong, the drop is minimal. It is also possible for the nano-laminate armor from one part of a mobile suit to be taken and painted over another section or even be mixed together with Nano-laminate armor of another color. It is also easy to maintain as only a new coat of Nano-laminate armor needs to be applied over the damaged areas after battles.


 * Among the different colors available, white is the cheapest while blue, green and purple are the most expensive.  While there is no discernible performance gap between the color types, white is generally considered to be more disadvantageous in combat due to its higher visibility.


 * Mobile Suits
 * Large humanoid-shaped mobile weapons that are around 18 meters tall, they are the most powerful weapons available to mankind since the Calamity War. However, they are also expensive as they require high construction and maintenance costs. Because of this, they are rarely seen or used in the current era except for use by the larger military factions and even for them having building them in great numbers is prohibitive. They usually make use of a humanoid shape frame system, in which parts and systems are installed on top of it. The frames are made out of a rare type of metal that is really strong and also used to construct mobile suit-class melee weapons. A single frame type can be used for multiple mobile suit designs. They are usually equipped with Ahab Reactors and Nano-laminate armor, which are the main reasons as to why they are powerful machines. In addition, Mobile Suit frames are extremely durable and can endure centuries of exposure to the environment while still remaining operational once the frame is refurbished. Currently, the development of new mobile suits are primarily dominated by Gjallarhorn, but in the Outer Sphere areas (such as Mars and Jupiter), factions such as Teiwaz also have acquired this capability. It is later revealed that Mobile Suits were originally developed by mankind to combat Mobile Armors


 * Gundam Frames
 * A type of mobile suit frame developed and deployed late in the Calamity War that occurred 300 years ago. Mobile Suits using this frame played a major role in the war, and were also said to have been involved in several flash points throughout history that led to important outcomes for humanity. The Gundam Frames are special in that they are able to achieve high levels of energy output by using two Ahab Reactors. However, because it is difficult to run the two high output reactors in parallel, only 72 units of these Gundam Frames were ever produced. In addition, the Alaya-Vijnana System is needed in order to make use of the full potential of the dual Ahab Reactor output. For this reason, the Gundam Frames were made to be humanoid as to deepen the link between the Alaya-Vijnana System and the pilot's own senses.


 * Operation-wise, the Gundam Frames are very versatile and can operate in any environment as long as the external parts that they are equipped with does not disallow it. It is also possible to use the parts from one Gundam Frame-specific design to modify another Gundam Frame in a relatively short amount of time. Currently, it is impossible to reproduce the Gundam Frames with modern day technology, and they were hard to make even during the Calamity War era. Presently, only 26 Gundams are confirmed to still be in existence, and are in different situations. It is known that the Gjallarhorns' Seven Stars used the Gundam Frames during the Calamity War, and these machines are still in their possession in the current age.


 * Mobile Workers
 * Small mobile weapons that can be used for combat, transporting materials or other daily work. Their sizes are much smaller than that of mobile suits and the performance in general is far inferior but at the same time they are also much cheaper and more common, and due to a lack of Ahab Reactors, can be used within City Limits without violating rules of engagement. Their weaponry are usually unable to do much damage to mobile suits as they possess nano-laminate armor. They are usually powered by hydrogen engines.


 * Mobile Armors
 * A series of terrifying large non-humanoid mobile weapons, larger then even mobile suits and forbidden due to the sheer terror they caused during the Calamity War. These are controlled by AI and consequentially, were capable of unrestrained violence due to a lack of ethics from a human pilot. Heavily employed during Calamity War, they were infamously known to have wiped out cities while killing hundreds of millions. Ultimately, they were responsible for wiping out a quarter of the world's population. The founder of Gjallarhorn, Agnika Kaeiru, and the ancestors of the Seven Stars eventually eradicated the threat posed by them. It is said that Mobile Suits were developed to defeat them and that they are essentially arch-enemies. After the Calamity War ended, knowledge of their existence was eventually erased from the general populace's knowledge.


 * Reactive Armor
 * A special type of expendable armor, it was born from the philosophy of "losing a battle in order to win the war". The armor is designed to absorb an enemy's attack (including fatal melee ones) once, and is purged immediately after. This not only render the attack useless, but also make the enemy vulnerable to a counterattack.


 * Railgun
 * A type of gun typically used for super long distance shooting. It functions by using electromagnetism to accelerate projectiles to extreme speeds and harness by using power from the Ahab Reactors. Some railguns can fire special bullets made from the rare alloy used on mobile suit frames due to the use of superior mechanism, and during the Calamity War, they were heavily used as weapons that could even pierce nano-laminate armor. Such railguns are known as 'Dainsleif', and under Gjallahorn after the war, they were considered to be inhuman and thus prohibited, however some ammunition types such as the ones used by Gundam Flauros (Ryusei-Go) do not fall under the scope of the treaty and are still legal to use (albiet barely). Their barrels can also wear out with extended use, rendering them unusable.


 * Beam Weapon
 * An ancient but highly destructive direct energy weapon. . Despite its strong power, it could easily be diffused and minimized by nano-laminate armor and as a result is not normally used directly against mobile suits and mobile armor. While the unit with the nano-laminate armor itself may not take much direct damage when hit, some of the beam may still deflect towards the original direction which may cause it to hit other things. They were mounted on mobile armors as part of their destructive armaments for slaughtering humans.


 * Mars' Half-Metal
 * A special type of material that is widely used on electronics aboard mobile suits and ships that use Ahab Reactors. It has the ability to resist the effects of the reactors and large amounts of it can prevent Ahab Reactors from being detected as well.

Trivia

 * Alaya-Vijnana is Sanskrit for "All-encompassing foundation consciousness," which is taken from the Buddhist philosophy of the Eight Consciousnesses.
 * The jamming of communications by Ahab Waves generated by the Ahab Reactors is similar to how Minovsky particles and GN particles (both generated by the reactors of space ships and mobile suits),  jam wireless communication and radars in the Universal Century and Anno Domini timelines respectively.
 * There is a slight conflict in regards to what influenced the Nano-laminate armor's strength. Sources such as the Great Mechanics G Spring 2016 mentioned that it reacts with Ahab Waves, while the High Resolution Gundam Barbatos manual claims that it reacts with Ahab Particles instead.
 * Unlike most other Gundam series, beam weapons are heavily downplayed in Iron Blooded Orphans. Initially, Naohiro Washio (Barbatos' designer) has stated that they will not appear in the future . This statement was likely meant for Season 1 as they eventually debuted in Episode 35.