bulletproof combat suit. Posted on 02/08/2007 1:37:23 AM PST by LibWhacker
Troy Hurtubise is facing eviction after his Trojan invention flopped.
Troy Hurtubise really put everything he had into his bulletproof combat suit.
He spent two years and tens of thousands of dollars developing the Trojan, hoping to sell it to the Canadian or American armed forces, or to another friendly government.
Now he's broke.
Last month, he promised the Trojan would give soldiers in the field affordable, lightweight protection from bullets and bombs alike. He had worked all kinds of extras into the body armour: a ventilation system and multiple lights in the helmet, pepper spray that could shoot from the arm, emergency morphine, even a clock with a face that folded down from the front of the girdle.
Building it had been a full-time commitment that bordered on an obsession. He made nine different girdles, six arms, four helmets, four legs and seven boots before he was satisfied.
"It looks like a morgue inside my lab. You don't get it on the first shot."
Four weeks ago, after finishing the creation in his home lab in North Bay, Hurtubise strapped on the armoured exoskeleton, pulled on the helmet and drove down to Hamilton -- his hometown -- to introduce it to the world.
He was excited and bursting with optimism during his interview and photo session with The Spectator.
What he didn't mention at the time was on that same day in Hamilton, he pawned his wedding ring to buy the gas to get back up north.
He drove home feeling certain he would soon find a buyer for his idea. The story found a life of its own on the web, and within days it became the second-most referenced news story anywhere on the Internet, according to Nielsen's web-tracking service.
But the Internet had trouble beating a path to Hurtubise's rented door. He didn't even have an e-mail account. Soon, however, reporters who had seen the item were calling Hurtubise from all over the world, generating other stories in Poland, Britain, the U.S., South Korea and China, as the buzz grew.
"The media barrage was like nothing I'd ever had in my life," he said. "My spirits were so high. I was really excited."
Hurtubise was sure all the attention would turn up a buyer. It didn't.
"Other than the media, I haven't received one call from anybody. It broke my heart. Honest to God."
The hardest part for Hurtubise is trying to understand how an idea that seemed so good just couldn't get off the ground.
"It's not some foolish fridge-magnet type of thing. The need is there."
But now, instead of a defence contract, today Troy is holding an eviction notice. He and his wife of 16 years, Lori, and their son, Brett, 14, will have to be out by the end of the month.
And now the Trojan prototype is for sale on eBay.
Once, Hurtubise hoped the suit would help protect soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. Today, he is hoping it will bring in enough to pay the overdue bills and buy a few groceries.
The inventor has been down this road before. His first major creation -- a grizzly suit meant to protect against bear attacks -- generated tremendous attention, too. He was in the papers and on TV. In 1996, the National Film Board made a documentary that became a favourite of Quentin Tarantino's, and later ended up being parodied on The Simpsons. Today, strangers on the street still recognize Hurtubise as the "Bear Man."
Ultimately, the effort to build and promote the bear suit drove him into personal bankruptcy. He sold the bear suit on eBay in 2004. He got $3,500 -- less than what it had cost him to build the left hand alone.
The successful American bidder drove up to North Bay and loaded the suit into his car. That was the last Hurtubise ever heard of it.
Then, two years ago, he got an idea for a better suit -- the Trojan. But before taking on another risk, he sat down with his wife and son to talk about gambling everything on the new dream.
"This could break us," he warned them back then. "I can do this, but the problem is, it's going to cost us everything we've got, and then some."
They were right behind him, and they still are. Before he left North Bay to unveil the suit last month, he talked to Lori about pawning his wedding ring.
"My wife was almost in tears," he said.
Reluctantly, she gave him her blessing.
The on-line auction for the Trojan expires next Thursday, the day after Valentine's Day. Hurtubise is hoping to get $15,000. It opened at $1,000, but as of yesterday, there hadn't been a single bid.
Hurtubise is trying to hold on to his optimism, but it's not easy.
"Will I even get a bid on eBay?" he wondered. "If it wasn't so depressing, it would be funny."
After everything, he still hopes to go back to inventing. For now, though, he's going to have to get a regular job.
"The Bear Man working at Tim Hortons. Can you imagine that?"
Troy, if you're reading this, please, read it twice:
Listen to your market, not the voices in your head.
(steely)
It's already at $15,200 and the reserve isn't met. He'll survive this one.
Something from a Sci-Fi movie prop room? It doesn’t look like something I’d want to lug around.
I've seen on tv that the military has developed an exsoskeleton support system (pneumatic legs) that help the soldier along and so he can carry more weight with less fatigue. I imagine this coupled with that might be doable.
"Something from a Sci-Fi movie prop room? It doesn’t look like something I’d want to lug around."
"I've seen on tv that the military has developed an exsoskeleton support system (pneumatic legs) that help the soldier along and so he can carry more weight with less fatigue. I imagine this coupled with that might be doable."
BTW.. Do you know if he wants an email account? I could send him an invite from my gmail...
MJ
The guy does not seem to have a strong grasp of how life works, but in very rare cases, things such as this could be successful.
Even though knights' armor supposedly didn't impede their movement as much movies suggest, the exoskeleton idea doesn't seem such a great idea, especially when they are developing things using the "water and cornstarch model," a liquidy o gelatinous thing that turns rigid with impact.
You could be the first Japan-related freeper "seen" so far who actually hails from Japan.
technology (in a way) ping.
I wish him luck but I sure don't want my trojan catchin' fire.
Heck, another couple hundred pounds of attachment sites for weapons, food, water, and a satellite dish and I think you've GAWT IT...!!!
The depiction of his similar robo-cop get up for fighting grizzly bears is HILARIOUS....see:
"Mark of the Grizzly", Scott McMillion
Sometimes they're smokin'. Or, so I've heard.
From what I read, the weight is not any worse than the stuff our guys are wearing now. I would be more concerned about vision obstruction with the smallish visor.
"Building it had been a full-time commitment that bordered on an obsession. He made nine different girdles, six arms, four helmets, four legs and seven boots before he was satisfied."
Bordered on....???
He's got two options:
A. Add a suitcase nuke and sell it to some Muslim...
or
B. Build a soldier with six arms, four heads, four legs and seven feet.
either way, no one is going to want to mess with the results.
The full weight of the Trojan shield with ballistic capabilities is 10 pounds.
I put Troy in the same category as the people who used to come down to the Pentagon and DoA and DoN offices in Crystal City with their latest inventions. They'd actually wander around from office to office hawking the strangest stuff.
One guy was bringing an anti-tank weapon he invented down to show the Army in Crystal City. Trouble happened when he and his friend stopped their truck for gas at the Texaco on Columbia Pike. The friend was playing with the gun and accidently discharged an anti-tank round into the gas pump. Huge explosion, fire, people injured. Saw it all on the way into work; it's my best commuting story. :-)
Troy Hurtubise, the bear-proof-suit guy ping.
It actually is sort of a sci-fi prop. I've read previous articles about this suit, and he apparently modeled a lot of if after the Spartan character from the Halo video games.
I am a patent attorney, and run into these types fairly often. It is really sad in a way as some people really let their hopes and dreams totally supercede a grasp of reality.
Frankly in my opinion this is only a few steps removed from spending half one's take home pay on Lotto tickets.
Obviously though this guy has some real chance of payback, if he avails him self of the patent system or other appropriate legal avenues, and/or he is a good enough businessman to keep ahead of the competition.
However I don't see anything about filing for patent protection, but that won't stop him from signing on as a Freeper and b!tching about how his invention got stolen, that the system is obviously broken, and that large companies have advantages in the marketplace over individuals.
Lots of geniuses are that way, and he may be one. I don't know.
If the suit works and doesn't weigh too much, why is nobody interested? I guess the Pentagon is only interested in their big-name contractors, but it seems like a shame for somebody from the right department to not at least give it a look. In these times, it's encouraging to see somebody interested in creating something beneficial for our troops instead of tearing them down the way that insufferable idiot from the WaPo did recently in an editorial column.
I feel sorry for the guy. He has a vision, puts his heart into it, believes in himself, then makes it happen. How many of us can say the same? I admire his wife for standing by him. This is a couple who understands their marriage vows.
I wish them the best.
Seriously, if this thing is as good as he claims, he should try Second Chance, or some other civilian (non military) operation. It could be evaluated by SWAT teams. SWAT teams also have the advantage of fairly fast procurement compared to the Department of Defense. DoD is understandably cautious with regard to complex systems. For that matter, anyone who bets the farm on military procurement is a damn fool. They can take years to make a decision.
At least not while you've got it on.
If the military can seriously consider Terminator-style combat robots and nanoweapons they should at least hear the poor guy out. It does sound like it could have some useful components that could be applied to law enforcement, survival training, etc. Some ideas are just too ahead of their time.
"It does sound like it could have some useful components that could be applied to law enforcement, survival training, etc. Some ideas are just too ahead of their time."
Ok imagine you're some procurment officer. Are you gonna go to your boss and tell him you wanna look at a suit invented by the bear suit guy?
Very sad story. Great wife to stick by him. He's not doing his job of being a good husband though.
bump
Looks like a turkey roaster on the front.
Keep it simple and make it look somewhat like a human. It looks much like he spent more attention achieving a certain look more than functionality and simplicity.
His heart was in the right place trying to help our troops. I hope he gets a good chunk of money on his ebay sale.
I'll settle for mine getting warm.
No sense of history what so ever, The Trojans were the bad guys.
He should have called it The Crusader.
Yeah I know.
When did this happen? I live in the DC area and never heard about this. Do they actually let these guys into the Pentagon?
30 pounds? No wonder he has no takers. I used to have all of my modular LVB items strapped to my chest armor, and that thing was pushing 50lbs by itself. You're telling me that he was trying to hawk a full body exoskeleton armor suit that weighs about the same as a kevlar helmet and standard issue body armor? Either this guy is a modern day Leonardo da Vinci, or his 'armor' is a Hollywood prop. If that thing was as armored as advertised, it would be 80lbs, easy.
"You could be the first Japan-related freeper "seen" so far who actually hails from Japan."
As someone posted above, they listen to the voices in their head rather than the Marketplace. Sadder still, the solitary inventor is competing against entities with lobbyists, or people who are connected. I recall years ago reading CBD, where an RFQ was announced the the "Study of the Three-toed Desert Tortoise: (ONLY Dr. xxxxx is an expert on the Three-toed Desert Tortoise)"
Obviously though this guy has some real chance of payback, if he avails him self of the patent system or other appropriate legal avenues, and/or he is a good enough businessman to keep ahead of the competition. However I don't see anything about filing for patent protection, but that won't stop him from signing on as a Freeper and b!tching about how his invention got stolen, that the system is obviously broken, and that large companies have advantages in the marketplace over individuals.
Of course they do. They have buidings full of lawyers and in-house patent counsels and Law Firms like F&R and ML.
He had to pawn his wedding ring to buy gas. No patent attorney I have ever met would consider joining his "lotto" ticket by taking the matter fee-contingent. And was it even an invention? It may or may not have been improvements, and perhaps some individual features were novel but Prior Art must go back many centuries. There could be dozens of individual patents on new art for different features, but he probably could not even have afforded a Provisional Application, from the sounds of it.
It appears he did not ask anyone anything, he just built it. Sadder still he did not even have an email address. He could have done his own prior art searches FREE, but it appears he did not even have an internet connection or maybe even a computer. He did not even learn his lesson from the Bear Suit.
One has to admire his wife, though.
There is no excuse for such a tragedy nowadays. Anyone can go to a library and get on USPTO.GOV and do some research, and write their own Provisional, then try to market the idea while the clock is running. The PTO even has reduced rates for small entities.
It wasn't The System, it was him. Why, he even could have discussed it with his congressman or rep at no cost.
"From what I read, the weight is not any worse than the stuff our guys are wearing now. I would be more concerned about vision obstruction with the smallish visor."
Early 80's. It was in the Post for three days.
Not the first time a trojan broke,er never mind.
"A liberal is a man too broadminded to take his own side in a quarrel-Robert Frost"
When he develops one that can withstand a direct hit from an RPG I believe he'll be onto something.
You have provided the best laugh of the day. LOL
I would bet that the royal post could use it for letter opening.
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