Real-life Halo suit up for sale on eBay
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Feb 7th 2007 at 3:15PM }
Less than a month after energetic Troy Hurtubise set out to attract a corporate buyer for his Halo-inspired "Trojan" suit, the man known for inventing the 'bear suit' is broke and turning to eBay. Hurtubise's full-body exoskeleton ballistic armor will apparently be sold to the highest bidder (currently $10,000) when the online auction closes February 15. Hurtubise allegedly spent $15,000 (all of his family's savings) and roughly 1,750 hours creating his most ambitious project to date.The Trojan suit boasts such splendid pageantry as an ophthalmologist-approved helmet-mounted laser sight, wrist-mounted canister of ultra-mace (capable of downing 40 machete-clad "insurgents"), and crouch-mounted world clock. All this and more documented in the video below...
[Via Engadget]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chocolate Starfish @ Feb 7th 2007 4:01PM
$10,000 is a small investment compared to all the money you'll be able to carry out of your local bank while wearing it.
Grunge @ Feb 7th 2007 3:22PM
What a nut ... I hope he gets screwed on the payment so someone forces him into a mental institution.
Todd @ Feb 7th 2007 3:25PM
I give props to that guy for being inventive, dedicated, and focused. I'm just sorry that he spent all his family's money doing so. His wife must really want to kick his nuts in, so I'd advise he put on that suit.
grable @ Feb 7th 2007 3:30PM
@Grunge: so what if hes a little excentric?
I respect people who dare to think/act differently, doesnt matter if they are right or wrong.
Patrick @ Feb 7th 2007 3:40PM
i really would love to have this, would be so sweet, but alas a 16 year old can not afford such things *sigh* But i9f anyone from discovery channel is reading this, buy it!!!! then show it on future weapons :)
F1ghter @ Feb 7th 2007 3:42PM
I would so buy this if I had the money.
His situation is quite unfortunate. Poor fellow.
rokobungi @ Feb 7th 2007 3:44PM
hmm level 3 AND knifeproof at 26 OZ./ft^2 I think that's what you're 'really' buying with this suit.. I might be wrong but I think regular kevlar is about that weight for a l3 protection and it's NOT knifeproof. pretty amazing if it's really true
rokobungi @ Feb 7th 2007 3:46PM
I mean to say the formulation for 'shadow armor' is what you're really buying the suit design in itself is kinda wonky.
jay @ Feb 7th 2007 3:53PM
My mind has been put to rest - Gamers do not have long term memory.
Halo suit? It's not a Halo suit. Will this thing let me flip over tanks and cars, will it let me float about in space?
Why not Turrican suit? Why not Metroid suit?
Sensationalise it some more!
Renagade242 @ Feb 7th 2007 3:58PM
The ebay auction states $150,000, not $15,000 was spent on the suit (and 1800 hours, though the dollar amount in the article was significantly more distant to actual stated price than the labor count).
LongshotX @ Feb 7th 2007 3:59PM
This is pretty cool. I wouldn't be surprised if someday the military did incorporate some sort of HALO MARK IV armor into the armed forces. We need it against RADICAL ISLAM, DEMONS, and ALIENS.
fishamaphone @ Feb 7th 2007 3:59PM
It's commendable that he designed the whole thing specifically to help his friends on the battlefield. It's not like he's an X-bot making this for cosplay or something... he would like to make the world a safer place for people who have volunteered for Hell.
I hope he gets decently compensated.
RMF @ Feb 7th 2007 4:02PM
"Why not Turrican suit? Why not Metroid suit?"
Ummm, the difference with the examples that you have given is that the actual designer did not mention them as inspiration for the design of the suit. He clearly states that he looked at Halo for inspiration. Hope that cleared it up for you.
Todd @ Feb 7th 2007 4:04PM
Hah hah, Chocolate Starfish... are you proposing bank robbery with the suit? Fantastic!
-Dominic @ Feb 7th 2007 4:21PM
I feel bad for the guy, he put everything he had into this suit in hopes of actually doing some good and not even one interested person? I seriously hope the US military is watching this auction, which I am sure they are and will purchase this thing up so they can at least have it as some sort of idea about the next generation of tactical protection. Maybe we should take a bit of that change Bush wants (245 billion) and throw this guy some cake, to at least further his ideas. I mean watching the video, the guy knows his stuff and has done an extensive amount of research which should be rewarded to say the least.
John @ Feb 7th 2007 4:48PM
It's not even a real spartan armor and you can buy those for alot less........loser he is
Karttikeya @ Feb 7th 2007 4:37PM
Excellent Xbox 360 Exclusives
Blue Dragon
Cry On
Fable 2
Gears of War
Halo 3
Halo Wars
Lost Oddessey
Mass Effect
Great Xbox 360 Exclusives
Banjo Kazooie (Banjo Threeie/Kazooie 3)
Crackdown
Dead Rising
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Far Cry Instincts: Predator
Forza Motorsport 2
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Ninja Gaiden 2
Project Dimitri
Project Gotham Racing 3
Project Gotham Racing 4
Too Human
Untitle Wingnut Interactive Game
Viva Pinata
Good Xbox 360 Exclusives
Amped 3
Chromehounds
Dead or Alive 4
Dead or Alive 5
Dead or Alive: Code Chronos
Kane and Lynch
Kameo: Elements of Power
Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom
Overlord
Perfect Dark Zero
Project Progressive
Rockstar's Table Tennis
Test Drive Unlimited
Top Spin 2
Excellent/Great/Good Microsoft Platforms Exclusives
Alan Wake
APB (All Points Bulletin)
Battlefield for Middle-Earth II
BioShock
Call of Duty 2
Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Next Castle Wolfenstein (Working Title)
Huxley
Elveon
GTR2
Marvel Universe Online
Parabellum
Project Offset
Quake 4
Shadowrun
Splinter Cell:Conviction, Tom Clancy's
Two Worlds
*Many More*
Xbox 360 Versions that are Superior to other Platform Versions
Tom Clancy Games
Any Online Multiplayer Enabled Games
Too Many to List
Mediocre Xbox 360 Exclusives
Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volley Ball 2
Ninety-Nine Nights
Outfit, The
Poor Xbox 360 Exclusives
Bullet Witch
Full Auto
Fusion Frenzy 2
Tenchu: Seran
Out of all three consoles, Xbox 360 has the most exclusives, variety, and quality.
Myke @ Feb 7th 2007 4:43PM
Karttikeya...........wrong thread bro.
ackmondual @ Feb 7th 2007 4:49PM
@ #2
""I give props to that guy for being inventive, dedicated, and focused. I'm just sorry that he spent all his family's money doing so. His wife must really want to kick his nuts in, so I'd advise he put on that suit.""
There goes the world clock! :P
but in in all sincerity, if she let him make the bear suit first time around, she could have been somewhat on board for this Halo suit as well.
Chris @ Feb 7th 2007 6:21PM
Guess it's back to the ole' God Light.
This guy is a wackjob X10
Grindstone @ Feb 7th 2007 5:12PM
Why, that's a nice list you have there Karttikera, but I feel as though you are... misguided by the topic.
On topic:
Did he not play Halo that much, because considering the supposed amount he invested into this suit, it is a far cry from the suit in the game. Maybe it's the Mark I version...
Lekko @ Feb 7th 2007 11:58PM
Having a clock on your crotch makes asking for the time a pickup line. :D
Rainart @ Feb 7th 2007 11:44PM
So...I'm the only one who noticed that "crotch" is spelled wrong in the article?
I think the suit would be fun to have. In fifty years I would pull the suit out for my grandkids and tell them "This is what we thought the future would be like!" They would believe it too...stupid kids...
CanadianZero @ Feb 7th 2007 5:54PM
i really hope that he makes some money from this suit.
also, i bet $10 (CDN) that the he has already been contacted by the US and Canadian Military about this suit.
wait 3-5 years...
Arturo @ Feb 7th 2007 6:29PM
At first I thought it was lame, but that was becuase I compared it to a halo suit. But after looking at it more, it looks pretty cool on its own merits.
William @ Feb 7th 2007 6:41PM
If its as strong as he says it is, it should be given to all soldiers in any kind of situation where there is violence.
He isn't crazy. That suit really is the future of Infantry.
Rob @ Feb 7th 2007 6:50PM
LMAO, it's a damn motorcycle helmet.
He looks like a fool. Until the army actually adopts this tech, it's useless crap. Maybe good for a halo-ween party
Mr Khan @ Feb 7th 2007 6:54PM
A bit ahead of its time, it wouldn't be practical to outfit any significant number of soldiers with this (even with our spend-crazy military)
Plus, this feels more inspired by RoboCop or Virtua Cop, or even vaguely by those robots from Battlestar Galactica...
At least more so than by Halo
Chocolate Starfish @ Feb 7th 2007 6:57PM
The problem with this suit is that the designer (and many others) is assuming that the governments he's pitching it to haven't already built something just like it.
I'll double or nothing your $10 Canadian (what is that, 50 cents?) that there are more than a dozen prototypes just like this one collecting dust in an military test facility somewhere - not in use for one reason or another.
Frankly, I wouldn't want to be in one of those things. Cut a hole that size in a sheet of paper and hold it in front of your face. What can you see? That's what I thought. You're dead now.
mountain_rage @ Feb 7th 2007 7:56PM
Is selling it on ebay that wise of a decision, are there not numerous nut jobs, terrorists, revolutionists and ravenous fanboys that could get their hands on it can cause allot of harm?
driven2sin @ Feb 7th 2007 11:42PM
Turrican suit FTW!!
brent @ Feb 7th 2007 11:29PM
Since he is not a corporate entity, and holds no political or lobbyist clout, I doubt the US military even considered it ... why buy what they can copy for free?
Also, i second the poster that said there are probably at least a dozen similar suits sitting in various military warehouses and such ...
Poor guy has made an impressive thing here, and hes not going to profit for his hard work ...
Personally though, i would have suggested he pitch it at security/defense firms for sale to police departments.
I imagine at that price point, it would be much more applicable for niche uses, like the point man in a swat team, or armor for the bomb squad.
BOK @ Feb 7th 2007 11:53PM
I'd encourage anyone who finds this guy's story interesting to check out the DVD "Project Grizzly," which documents the creation of the "Bear" suit that preceded this one. This guy's nuts and not the world's greatest family man perhaps, but he's extremely likable and entertaining.
Charles @ Feb 8th 2007 4:37AM
I think by saying it was inspired by Halo he meant the ODST armor, not MJOLNIR.
Lewis @ Feb 8th 2007 9:37AM
The US military like a couple of people said before me has stuff way more advanced and futuristic than this. That is why they laughed in his face (well don't know about that, but they definately have no need of the suit. maybe the new armour forula??)
I'm not trying to detract from what he has done, the guy has vision, and to develop something like that off your own back is bloody cool. fair play to him the suit rocks. but there is way more than one brain (and they are all highly developed) working secretly and feverishly away deep down in some area 51 style research facility. This is why this particular (cool) suit is for sale on ebay now. i want it.