Although, the original motivator was what put him in that suit in the first place, which was the riot outbreak in downtown LA, while saving a young girl's life.
The M.A.N.T.I.S. TV series turns 31 years old in 2025.
That in itself is major milestone for a show that much of today's younger generation may have never heard of.
While the series leaned into themes of futuristic technology and automation, Miles Hawkins’ exo-skeleton suit wasn’t truly autonomous.
Yes, it amplified his strength, speed, and agility—but only when he was wearing it. The suit couldn't function independently like a true modern autonomous robot.
The name M.A.N.T.I.S. reflects this directly: it stands for Mechanically Augmented Neuro-Transmitter Interception System.
Essentially, it’s a fictional system that taps into the brain’s signals; which is unlike say, Elon Musk’s Neuralink concept.
Both aim to interact with the brain’s neural activity, the central hub for transmitting information via neurotransmitters across synapses to control movement and bodily function.
No AI-driven self-operation here.
So if you're wondering:
Could the suit operate on its own, like today’s autonomous robots?
Nope. It just wasn’t that kind of tech...
Still, for its time, M.A.N.T.I.S. gave us a bold and important look at Black representation in sci-fi, wrapped in a sleek, bionic-enhanced frame.
Because Hawkins had to be wearing it, in order to do those things mentioned earlier; so, in case if someone's STILL wondering if there was any way the suit could be operated by RC (Remote Controlled). Again, the suit couldn't operate independently like an actual robot can today.
Still, the overall idea was to introduce to the public the possibilities of robotics, and of course...
AI wasn't far behind from its predecessor. The M.A.N.T.I.S suit is slightly comparable to that of a Tesla bot (and that's in term of basic autonomy concepts and capabilities, except the M.A.N.T.I.S's suit had vastly greater abilities beyond conceivable comprehension).
But it's highly doubtful you will be seeing a Tesla bot jumping 30 to 35 feet over a building!
Yeah...
YOU'RE NOT SEEING THAT HAPPENING IN 2025 FOLKS UNLESS IT'S DONE WITH SOME SERIOUSLY GOOD AI ALONG WITH SMOKE AND MIRRORS!
It's hard to deny that this was a kickass 90s superhero show, and the way Hawkins cleans up crime is a sight to behold!
Bringing up the M.A.N.T.I.S will surely draw even more attention to autonomous robot technology; however, this also shines a spotlight on the future of crimefighting.
Having access to such technology could definitely decrease the chances of mortality significantly, and to be clear here, we're not talking about someone wearing an exoskeleton.