He was a billionaire scientist, dedicated to helping others who lost their mobility.
You see, Dr. Miles Hawkins reached the pinnacle of a possible breakthrough!
His invention (as one would wonder) was an "autonomous-like" exoskeleton; 
Which isn't like Ironman's power suit by the way!
No, that suit is way too fully loaded for an individual who only needs to walk from point A to B...
Even so... Someone needed to test out that exoskeleton, and unfortunately, it later turned out to be the good doctor after he sprung into action to save a little girl's life who was trapped outside of a store during a chaotic riot shootout in downtown LA.
For his efforts of rescuing the girl, he took an unexpected bullet to the back at the hands of an unknown sniper.
Hawkins was now in need of medical attention; he immediately noticed his inability to get up; laying there desperate in need he hollered out loud...
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
Yet, his cries for help go unnoticed by others who were too busy fleeing the scene of the incident.
After getting rushed by ambulance to the hospital, he given the unfortunate news by a physician that spinal cord was served; and he would not be able to walk again for the rest of his life.
And this was where Hawkins fell into depression, although, he had a spacious underground Lavatory.
He also had assistants who would come to his aid when needed.
But he didn't consider himself a dependent individual, in fact, he still had pieces of the puzzle that fit perfectly in place with him in it literally!
This, of course, was the prototype exoskeleton harness suit he had access to would serve him in unimaginable ways.
Now, here's the ideal concept behind this short-lived TV series.
The exoskeleton was specifically built for people who couldn't walk, but due to Hawkins unfortunate situation, he had extreme modifications done to the wearable suit.
For starters, he felt compelled to make the suit bulletproof, and that's not to mention also having it waterproof in case of the worse type scenario; if say, someone wearing it were to accidently slip and fall into the water.
After all, the suit does run on an electrical source "via" placing the helmet over his head can be clip locked in place; which is like the key ignition to start up the suit which is fitted with noticeable sliver design power overlays.
The suit's helmet (not to mention the suit's battery packs) carry enough electrical energy for an 8-hour period - to which then it must be recharged.
The suit's bionics was tuned up (done in case for fighting crime), so while he's wearing the suit in its entirety, his capabilities are superhumanly augmented.
In the areas of raw speed and agility, his capabilities are slightly elevated.
To make the point clearer (and this is in terms of the suit's capabilities on the high-end of the spectrum), he performs a 13-foot slam dunk with a basketball with one of his colleagues John Stonebreak.
So, it's apparent the good doctor has already gotten used to the powered suit; despite the fact it possess capabilities far above human potential.
Although he did experience an extreme episode of exhaustion and fatigue that side-lined him for a few days!
Surely the suit had something to do with that, but hey, those are the breaks when experimenting with such a marvelous breakthrough!
The cherry on top was that iconic flying mini-airship of his called the Chrysalis, that also functions as an underwater submarine, which allowed MANTIS to navigate both the city above and from below underwater.
And so, the crime-stricken areas of Port Columbia were where he intended to direct his attention to.
He later decided to go after bigger fish in game such as crime boss Soloman Box.
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 modern autonomous robots.
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 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, bionically-enhanced frame.
Because Hawkins had to be wearing it, in order to do those things mentioned earlier; so, in case if someone's wondering this next conceived question...
Nope... 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,
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!
[pause 2 secs]
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.
"AI" is shifting gears faster now more than ever!
It has been aligned with the rapid growing population of humanoid robots ready to enter into society!
And this, of course, have people stricken deep to their core with doubt and uncertainty.
Because there's a great deal of skepticism pushed toward robots being able to walk, talk, and can perform various forms of human-like tasks.
And they can perform remedial tasks with far greater efficiency, and that's where aspects surrounding job security immediately becomes the topic of talk.
With that said.
People have been given glimpses overtime of what was yet to come in the future.
And now that time is finally here, thanks to a number of Sci-Fi tv shows such as M.A.N.T.I.S, as well as other unforgettable cinematic productions of their time.
And robotic contraptions are used in within manufacturing and warehouse industries; not to mention other industry sectors.
And there's not a shadow of doubt, there will an area of law enforcement that will eventually venture in the field of robotics to present the autonomous robotic officer!
YES!! IT WILL HAPPEN FOLKS!
So, from 2026 to 2030, there are going to be more advances to come as Autonomous technology continues in its expansion.
And one can only guess what is yet to pop up in between that stretch of time.
So, in the meantime, take a moment to sign up for the ASG website newsletter, where you'll discover a barrage off upcoming topics strictly focused on matters surrounding artificial intelligence and autonomous technology!
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