Armor
As of now, there are three types of Armor. Mk. I, Mk. II, and Mk. III.
Mk. I solely provides protection without any kind of mechanical assistance. While the actual materiel of the vest and helmet may be of an advanced origin, the actual material serves little to no purpose beyond the use as armor. While it may be full body coverage or a single unit, MK. I armor is comparable to Knight armor in that is founds the base component of some type of armor based material.
A force Field would not be considered as Mk. I, were as a shield, or even a brick wall would.
That being said, Mk. I armor can include integrated accessories, scopes, and the like, such as in the land warrior system, along with tactical vests and various types of carrying devices, along with radios, head sets, etc.
Mk. II armor provides more than just physical protection and a platform for accessories. Much like powered exoskeletons, Mk. II armor provides mechanical augmentations to the user, allowing them to become to increase their standard base capabilities (strength, intelligent, eyesight, hearing etc.)
MK. II armor is different from Mk. III armor in that it is designed to be "picked up and used". It is designed for the majority of people to be capable of using it, and requires little augmentation to the actual user.
A powered exo-skeleton, or even a tank could be considered Mk. II armor, however a dialysis machine or an IV could not. Still, the range of MK. II armor extends in many directions.
Night vision, rifle scopes, hearing aids, contacts and glasses, and even calculators could all be considered components of Mk. II armor, although these units by themselves are not necessarily considered to be Mk. II armor. For it to be considered Mk. II armor, it must be integrated into the system in some manner.
Mk. III armor provides or requires augmentations to the user for the technology to be used. If a person wishes to hook their brain up to a computer, for instance, they might require special probes to be inserted beneath their skin into their skull, or if a person wishes to use certain types of hearing aids (such as cochlear implants), augmentations to the user, that are considered to be nearly permanent (for at least a time) must be applied. The items are considered to be non-removable, or at least not easy to add or remove.
This may include IV's, dialysis machines, gastrointestinal devices, computers hooked up to brains, or simply implants such as in plastic surgery.
Joint replacement or cover, or even titanium being added to the surface of the bones to provide increased strength resistance for example, might be considered Mk. III armor.
Mk. III armor may also be considered physical biological enhancements, such as in chemical improved vision (rather than using machines), or increasing a person's muscular strength. Increasing a person's muscle density, or, even perhaps giving them some type of chemical to make them stronger or larger (such as growth hormone) to improve performance may be considered a component of Mk. III armor.
Replacing a limb for a weapon (such as a chainsaw or minigun, or even a sword), or even pace maker or artificial organ of some kind, even a prosthetic (such as for legs or arms) may serve as a Mk. III type of armor.
In all forms, Mk. III armor intends to effect a user outside of the use of the armor, through permanent or semi-permanent bodily change. Implants in the skull for access to computers through use of the brain may, for example, cause permanent bodily change (just as any implant might), however this may not interfere with day to day activities or even allow the user benefits outside the use of some type of technology. For user to use a computer, presumably, they must presumably have one, meaning that they may be dependent on foreign materials. Just as food and water work in humans, however, physical changes to the body, as a part of the armor system, correspond to Mk. III armor, and are not necessarily limited to "physical enhancements".
