Blake Stoltenberg

Design Thinking Project

Empathize and Define:

My target group are the Space Marines from the Warhammer 40k universe. Space Marines are
genetically engineered super soldiers who fight for the intergalactic human empire known as the
Imperium of Man. They wear powered armor that covers their entire body and use the most devastating
and advanced weapons the Imperium of Man can produce to fight and defeat any enemy of the human
empire in close combat. Space Marines are exclusively male. The extent of their genetic modifications
makes them far larger, stronger, faster, and smarter than any normal human being and when wearing
their powered armor suits all their strengths are further advanced, and their durability is increased to
that of a modern main battle tank. They are sworn to the God Emperor of Man to combat the alien, the
heretic, the mutant, and the chaos demon, who are constantly besieging the Imperium from within and
without. Space Marines know no fear and live to battle the enemies of humanity. Every moment of their
lives is consumed with preparing for battle through physical and mental martial training, maintenance,
and improvement of their war gear, and projecting the power of their Chapter (an organization of 1000
Space Marines who share the same genetic lineage and customs) throughout their battlespace. The
customs, traditions, and preferred methods of warfare of Space Marines vary greatly from Chapter to
Chapter, but all strive to be the best and most formidable warriors and fighting formations in the Galaxy.
A problem that the Space Marines face is the myriad of different enemies which they fight. While some
enemies such as the Orks or Chaos Cultists are well known and understood, there are far more enemies
in the Galaxy than could ever be truly accounted for by just the Chapter and its warriors who encounter
them.

Ideate, Prototype, and Test

I think a valuable tool for the Space Marines would be a database of all enemies which have
been encountered previously and a scanner that would be used to upload information on newly
encountered enemies to that database. This database and scanner would be integrated into the Space
Marines user interface which is integrated into his visor. It would be controlled through thought-based
commands, or eye movement. This would be possible because the powered armor of the Space Marine
is already linked to the Space Marines nervous system through a genetically modified organ which all
Space Marines are implanted with known as the Black Carapace. When encountering an enemy which
has already been encountered by the Imperium, they would have the option to scan it and the known
information would be projected directly onto the visor of the Marines user interface. Depending on
whether they are simply observing it, or in direct combat with the enemy, the database information
would take up only the desired amount of space on the Visors display, if they even choose to display any
information at all. There would also be an option to add comments or notes on valuable information for
combating that species of enemy. When encountering an unknown species of alien, strange new cult of
heretic, or unknown type of demon the Space Marine would use his scanner to enter that enemy into
the database. This would be done automatically through the scanner which operates through his visors
targeting systems. It would record the time, date, and location of the encounter with this new species.
Should the Marine survive his encounter with this alien creature, he would be able to enter notes on the
nature of this creature such as its strengths, weaknesses, and how he defeated it. One of the Space
Marines genetically modified implanted organs is called the Remembrancer and allows them to access
the memories of the creature or enemy they defeat through consuming its flesh, particularly the flesh of
its central nervous system. This information could be entered as well. When this new information is
entered into the database, it would be transmitted to the chapters central cogitator (40k word for
computer) and from there it would be edited and uploaded to the central database which exists in the
Noosphere (40k word for internet). From there this information could be accessed by any Space Marine
from any Chapter and select information could be accessed by the Imperium’s other military forces (not
all the Imperium’s forces can have access to information on certain factions, specifically chaos and
demons, due to the risk of corruption). These features could be tested in controlled environments on
captured enemies to make sure the scanner works, and to test the range at which the scanner is
effective.
Reflection on the Design Thinking Process

The Design Thinking process helped me design and create this idea by helping me filter through
the problems which a superhuman with access to tech which is literally 10’s of thousands of years more
advanced than our own might have. I started out by trying to design a Heads Up Display for the Space
Marine’s powered armor. However, I quickly realized that this is probably already exists in the
Warhammer 40k universe. I then decided to create an app for the heads-up display which probably does
not already exist in the 40k universe. The likelihood of a database like the one I designed existing in the
Warhammer 40k universe probably does not exist within the Imperium of man because of the heavy
amount of censorship. However, the Space Marines are above a lot of these rules and regulations and I
think it may be possible to implement for them specifically as they already have all the hardware in their
powered armor suits to make it possible. This database would also be invaluable for members of the
other parts of the Imperium’s high military command to use when planning campaigns. It would also
increase the lethality and combat abilities of the Space Marines because it would allow them to access
knowledge from previous defeats and victories and how they happened. I consulted my friends Thomas
and Daniel on this app because they are also fans of the Warhammer 40k universe. Daniel suggested the
idea for the scanner so that the Marines can put knowledge from new enemies which they encounter
into the database. Hopefully this app will allow the Space Marines to be more effective in combating the
enemies of the Imperium of Man, and it may lead to more effective cooperation between the different
Chapters of Space Marines as they will be able to have direct access to information on how the other
Space Marines fight.