Design Contest!

[Richter]

I think the restriction "Simple melee weapons", and the fact that it's a space station with artificial gravity give us a few hints to the upper limits.  Here are the deductions / assumptions I'm drawing from that:

1.  This space station has a serious hull.  The kind of thing you could slam repeatedly with a sledge and not risk structural damage, decompression, etc.  The forces brought to bear by a handgun, of scifi weaponry would be BAD, as they could burn out walls or portions of the station too easily, but cutting / bludgeoning devices are unlikely or NOT going to be a problem. 

(Question on this part; some "simple" melee weapons.  I'd guess this means no small seige weapons, masive leaf - spring crossbows, or the like.  Not a necessary question to answer, but more my own curiosity about the setting.

2.  Resources, as far as metals, plastics, and organic compounds modern and ancient of all decriptions are readily available in most quantities and configurations.  (The mechanism of HOW does not need to be justitifed, supposing Star Trek style replicator machines)

(Question on this part, I'm guessing ONLY modernly known materials.  Ex: no admantium chastisy belts, unobtanium sword catching guantlets, etc.)

3.  Even though surrounded by high tech, none of said high tech can be brought to bear for arms / armoring, or even indirect warfare.  (No ripping out artifical gravity generators to make repulsive armor, forcefields, increasing teh gravity in enemy territory to 5 G's, etc.)

4.  Anything that theatens station operation, structural integrity or life support is forbidden seriously, or confiscated by some force outside the two tribes.  (Substances can abound for engineering pursuits, such as making said armor, but anything too badass is immediately zapeed out of play by Big Brother.  So no orange juice napalm, paraffin bombs, or rolling 5 foot boulders of contact explosive and nails down the halls at each other.)

Sig, if any of these are incorrect, or counter to your own ideas of the setting, just let me know.

[Jasper]

The idea is that whoever made the space station also made this armor, so it should probably be made of high tech materials but not require knowledges to operate.  Whatever materials are used should be real materials and not made up.  It is not infeasible to say, for example, that this armor uses piezoelectrics to power muscle wire systems that assist the wearer's strength.  It's really unlikely, but feasible in theory.  Think hard sci-fi, not soft.

Sig,  the real secret here isn't going to be design, but materials. 

Any restrictions?

As I say.  It has to exist, or at least be known to be possible in theory.  You can make it out of platinum if you want, it just wouldn't work too well.

[Richter]

So basically idealized, mass production hand - to - hand armor?  Tricky question, but I'd have a few elements regardless.  Here's the "off the top of my head" list.

Hard coverage: Solid, continuous pieces of Steel / titanium / whatever, padded and strapped in place.  This is for covering your "One shot kill" areas, places that, if hit, will disable the fighter, even if for a few moments.

Head (This means FACE too.)
Throat
Groin
Sternum / chest, wrapping around to kidneys
Top of the shoulder to the neck
Elbows (except into the crook of the arm)
Knees (except at the back)
Shins
Toe / instep / heel / achilles tendon
Wrist + hand as possible
Forearms (along the ulna from teh point of the elbow, radial nerve on top of the radius at the elbow)
Upper leg (at least along the front of the femur, hard plates for femoral nerve pressure points.

Articulated plate coverage: (nested curved peices, overlapping plates, interlaced / interconnected lamellar.  For covering vitals that are otherwise pretty much impossible to cover without making movement, (geting up of the ground, picking up fallen weapons, bending, etc.)

Back of the neck
Lower torso
wrist + hand as possible
   
Cut / puncture Resistant coverage:  Kevlar, silk, chainmail (small welded rings of stainless steel or like)
Some places on a human body you just CAN'T armor well.  This is for such areas, with extra layers and reinsforcesment, as well as under everything else.

Modular / optional plates / padding:  Not everyone can work well strapped into an invulnerable tank, and depending on personal preference, skill, or role, or situation, more or less armor is often called for.

Extended length hard torso shell
Solid groin
flexible skirting, hanging solid plates or interlaces plates for groin.
solid shell forearm, upper arm, upper leg, lower leg.
Solid boots
Solid shoulder pauldrons.
Facegrills of steel mesh, clear plastic, free hanging chain, perforated metal, etc.  (interchangeable / customizable as preference or mission dictates)