Batman's Bulletproof Suit

Night in and night out, Batman keeps the streets of Gotham City safe from crime and villainy. One of the most extraordinary things about Batman is this: Despite the fact that he's a superhero, he doesn't actually posses any super powers. Instead of relying on unearthly abilities, Batman uses ingenuity, deception and clever gadgetry to give him an edge over Gotham's criminal element. Nothing instills fear in the hearts of Gotham's wrongdoers more than Batman's menacing appearance, and that appearance is all about the Batsuit.The Batsuit does a lot more for Batman than make him look scary.

On its own, the suit is a pretty impressive piece of technology. The Batsuit combines armor, communications and combat technologies into one state-of-the-art crime-fighting system.

The main element of the Batsuit is a modified, advanced infantry armor system called the Nomax Survival Suit."Batman Begins"

You too can become Iron Man

What's it take to be a superhero? For the most part, it's luck: born at the right place at the wrong time, such as Superman on the eve of Krypton's destruction; or exposed to ionizing radiation to somehow develop superhuman abilities instead of cancer, such as Spiderman and Hulk.

Then there are those overly ambitious multi-millionaires — Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen and Tony Stark — who kick bad-guy butt as Batman, Green Arrow and Iron Man, respectively.


To read more, follow this You Too Can Be Iron Man

Can we have bones like Wolverine?

In the new movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine, we see how Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman) becomes unstoppable. Adamantium, a rare (fictional) metal derived from meteor debris, is bonded to his biological skeleton. The metal is somehow liquefied, and then made to combine with his bones (and claws!) to create an almost invulnerable hero.

Read more by following this link:  Can You Have Bones like Wolverine's? 

Regeneration of limbs

How might humans regenerate limbs, like chameleons?  This slide show will help explain the process.

Limb regeneration:  The true story of a man who regenerated a fingertip through science! 

How do tarantulas walk on walls?

It is a question scientists have long wanted to answer, why is it that large and heavy spiders like tarantulas are able to anchor themselves to slippery vertical surfaces without falling?

A team from Newcastle University have found the answer and the discovery helps explain how spiders first evolved their silk-spinning abilities.

BBC News - Tarantulas Climbing Walls Using Silk Threads

SpiderBoy - Climbs walls with vacuums

A 13-year-old schoolboy has managed to climb walls using an invention he created for a class project.

In the video in the link below, Hibiki Kono, along with his teacher Angus Gent, explain how it works and the inspiration behind the idea.

Hibiki was inspired by the BBC's Bang Goes the Theory (the British version of Mythbusters)

Visit the BBC website to view his video here

Nomex (Fireproof fabrics) are put to the test

Watch Taking the Heat on PBS. See more from NOVA.

Nature's Super Materials

In the pursuit of stronger, cleaner, and altogether better materials, scientists are turning to Mother Nature for inspiration. Biomimicry (literally "imitating life") is a field of science that studies naturally occurring processes and designs and looks for ways to mimic them. In this slide show, see some of the amazing structures and properties that animals and plants have evolved, and learn about new human-made super-materials they are giving rise to.

See some of Nature's stickiest, toughest, and cleanest materials, and learn how they are inspiring new products.

Nature's Super Materials Slide Show

PBS - NOVA

The science behind Kevlar

Watch Making Stuff: Stronger on PBS. See more from NOVA.

Fireproof Superhero Suits!

This video shows official issue flight suits worn by all US air crews made of over 92 percent Nomex to protect them from the possibility of cockpit fires and other mishaps.

Recently, troops riding in ground vehicles have also begun wearing Nomex for added protection during tactical operations. These flightsuits provide approximately 6-10 seconds of flash fire burn protection, giving the service member increased odds of avoiding severe burns.

How might these materials aid a superhero as well? As director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury had access to some of the most advanced technology on Earth; he often wears a bulletproof, fireproof uniform of Kevlar and Beta Cloth. (see below for an explanation of Beta Cloth)

More on Marvel.com: http://marvel.com/universe/Fury,_Nick#ixzz1gLljSy5c

Beta cloth is a type of fireproof silica fiber cloth used in the manufacture of Apollo/Skylab A7L space suits and in other specialized applications. Beta cloth consists of fine woven silica fiber, similar to fiberglass. The resulting fabric will not burn, and will melt only at temperatures exceeding 650 °C.

To reduce its tendency to crease or tear when manipulated, and to increase durability, the fibers may be coated with Teflon. Beta cloth was developed by a Manned Spacecraft Center team led by Frederick S. Dawn and including Matthew I. Radofsky working with the Dow-Corning Company.

It was implemented in NASA space suits after the deadly 1967 Apollo 1 launchpad fire; the astronauts' nylon suits melted and fused together in the fire. The fire-resistant Beta cloth was among changes to make the Apollo spacecraft and systems safer in the case of a similar situation.

Bulletproof Skin??? Can we make a bulletproof human?

Scientists have created bulletproof skin by using spider silk... Actually, it's created using Spider Goats - goats that have genetically modified to have spider DNA in their milk. Believe it!

Researchers Create 'Bulletproof Skin'

News article: Military breakthrough: 'Bulletproof' skin made from spider silk

Could genetically modified silk someday make humans bulletproof? It's not pure science-fiction fantasy

Forget the vest, genetically modified silk may soon protect people from bullets. Photo: corbis

Silk — one of the strongest natural materials known — has a long history of use in combat: Legend has it that Genghis Khan once issued tightly woven silk vests to his horsemen as protection against their enemies' arrows. Researchers have now taken silk one step further, and developed a fabric made of silk proteins that is strong enough to stop a bullet. Their ultimate goal: To give a person a layer of bulletproof skin. Here, a brief guide to this breakthrough:

You want to travel at light speed, do ya?

How long would it take light-speed-traveling superheroes to travel throughout the Universe?  Remember now, that light travels at 186,000 miles per second...  So, they'd be moving pretty quickly...

Even so, check out how long it would take to travel to some of our closest planets and stars.

Use your telekinetic powers to make a coin dance!

The Dancing Telekinetic Penny!

Yoda raises Luke's X-Wing Fighter

Think about the energy that would be required for Yoda to lift Luke Skywalker's X-Wing fighter from the swamp. How could he contain that energy in his body? How much heat would be generated from this?

Yoda discusses how and where he collects the "force" to use: 2:20

Yoda raises the X-Wing Fighter: 3:35

Can we make a superhero spacesuit?

How does Superman survive in space? Shouldn't his blood boil?
Maybe the secret lies in his super suit.

Spool Racers - Kinectic v. Potential Energy

Can we move faster than the speed of light?

Conservation of Energy

What is the difference between kinetic and potential energy?

NASA: Law of Conservation of Energy

More educational videos on Law of Conservation of Energy and Mass at NeoK12.com

Conservation of Energy Physics Video

More science videos on Law of Conservation of Energy and Mass at NeoK12.com  

Spider Man Climbing Skills

Magnetic Man

Miroslaw Magola (1958 – ), alias "Magnetic Man," born in Poland and now living in Germany. He claims he can lift objects off the floor, transport them through the air and force them to stick to his body - all using the power of his mind. "I load myself with energy (I connect myself to it) and at the same time I wish for the object to raise" he says of his power. On the UK television programme Beyond Belief in February 1996, he was unable to perform any levitation effects. 

On the television show "Stan Lee's Superhumans" in September 2010 however, marked changes to Miroslaw Magola's brain waves, skin conductance and temperature were recorded during one of his demonstrations.  He was investigated by Dr. Friedbert Karger of the Max Planck Institute and Dr. David Lewis (psychologist), a neurophysiologist at MindLab, one of the United Kingdom's leading neuro-research centers and Dr. Konstantin Korotkov, professor of Physics at St. Petersburg State Technical University in Russia. James Randi has tested similar "magnetic men" and women around the world and remains unconvinced the effect observed in Magola is related to psychokinesis.

Superhuman Strength

Superhumans - Flying Man

Super speed and strength via technology!

Invisibility Cloaks

Levitation / Magnetism

How does Superman have the ability to fly? One theory suggests that his flying is based on the magnetic content of his body and the Earth's polarity, so he can push himself away and pull himself toward it.

In this short video, the levitation trick works because giant magnetic fields slightly distort the orbits of electrons in the frog's atoms. The resulting electric current generates a magnetic field in the opposite direction to that of the magnet. A field of 16 teslas created an attractive force strong enough to make the frog float until it made its escape.

More Magnetic Levitation Explained

How does the levitating top work?


The Levitron spins and surfs on magnetic waves! Pass your hand above, underneath, and around the top. It will continue to spin and float only touching air! The LEVITRON floats free in space, supported only by therepelling magnetic force produced by permanent magnets.

Click here for the levitating top video.

Camouflage of Animals

The Mimic Octopus - Most Intelligent Octopus!

Chemical Lasers

Will we ever be able to build a transportable laser, or even one built into a superhero suit?  

Regenerating Limbs

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Spider Silk - Representing on a human scale

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Brain Fingers - Using your mind to control the physical world

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