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"

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: