How to Become A Real-World Superhero

utherdoul writes "Batman isn't from outer space and wasn't born with a mutant gene --he uses his riches, raw determination and technological know-how to equip himself to fight evil. So why couldn't the average geek do the same? I've written a story for Forbes.com that breaks down the Dark Knight's expenses and explains what it would cost to become a real-world Batman using commercially available training and technology." From the article: "Batman's suit is a modified piece of infantry armor built by the applied sciences division of Wayne Enterprises. It's waterproof, bulletproof, knife-proof and temperature-regulating. Paired with an impact-resistant, graphite-composite cowl and spiked ninja-style gauntlets, it allows Batman to protect himself against everything from swords to machine guns."

Comments

Re:Ah yes, become a superhero!

[soft_guy]

They had a story on This American Life about a lady who wanted to become a superhero and worked for many years to become real bad ass like one. I don't know if she was real or made up for the story, but she ultimately became some kind of private detective.

Surviving a fall

[Anonymous Brave Guy]

Actually you can brace yourself that you can survive a fall. I don't know how high but it is theoretically possible to do that. It aparently also helps if a canopy is there. A lady survived a fall from what usually is a fatal height after falling on top of a canopy. All she suffered was a broken arm.

If you're talking about surviving falls, the good news is that an adult human being can survive a fall even at terminal velocity, as long as they land on something reasonably soft. There are documented cases of pilots bailing out of their planes during the Second World War without parachutes, and surviving with only relatively minor injuries after something like a tree broke their fall.

The bad news, of course, is that they were the lucky ones. If you've ever been parachuting, you'll know that even with all that drag to slow you down, you still hit the ground pretty hard. People do suffer injuries from not getting it right, even after training in how to land correctly.

If you land more-or-less on your feet, you have a much better chance, too. If you look at the training martial artists do in how to break a fall when thrown on their back/side/front, they can take a fair impact as well, but nowhere near as much as a parachutist's roll. As for coming straight down in just about any position when your feet are much above your head -- well, sorry, but you're pretty much toast if you've got any speed behind you. Trust me, best give that one a miss...