10 Batman Movie Gadgets That Actually Exist In Real Life

Famously having no actual superpowers, Batman is known for relying on a suite of fantastic gadgets to assist his skills across several DC movies, some of which surprisingly have real-life counterparts. Batman’s wealth as Bruce Wayne grants him access to funding for a whole suite of fantastical technology, some of which has more basis in reality than others. If Batman has enough time to prepare, there are few obstacles he isn’t able to overcome with some precise engineering.

While many of these gadgets aren’t possible in real life, some surprising real-world counterparts are able to closely replicate many of the coolest equipment Batman uses throughout his storied film career. Many of these gadgets even took inspiration from their real-life counterparts to begin with, giving them an even sturdier basis in reality. As the capabilities of technology in the real world begin to catch up with Batman’s many films, the many items making up the prized utility belt may be closer than they seem.

10 Grappling Guns Exist, But They’re Much Larger Than Batman’s

With no super-powered mode of transportation, Batman’s iconic grappling guns allow him to quickly scale the concrete jungle of Gotham City. Some variation of the grappling gun has made its way into every live-action version of Batman, usually appearing as a small, handheld pistol. Though possible, the grappling guns that have been constructed in real life are less than compact, making them far less practical than the Caped Crusader makes them seem.

Specializing in gadgetry, YouTuber Built IRL managed to create a functioning grappling gun over the course of one year (via The Verge). Fitting entirely on one arm, the device uses compressed CO2 to fire grappling hooks, quickly reeling the user in with a hefty 10,000 Watt motor. Still, the final result is bulky in comparison to the pocket-sized grappling guns of various Batman films and requires a harness that evenly distributes weight to avoid pulling the user’s shoulder out of its socket, something Batman himself never seems to have an issue with.

9 Batman’s Armored Gauntlets Are Real (And Even Have Built-In Tasers)

As a master of multiple martial arts that refuses to use firearms, it’s no surprise that Batman does a lot of punching across his films. His iconic serrated gauntlets are typically portrayed as tough knuckledusters that let Batman’s fists act as weapons in their own right, taking down mobs of criminal thugs with no sweat. Though they may seem like a fantastical choice of outerwear, the real-life counterpart to Batman’s gauntlets is even more unbelievable.

Created over the course of seven years from conception to ideation to completion, even the name of the Crime-Fighting Armored Glove sounds like something Batman would use. Created by David Brown, the glove was created as a defense weapon that couldn’t be disarmed from the user thanks to its inherent nature as something that is worn rather than wielded (via Popsci.com). Featuring a laser pointer, flashlight, camera, and even a taser, the self-defense weapon was a 2011 Invention Awards winner.

8 Batman’s Infamous Shark Repellent Really Exists

One of the most hilariously specific gadgets of Batman’s film career, Adam West’s Bat Shark Repellent went down in infamy among Batman’s on-screen arsenal. A testament to the character’s ability to be curiously prepared for any specific scenario, the 60s era Batman uses this chemical spray to fend off a shark with ease and has since been featured in Batman comics as a tongue-in-cheek nod to 1966’s Batman. Unfortunately, sharks can be just as dangerous in real life, meaning that this outrageous gadget is more realistic than many others.

While it might not cause sharks to go flying and explode, real-life shark repellent does exist. Used by SCUBA divers to defend themselves from sharks that get too bold, shark repellent manufactured by the company Sharktec triggers a shark’s natural flight response, creating a “safe zone” from the animals the size of a quarter mile that lasts for up to 45 minutes. Though they’ve yet to release a bat-themed canister for their products, the company has kept one of Batman’s most unbelievable fight scenes from being completely impossible.

7 A 700 Horsepower Batmobile Is Drivable In Real Life

Perhaps the single most iconic tool Batman has ever put to use, the Batmobile is ubiquitous with the character. Every Batman feature film has its own Batmobile version, the crime-fighting machine never far from Batman’s command. Though versions of every live-action Batmobile have been built, one of the most impressive is a recent replica of the DCEU Batmobile first featured in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

The sleek functioning car is a near-perfect recreation of the vehicle featured in the film (via Nerdist.com), complete with dramatic forward-opening doors that guard the cockpit. It’s even capable of shooting flames out of the exhaust, a series staple for Batman’s trusted battle car. But this real-life Batmobile isn’t just style over substance, featuring a sleek fiberglass and carbon-fiber chassis and the supercharged engine of a Ford F350 Raptor, producing 700 horsepower.

6 The Batpod Is A Working (If Unwieldy) Motorcycle

Though it might be the most iconic, the Batmobile is far from the only vehicle employed by Bruce Wayne over the years. Integrated as a sort of escape pod that emerges from within Christopher Nolan’s “Tumbler” Batmobile, the Batpod made its first appearance in The Dark Knight as a dramatic and flexible vehicle Batman could employ. In the film, the bizarre motorcycle is equipped with cannons, grappling hooks, and the capability to roll on an axis, keeping Batman upright even should he find himself upside-down.

In reality, the Batpod was much more limiting, though it was a functioning prop. Nolan entrusted the working vehicle to be driven only by stunt drivers, who battled with the custom motorcycle’s wide turning radius, off-center riding position, and shoulder-forward steering. Though not the most practical, the impossible-looking Batpod was filmed functioning live and was created in real life before it wowed audiences in theaters.

5 The Batwing Is A Theoretically Possible VTOL Aircraft

In many cases, Batman’s adventures in fighting crime take him to the skies, leaving the Batmobile behind. Frequently referred to as the Batplane or Batwing, the Caped Crusaders aerial means of conveyance is nearly as iconic as a vehicle imprinted against the night sky as the Batmobile is screaming down the streets of Gotham. While many portrayals of the winged vehicle are less-than-aerodynamic, the vehicle’s impressive capabilities are closer to life than one might think.

In The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan introduces a flying take on the plane simply called “The Bat.” The director revealed the source of the inspiration to be non-helicopter planes capable of vertical takeoff and landing, also known as VTOL, such as the F-35, the Harrier Jet, or the Osprey (via Complex.com). Although craft such as these are still planes capable of extremely fast flight speeds, they’re also able to take off and land straight down without a runway, traits shared with most variations of the Batwing.

4 Robert Pattinson’s Wingsuit Is A Real Device

Robert Pattinson’s The Batman has been the most realistic portrayal of the character on screen yet, with only a few of Batman’s gadgets barely bordering on the realm of science fiction. When it came to Batman’s trademark ability to glide through the air with the help of his cutting-edge suit, a more down-to-earth solution was needed to fit the tone of the movie. Shockingly, using a Wingsuit to glide off of a building is far from the least realistic thing Batman does in the film.

The modern wingsuit was invented in 1994, becoming commercially available soon after. Commonly used in a type of B.A.S.E. jumping known as “Proxy Flying”, Wingsuits have been a staple of adrenaline junkies for nearly the last 20 years. As such, it’s unsurprising that a Batman film would utilize the pre-existing technology, ironically grounding the character more than ever with Batman’s most realistic glider yet.

3 The Memory Cloth of Batman Begins Is Close To Creation

Preferring to keep his Batman universe relatively grounded, Christopher Nolan imagined a fascinating solution to Batman’s gliding problems. Many comics have depicted Batman’s ability to use his cape to fly, transforming it into a rigid set of wings at a whim. In Batman Begins, Nolan expanded upon this with the introduction of Memory Cloth, a cutting-edge material that acted as a normal textile until a current was run through it, upon which it could form into a pre-programmed shape.

The electrically-activated Memory Cloth of the Nolanverse is a far cry from reality, but the concept is familiar to engineers and scientists in the real world. Research from MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab has investigated Memory Cloth further than the average layperson would think possible. Through printing material of varying thicknesses within stretched textiles, flexible cloth was manufactured that was able to assume a predetermined shape. Perhaps with further development, Memory Cloth of the real world could catch up to the snappy, on-demand transformation of Batman’s cape.

2 EMP Rifles Have Been Patented For Drone Warfare

Another inspiring gadget out of The Dark Knight Trilogy, the EMP Rifle employed by Batman in The Dark Knight Rises is a great example of the hero’s ingenuity. Most versions of Batman have used EMP weapons to disable electronics at some point or another, utilizing the real-world phenomena of an Electromagnetic Pulse to shut down his enemies. But Batman isn’t the only one interested in the capabilities of EMP usage in combat, especially in the form of an EMP Rifle.

With the advent of drone usage in modern-day warfare, directed EMPs could prove more useful than ever in the real world for denying enemy scouting and counter-intelligence. The U.S. Army now holds a patent on a small device that could turn any normal ballistic M4 rifle into a drone-sniping EMP gun (via Techlinkcenter.org). The muzzle-based attachment utilizes the force generated by a normal blank rifle cartridge into a charged EMP, directed with a horn-shaped antenna at a target. While this particular device has yet to see production, the possibility and importance of EMP weaponry in the modern age make this particular Batman gadget more likely than ever.

1 Real-Life Batarangs Were An Important Weapon In Japanese Warfare

Among all the tools, weapons, and experimental technology at Batman’s disposal, none is more iconic than the Batarang. A simple throwing weapon that has been subject to all sorts of variations and modifications over the years, the Batarang will always be Batman’s staple weapon. Though the bat-shaped devices have been extensively modified in many on-screen appearances over the years, they may have the most ancient roots among the entire catalog of Batman’s gadgets.

Shuriken, also known as throwing stars, were originally a Japanese throwing weapon and are a clear inspiration for Batman’s weapon. The Shuriken in the past came in a wide variety of forms and were often coated in poison and used to assassinate key targets. Though Batarangs may have evolved far past Shuriken, there’s no denying the real-world roots of Batman‘s most symbolic weapons.