The Science of Iron Man

holy_calamity writes "New Scientist takes a look at the evidence-base behind the science and technology in the new blockbuster Iron Man, and finds it is pretty solid. From exoskeletons to real-time translation there are at the very least proof-of-concept demonstrations of pretty much all the glitzy tech the hero Tony Stark uses."

All that's left

[Kamineko]

All that's left now is to find somebody who looks like Robert Downey Jr. in real life.

Huh?

[wile_e_wonka]

But I thought

He was turned to steel
In the great magnetic field
Where he traveled time
For the future of mankind

I must be confused.

Re:This is one of the reason I want to see this mo

[theheadlessrabbit]

Oh, and none of the "I got bitten by a mutant spider/got exposed to gamma ray/etc" crap that is usually associated with american super-heroes.

tell me about it.

after watching spiderman, i was so psyched.
I went right home, caught a spider, microwaved it for a few seconds to mutate its DNA a little bit, then I took it out and let it bite me.

and guess what?

No superpowers

spiderman is bullshit.
this ironman fellow, this is real superhero stuff for sure...

Don't spoil it!

[SterlingSylver]

Hey, no spoilers! The movie isn't even out yet. Next you'll be telling us some other important plot point, something like him rising from his grave to kill the people he once saved. Have some respect.

"Iron Man" the song

[plopez]

I got a kick out of them using the old Black Sabbath song. Since, far from being a savior, Iron Man ends up destroy all humans. I'm not sure if that is what the movie makers intended.

Re:This is one of the reason I want to see this mo

[cheezitmike]

after watching spiderman, i was so psyched. I went right home, caught a spider, microwaved it for a few seconds to mutate its DNA a little bit, then I took it out and let it bite me. and guess what? No superpowers

You think that's bad? I wanted mutant superpowers like my hero, The Tick, but instead I just got Lyme disease.

Re:This is one of the reason I want to see this mo

[kestasjk]

I always found the lesson Spiderman teaches a little weird; if you get bitten by a spider and start stumbling around and seeing everything blurred don't tell a soul, pretend like nothing happened, and go up to your room to sleep.

Re:This is one of the reason I want to see this mo

[koh]

Nuclear XML. I've seen it in production once.

Re:This is one of the reason I want to see this mo

[Chris Burke]

You didn't use the right kind of spider! You need a spider that already has some serious mojo that can be enhanced by the radiation.

I used a Brown Recluse. After a couple seconds of microwave enhancement, I let it bit me. And damned if I didn't develop a bad-ass super power:

Necrotic Lesions.

Sure, sure, doesn't sound like much. But you just have to be creative. Normally I keep them covered up, but when I'm say getting the jump on some bank robbers, I just expose my hideous gaping wounds and dead flesh, and they toss their cookies giving me ample time to shoot them or whatever. It's awesome. Everyone should get super powers like mine.