Tony Stark is an engineering superhero! Although Tony Stark
doesn't have any super powers, he is an incredibly good
engineer.
Iron Man is Tony Stark's creation. It's a special suit that
gives Stark superhuman strength, the ability to fly and powerful
weapons. But could an Iron Man suit ever be possible in real
life?
Super strong suit
Iron Man's suit isn't really made out of iron. That would be too
heavy. Instead it is made out of a fictional material that is very
light and very strong. Scientists haven't worked out how to make
anything like it yet.
An Iron Man suit could maybe be made out of a type of titanium,
which is very strong. Or scientists could use graphene, one of the
strongest materials ever tested. It conducts electricity too.
Scientists haven't developed an Iron Man suit yet, but they're
on their way! Military scientists have created exoskeleton suits
which can help soldiers run faster. Soldiers can carry up to 90
kilograms of extra weight using the exoskeleton - that's heavier
than most adults.
Flying suit
People have tried to fly like Iron Man, but we haven't got there
yet. An adventurer called Yves Rossy wears a jet pack to fly.
But, we can't fly exactly like Iron Man yet. How does Iron Man
manage to fly so high and for so long? How does he power his suit?
Scientists haven't developed a technology like it yet.
Brain-computer suit
Although we've got some of the elements to make our own Iron Man
suits, it will be a long way before we put everything together.
Professor Zehr, a neuroscientist, thinks
that we won't be able to build an effective Iron Man which we
simply wear.
Scientists have already made computer mice and wheelchairs that
we can control with our thoughts alone.
To make a quick and responsive Iron Man we'll need to do
something similar. We'll need to make an Iron Man that we control
with our brain. Will it ever be possible?
Will scientists create an Iron
Man suit that we control with our brain?