There are a lot of people who want to be Batman. While most people don't want both their parents to die and to fight psychopathic criminals on a daily basis, there are a lot of people who would love to have access to Batman's tech and skillset. However, how effective is the Batsuit? Many of the versions made in films have been designed for show rather than effectiveness in combat. The most recent version from the upcoming "Batman V. Superman" film is reported to be restrictive and hard to put on or take off. What would a practical batsuit look like?
This is the question that plagued Jackson Gordon. The Philadelphia Univesity student and martial artist made a Batsuit before, but it was designed just for aesthetic purposes. Gordon wanted one that could actually protect him from a punch. So, after spending time creating a functional design, Gordon raised over $1200 on Kickstarter to pay for enough Kevlar and silicon molds. Gordon says that the Batsuit can protect the wearer from punches, knives and baseball bats, but not bullets. The outfit is also flexible, easy to put on and easy to move around in.
The suit weighs less than 25 pounds; the helmet alone weighs three pounds, which is a significant weight for a helmet. However, Gordon barely notices it.
Gordon made his first appearance in the suit in February at the Maryland-based anime convention Katsucon 2015.
Gordon isn't finished with the suit though; he told USA Today that he hopes to continue improving it: "One of the things about the design process that my teacher tells us over and over again that I've learned in my own process but now is more so even true, is that designing is never finished - you either run out of time or you run out of money.
"So I finished this project last week, and all this week when I'm done my homework I'm sitting in my dorm like, 'What do I do with my life?" Gordon continues to work on the suit, figuring out how to make it as effective as possible.
People can track the ongoing process of Gordon's Batsuit development on Facebook.
