Batman has been an inspiration to many, but to the United States military? It seems his technology is, at least. Most people familiar with the Batman movies witness him using an arsenal of gadgets at his disposal, some of which seem farfetched and futuristic. But where movie viewers see entertainment, the military sees potential.
The BAE Systems team is responsible for their futuristic model, but their project leader says their true inspiration came from the caped crusader himself. He has enjoyed watching him cruise around in his Batmobile so much that he decided to base his next design on it. “Yes, we liked the look of that, so we designed something similar,” said Hisham Awad to a group of journalists during an unveiling of seven new vehicles in their conceptual design phase.
Coined the Raider, this smaller unmanned vehicle is highly agile, great for reconnaissance and attack, and can carry a variety of ammo. Keen Batman fans will quickly notice the similarity, but the BAE Systems team is proud of their design and their source of inspiration. “In all seriousness, we decided we didn’t have a monopoly on inspiration, and if we saw something in a film that we thought might be a good idea, why not take a look at it and see if there’s something practical we can develop?” Awad said.
Other conceptual designs were introduced, such as one that would be able to camouflage with its surroundings using electronic ink, a similar concept to what a squid uses. Another one allows for the “sweating” of water or other materials through its “skin” to reduce its own thermal heat signature. Hollywood has had a definite influence on how our military fights and prevents wars, and the sky’s the limit when it comes to futuristic inspiration.
Now, to see a prototype of the Raider in the near future – hopefully they can create one that would make Bruce Wayne himself proud.
