Superman is 75 years old this June and he’s still going strong. Almost a decade in the making, the release of the new Superman movie ‘Man Of Steel’ this month is a re-imagining of one of the greatest superhero franchises ever. At one time or another, all boys & men have fantasized about being the invincible, red cape wearing, flying man and using super vision to look at beautiful girls (if you haven't, there's something seriously wrong with you friend!). The problem is that trying to fight nuclear powered villains, stop speeding bullets and leap off a thirty storey building to fly is a bit hard for us mere mortals to do without killing ourselves first. But with gadgets & technology that actually exists today, your lifetime dream to have Superman’s awesome powers, finally is a reality.

Flying
When Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 (June 1938), even he couldn’t fly; he was only able to leap over tall buildings in a single bound. It was only in Action Comics #35 (April 1941) that our hero discovered he could soar over land and sea. Now you can do the same. The New Zealand-based aero-engineering firm Martin Aircraft Company has created the world’s first practical jetpack. The Martin Jetpack consists of a good old gas engine driving twin ducted fans, and it’s cellphone-sized flight-control unit and light carbon fibre material allows it to vertically take off and land in small spaces. Developed for military use, there is a version that will be available soon to anyone in the public for a measly Rs 58 lakhs ($100,000) and can travel at a cruising speed of 100kph, reaching heights of 1,500 metres. Best of all, no pilot’s license required (as yet!). Expect jet pack accidents to be the norm two decades from now, thanks to overzealous flying pizza delivery boys.

Super Senses
Superman’s unique eyesight allows him to see in the dark, scan everything in telescopic, microscopic or x-ray vision (only lead is impervious to his optic powers!), and also emits handy laser beams from his eyeballs to toast cheese sandwiches or blast villains on the run. Then there’s his super hearing, which can hear anything on the planet and let him zero in on trouble and locations anywhere. Google has come up with something close enough. Google Glass is an augmented reality, touchpad computer with camera, display, battery and microphone all built into spectacle frames (handy if you want to disguise yourself as Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent).

The device has Wifi & GPS, plays music, movies and has 16GB Flash storage, synced with a Google account. Plus it can even be controlled using voice actions. Think about it – just say "Record a video", or "What year was TechTree founded?'" or "Give me directions to Batman’s pad", and it’s instantly done for you. Out at the end of this year, it’s yours for just Rs 87,000 ($1,500). Sadly can’t toast sandwiches or warm coffee with a heat ray yet; Google are you listening?

If you’re on a really tight budget, (saving money to see Man Of Steel in expensive 3D we guess!) but still want some super senses, download the Smart Tools App (Rs 135) by Smart Tools from Google play for android devices. You can measure heights, distances, plus there’s a metal detector, compass, GPS, sound level meter, flashlight and yes, even a magnifier among other things.

Super Strength
Old Supes has turned mountains into dust with one punch; thrown planets back into orbit and even crushed a lump of ordinary coal instantly into a flawless diamond in his fist to impress his girlfriend (Remember Superman III the movie?). To give us ordinary mortals Superman’s strength, the Japanese based company Cyberdyne has designed the Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) robot suit. A wearable, strap on exoskeleton suit, it was developed to assist paraplegics, handicapped individuals and medical services. The suit is agile and graceful enough to let the wearer play football, while at the same time enables one to increase their strength up to 10 times the norm – you could knock down doors and smash cars with few punches! Using sensors attached to the skin, the suit moves effortlessly with your muscles and has a continuous operating time of about 2 hours and 40 minutes. Available in Japan this year, the company will rent it to you for the low price of Rs 58,000 a month ($1000).

Cyberdine is not the only company with this technology at the moment. US based Raytheon Inc has their XOS 2 Exoskeleton which will be available soon, while Global aerospace company Lockheed Martin recently unveiled HULC, a titanium hydraulic-powered anthropomorphic exoskeleton, that will transform ordinary soldiers into super humans. Wait for any one of these to show up cheap on eBay in a couple of years and then have some fun with it.
 

Invulnerability
Bullets and bombs bounce of the Man of Steel, but the average good guy like you and me, has to run like hell or stay indoors and call the police, if we want to live to see the next Star Wars movie. But if you’re macho (or crazy) enough to take on a loco maniac with a gun or two, you can now do it just like Superman in completely ordinary looking but bullet proof clothes. Colombian designer Miguel Caballero has been specializing in bullet-resistant clothing for over two decades now; everything from classy suits to leather jackets to raincoats and even t-shirts that all use a Kevlar-based material. They’ve even started a women’s bulletproof line. Among their famous clients with bullet proof duds, US President Barack Obama, Bill Gates and even actor Brandon Routh (there are still some angry fans out to get him for ruining the last Superman movie – but that’s another story!).

If you’re on a budget, you can start off with the Armored Polo T-Shirt for around Rs 2 lakhs ($3,475.00) which will protect you from handguns, revolvers and even submachine guns such as mini-Uzis. And wearing a full bespoke suit (starting at Rs 8 lakhs), you’ll be ready against high-powered assault rifles and machine guns that the crazy employees you recently fired from work might attack you with. Though you’ll be fine and may get a few nicks and bruises after an extremely nasty attack, unfortunately the bullets won't just bounce off these clothes as they would from Superman's chest. So you’ll still have to explain to the girlfriend why you showed up twenty minutes late to the restaurant with holes and bullet slugs in your clothes.

Disclaimer: Just remember that attempting to save the world and mankind like Superman can be very dangerous, no matter what gadgets you own. Use common sense, keep your health insurance up to date and make sure you pack extra batteries every time you plan to do a heroic deed.

About this writer: Fali R. Singara is a radio jockey who likes to think he’s an expert on all things Superman. His collection includes over a 1000 Superman comics.

Tags : Superman