How science and gadgets could make you Spider-Man

Reactions so fast they verge on precognition, the strength to throw a car with ease, and the agility to balance on one finger. That’s just a few of the things on Spider-Man’s CV that we want. But our attempts to replicate his powers by pouring radioactive goo over a daddy-long-legs didn’t pay off, so it’s time to turn to the world of science. We’ve compiled a list of scientific discoveries and gadgets that’ll make us nearly as super as the web-head himself.

Web-slinging

The first step to becoming Spider-Man is webbing. Spider silk is as strong as high-grade alloy steel, and with a bit of help from genetically modfied goats, it’ll even stop a bullet. Anyway, because spiders produce so little, scientists have come to the rescue by genetically modifying those prolific silk producers, silkworms, to churn out the strong stuff en masse. So that means super thin body armour for your costume and, if you can fashion a projector device, web slinging.

Wall crawling

The next step: scaling walls. No problem with this vacuum-powered wall-climbing contraption. This version might not look great, even when painted red and blue, but it was just a project of university students to show they can do it. The end result went to the Air Force, so here’s hoping it gets refined to fit inside a lycra suit soon.

Agility

When it comes to the agility and balance that Spider-Man commands, practice is the key. And what better way to build your balance than by playing around on the infinitely fun slackline? Just like walking on your own web-line.

Secret identity

And when you’re off duty, these Spider-Man flip-flops help you nod to your secret identity, you cocky hero you. We may even wear them in front of the cameras at the Amazing Spider-Man premiere on Monday 18th. Keep your eyes peeled for us on the Sky Movies HD channel coverage from 6pm (GMT).

[Spider-Man cover art by Angel Medina]

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About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.