Design of the Batpod !

Batman: The Dark Knight was released to theatres across US on 18 July 2008 and it was a rocker. I watched the IMAX version of the movie on the second day after its release and it was well worth the money. I think it was the Joker (Heath Ledger) who made this movie the hit that it became. The film had everything to offer right from cool stunts, cool gizmos, great graphics and stunning cinematography. This was probably the best movie of the first half of 2008 for me.

Batman is known for his cool gizmos and machinery and this movie offered no less in that respect. The coolest gadget that batman had this time was his Batpod. At first glance, the Batpod looked completely undrivable. How the hell did Batman (or his stuntmen) drive this thing in the movie?


Firstly here a good photo borrowed from this site:



I also found these few interesting paragraphs on its design :

From this:

The vehicle has
no handlebars, but shields for the shoulders that allow for steering.
It was also difficult to keep balance on the huge 508 millimeter tires,
with engines in both hubs of each wheel. Not only that, the driver has
to lie belly down on either side of the tank, balanced on two foot pegs
spaced 3 ½ feet apart.

From this:

Despite its curious mechanics, this is a drivable vehicle. Flanking the
Batpod behind the front wheel are two elevated stirrup like devices
which the stunt driver, Jean-Pierre Goy, places his arms into and
steers the vehicle using his shoulders. The engines are located within
each wheel hub, seemingly reminiscent of the electric motor integrated
into every wheel of MIT Media Lab’s CityCar. According to the LA Times, this attitude laden design was conceived by Nathan Crowley and built by Chris Corbould.

Neat stuff !