Unless they are really into cosplay, building an Iron Man suit really isn’t at the top of most people’s bucket list. I mean, after all, they only need to go buy a costume, or have on made. But for Adam Savage, ‘Mythbusters’ former co-host and current host of the new eight-episode series ‘Savage Builds’, building an Iron Man suit meant much more than rubbing elbows at a nerd convention. It meant building a suit that could actually fly. But could it be done? Well, if anyone could do it, it would be Savage.
The New York City Native was actually raised in the Westchester County, New York town of Sleepy Hollow. It was at the bicycle shop in that town that Savage began to learn how to fix things, sparking the scientific interest inside of him. But he ended up acting during his childhood, appearing in commercials and music videos, including “You’re Only Human’ by Billy Joes. He also found himself assisting with special effects for the movie ‘Star Wars. But a career on neither the big or little screen was his aim. By the time he was nineteen, Adam decided that he preferred to work with his hands much more, so he turned to being an animation assistant, doing special effects, and dabbling in graphic arts. All of that was short-lived as well; ‘Mythbusters‘ dawned on the horizon, and Savage was smitten, calling the program ‘…the perfect marriage of two things: performance and special effects”. In 2011, the Netherlands’ University of Twente presented him with an honorary doctorate for sparking a renewed interest in other people for technology and science.
Enough About Adam…What About the Suit?
Okay, okay…enough about Adam’s personal early life; let’s get to the suit. Adam, as mentioned above, was one of the few, fractional individuals who wanted to build an Iron Man suit, and what better place to do it that than on his series ‘Savage Builds’, since the main premise of the program is extreme engineering? So, after garnishing the approval of the powers that be, Adam began the process necessary to get the ball rolling.
First, Adam visited the Colorado School of Mines, which is a science-based school. There he was able to choose individuals who would make up the team that would help him design and build the suit. Gravity Industries provided him with a jet-pack for the suit, with an additional five mini-jet engines strapped to the outside of the suit itself; each of the minis packed 1000 HP apiece! Expensive undertaking? I’d say. But the truth is that Savage’s pal Richard Browning is in charge of Gravity Industries, so chances are he got some kind of a discount.
What it Took to Whip the Suit Up
As we know, the suit required a larger jet pack and five mini-jet packs to assist it with flying. But if the suit was literally made of iron, those jet packs would never even get Adam’s feet off the ground. So, what was it constructed of? To me, this is where things get a bit interesting.
According to Nerdist.com, the suit is constructed of a very thin form of titanium. In his interview with CNET, Savage reported that the titanium was used by a 3D printer to produce the suit. He also stated that if Tony Stark actually existed in our world, he would have went about making the suit in the exact same way, using titanium because of its strong, lightweight properties. In a piece done by the Deccan Chronicle the suit is fully-functional, though it doesn’t exactly resemble the one created by fictional billionaire Stark, but it does fly.
Savage also claims that the suit is bulletproof, able to deflect bullets shot out of a .45. So, I’d say that the titanium is fairly strong. Basically what Savage wanted to create was a suit that wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill costume; he wanted it to also be a suit of armor, strong and protective as well as flight-capable. While Savage himself didn’t test fly the suit, it did pass both the flight test and the bullet test, sending bullets flying with very little damage sustained.
So, If Adam Didn’t Test Fly the Suit, Who Did?
As it turned out, when all was said and done, the suit was built and the bullet test was complete and satisfactory, Savage simply didn’t feel comfortable about taking his suit up to test the flying mechanisms at all. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his own work, I’m sure. I would rather choose to believe he is simply afraid of heights. Well, we can hope that was the reason he refused.
So, his pal from Gravity Industries, Richard Browning, took the task upon himself. After getting the suit on securely he took off. Browning managed to rise fifteen feet in the air. Savage said after the test, “That was the most fun I’ve ever had with 1000 horsepower in my whole life. That was astounding.” I’m sure his feelings would have been much stronger had he tested it himself, but oh, well. I’m sure he’ll get around to it soon.
So, now we have a fully-functional Iron Man suit on our planet (with the exception of the electric heart that powered Tony Stark’s version). Sure, it can fly and bullets bounce off of it; those things alone are pretty darn impressive, to say the very least. But it does make you wonder what Savage will tackle next; I don’t think he could ever top the suit, no matter how hard he may try. But he has been known to surprise us all. Well, Adam, good luck with your suit, and your next project. Maybe you could set your focus on building a 3D printed tree that actually sprouts currency instead of leaves, or Ferraris that hatch out of eggs. I think all of us would appreciate those things, so go to it; we’re behind you all the way.
Don’t forget to check out ‘Savage Builds’ on the Science Channel to see what Savage comes up with next!
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