This manufacturer built a functional Batman fighting weapon in just one year

If you’ve ever watched a Batman movie or played Just cause, you probably thought “wow, using a hook would be a lot of fun.” YouTuber Built IRL, whose name is JT, also thought – and he’s been working to make it happen last year. The end result is a hook gun that works quite similarly to what we’ve seen in movies and games.

As you will see in the video above, this new fighting weapon is more impressive than many previous attempts. On the one hand, it is independent – the entire unit fits on your arm, including the CO2 powered detonation mechanism that shoots the hook using standard cartridges and a very powerful 10,000 W motor that is suitably fast and can pull you up completely. (It shows some past historical attempts to build such a device, and it definitely looks like its hook would win the fighting weapon race.)

Unlike some other DIY hooks, the JT contraption can also bring you back to earth. He can control his direction and speed with a wheel near his thumb.

Photo: IRL built

You can also see some of the real-world limitations of a grapple gun, those that Batman never had to deal with, since he is a work of fiction. The device can be difficult to control – in part because JT is trying to use his thumb while holding his weight with one hand. Most of the time, he wears it attached to a harness, so that the impact of being pulled upwards can spread throughout the body instead of being dragged by a single arm. (Just thinking about it, my shoulders hurt.)

It also happens that wrapping a hook around what you’re trying to climb is not as easy as it looks in Overwatch or Titanfall 2. This is especially true when he is being fired from something attached to his arm.

Despite the drawbacks, the device still works shockingly well for something so small, and it’s amazing to see a project like this working. He’s also working on a version of Spider-Man’s web snipers, and his success with the fighting weapon makes me think he might actually have a shot.

If you want to see the origins of the project, you can check out the video JT made with Hacksmith Industries in November 2019. If you want to see the entire construction process, you can also check out this video playlist detailing the evolution of the project.