With the way robot and military technology are advancing, can we be that far from building a real-world version of Tony Stark's flying, laser-firing suit of armour? Not only are we not far away, but we're currently in the process of building suits that are a lot like the Iron Man - or perhaps the War Machine - you seen on the page and on-screen. Whilst commercial robots are just getting around to learning how to walk, military androids are way past the infant stage and have already moved into terrifying Terminator-esque visions of a war-torn future ruled over by Hunter-Killers. Robotic suits are already starting to be used with people who have problems using their limbs, but a similar exoskeleton - which can also shoot things and, at some point, fly - is being developed by the US Army. If you want to look at things that have already happened, you could make the point that Tony's remote-control suits have a lot in common with drones...
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
