20 Things You Didn't Know About Batman Begins
6. A Lot Of Batman's Tech Is Based On Real Technology
Batman is not known for his realism. Over the last 80+ years, Batman has used many preposterous gadgets including the Bat-Sled, the Bat-Harpoon, the Bat-Flamethrower, and Batman Female Villain Repellent (which does exactly what is says).
Because Batman Begins was going for a serious tone, it needed to showcase more realistic gizmos. One example of this would be Batman's cape. Lucius Fox tells Bruce Wayne that the memory-cloth (which becomes the cape) can be tailored to take on any shape when a current is generated through it.
This idea may seem fantastical but it's based on real technology called electrostatic flocking. The British Ministry of Defense use this gear so soldiers can obscure their position while in a hostile location.
One of Batman's most identifiable gadgets is his grappling hook. In the other films, this device wouldn't be very practical. If a grappling hook is lifting a 200lb man from his arm, it's probably going to dislocate his shoulder. In Batman Begins, the titular hero used a device similar to an Atlas rope ascender; an apparatus which attaches to the wielder's belt-buckle instead of their arm. That way, the harness is pulling on the body evenly rather than the arm.