The James Bond franchise has had some pretty cool gadgets that have captivated audiences for decades. From the Aston Martin to the shark-submarine, you can’t deny these devices are fun to think about.
The franchise has featured some of the most iconic movie weapons and vehicles in history, but just how safe and realistic are some of these gadgets? Can they be used for real-life purposes?
Comments from the Engineering Experts
“While 007’s gadgets are undoubtedly awesome, in reality, the less thrilling element of health and safety seems to have been forgotten in the Bond movies. Many of Bond’s gadgets require the air to be inhaled by Bond himself
Breathing in compressed air after compression is actually incredibly harmful and anyone who knows their way around this kind of equipment would never recommend doing so.
The sound levels of compressed air can be anywhere from 35 decibels to upwards of 120 decibels. Not only will this give away anyone’s position, but the higher levels can cause permanent damage if the correct Personal Protection Clothing (PPC) isn’t worn!
These gadgets are not practical in the real world and anyone wanting to make copycats needs to seriously consider the health and safety element
-Richard Brown, Senior Sales Engineer, Direct Air.
Best Bond Gadgets From the Film Franchise
GoldenEye
The phone booth trap was a device used in the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye. Phone booths have made a resurgence in recent years to provide privacy and security for people making calls on their smartphones.
Nevertheless, this film was ahead of the curve when smartphones were even around. Within the film, the phone booth trap with airbag can be seen where Q (Desmond Llewelyn) is demonstrating to James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) the different technical gadgets in the lab and within a BT telephone booth, we can see an inflated air bag enforcing a man in a shirt and tie to have his body weight pressed against the glass.
Thunderball
The underwater speargun was used in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. It is featured when 00 agent James Bond kills two combat divers trying to sabotage his speedboat.
Bond’s underwater spear gun has become one of the most iconic movie gadgets with real-world applications. Underwater spear guns are already a thing. Fishers and sport divers use them to catch fish and other aquatic creatures.
While the average underwater speargun is not as badass as Bond’s, they provide a way to capture prey without getting wet. They also have the advantage of being quiet so that you can sneak up on your prey.
It comes with enough air pressure and could be shot from a device like this underwater speargun
The underwater spear gun from Thunderball is a pretty good design. It comes with enough air pressure to propel the spear through the water, and it could be shot from a device like this.
Moonraker
The gondola hovercraft was used in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker. James Bond is have a nice time on a leisurely trip in Venice and then one of Hugo Drax’s assassins emerges. The assassin tries to kill Bond but instead fails and ends up killing the gonodlier before meeting his own demise by Bond (Roger Moore).
This design has several advantages over traditional boats or airplanes because it offers an easy way of navigating waterways at high speeds without using any fossil fuels. Also, because the gondola hovercraft is powered by air, it is much quieter than a traditional boat or airplane.
The Moonraker Gondola Hovercraft is an interesting design that has yet to be proven but shows promise for being able to be replicated in the future. With continued development and testing, this could eventually become a reality. Let’s hope it does!