Science Saturdays: The Science of “Black Panther”

As one of my favorite Marvel films so far, I had to take the chance to look into the feasibility of the science featured in “Black Panther.” The setting of the film was exceptionally futuristic, even while existing in the same time frame as the other films, which made me curious as to whether the kind of technology featured in the film, such as flying cars, invisibility cloaks, and handheld EMPs. In the end, the found an article from Syfy explaining how at least the invisibility cloak and handheld EMPs could be made or used in the “real world” outside of the Marvel cinematic universe. It was interesting to read that these devices or similar devices could be produced in some practical sense, such as an invisibility cloak shielding one from satellites, or a EMP device being used to disrupt electronics. However, none of the “real world” applications were nearly as glamorous nor flawless as those shown in “Black Panther,” but the concepts listed do make for amazing fiction.