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How does Tony Stark's body survive the forces of his Iron Man suit?

By all accounts, flying inside Iron Man's supersuit would do some bodily damage. So how does Stark do it? Nerdist's Kyle Hill has a few thoughts.

Michael Franco
Freelancer Michael Franco writes about the serious and silly sides of science and technology for CNET and other pixel and paper pubs. He's kept his fingers on the keyboard while owning a B&B in Amish country, managing an eco-resort in the Caribbean, sweating in Singapore, and rehydrating (with beer, of course) in Prague. E-mail Michael.
Michael Franco
2 min read

When you watch Iron Man zip around the big screen, physics probably aren't the first thing on your mind (usually on my mind is how much I'd love to get my hands on one of his suits and take it for a spin). But that's not the case for Kyle Hill. As an engineer and the "chief science officer" for Nerdist, Hill's bread and butter is pondering the intersection of science and geek culture -- like why the Hulk turns green -- for his weekly "Because Science" series.

In his most recent episode, Hill examines how Tony Stark can withstand the tremendous forces placed on his body from rocketing through the sky and making instant stops and insane right-angle turns.

To understand why this is a question at all, just think about Hill's example of driving a car while wearing a seatbelt. Slam on your brakes suddenly and you're going to feel big resistance coming from your belt. That's because your body wants to keep going even though the car has stopped.

Now multiply that by a few dozen times and you get some sense of what Stark is up against. At the very least, Hill says, when Iron Man makes a sudden stop, his brain would want to keep going and would slam into his skull, causing a super concussion.

So, what body-preserving forces are at work inside that red and gold suit (or the new black one set to appear in the upcoming " Avengers: Age of Ultron" film)? While we might never penetrate the real science that goes on at Stark Industries, Hill has at least a few theories. Check them out in the video above, then add your own in the comments below.

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