Bond’s Gadgets

Blue X-Ray Glasses (The World Is Not Enough, 1999)

Q designed this pair of blue sunglasses. They are X-ray glasses which allow Bond to wander though a casino viewing concealed weapons.

Nice idea, of course, but Bond's glasses stretch the barriers of X-ray technology a little too far. Like light and radio waves, X-rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation. They are most widely used in medicine to visualise bones and organs.

Could it work?

Underwater Breather (Thunderball, 1965)

This emergency device allowed 007 enough oxygen breath underwater for approximately 4 minutes. It saved his life during an underwater battle when his scuba breathing apparatus had been forcefully removed.

An ingenious idea - unfortunately, it's total fantasy. A 3.8 litre tank contains around 30 minutes of compressed air. The smallest mini breather available is an emergency tank of 0.5 litres of air contained in a tank about the size of a fizzy drink can. It only lasts for about two minutes - or 40 breaths.

Could it work?

Q's Pet (A View To A Kill, 1985)This first of its kind surveillance machine is operated by remote control. Its cameras and microphones relay information back to Q in his operations van.

After the terrorist attack on New York, dozens of experimental robots similar to Q's snooper scoured the wreckage of the World Trade Center's collapsed twin towers.detection devices, these robots were designed to seek out heat, light, motion and colours that might signal a survivor. They were driven by caterpillar tracks and were strong enough to push lumps of concrete out of the way.

Could it work?