According to Batman's co-creator Bob Kane, he based the concept behind Batman's cape functionality on the "flying machine" schematics designed by Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci. [74] Batman implemented a radio communicator on the heel of his boots, but he would use it on rare occasions. [33] Since the early days, Batman modified and upgraded the Batsuit with the purpose of creating the perfect combat gear that would help him on his crime fighting career.

At one point, Batman made the batsuit bulletproof, which was useful when fighting criminals that rely heavily on firearms. [21] Cape and Cowl When Jean-Paul Valley took over as Batman after Bruce Wayne was paralyzed by Bane, he started out wearing the standard Batsuit. His first modification came after his exposure to Scarecrow's Fear Toxin set off The System. The old leather gauntlets were replaced with more modern, armored weapons armed with razor sharp talons and a shuriken launcher. His first encounter with Bane lead to him modifying the entire suit entirely. The cape was replaced with a shorter one attached to an armored chestplate which also mounted a searchlight with the Bat-Shield on it. The costume was one piece and the legs mounted three razor sharp accouterments on each one. Finally, the old cowl was replaced with a full covered cowl. Eventually, Jean-Paul improved the cape and made it of kevlar and ceramic armor, which made it bulletproof. The body of the suit was covered with chainlink steel mesh inside a nomex shell. [44] First used by a scientist by the name of Tlano who lived on a different planet was inspired by Batman's actions and designed a Batsuit to wear in resemblance of his idol. This batsuit was different from Batman's in that the suit consisted of a set of purple cape, cowl, briefs and gauntlets; red vest and pants and yellow sleeves. Besides resembling Batman's costume, it featured a yellow oval symbol on the chest with a bat symbol inside. After a confrontation with Dr. Phosphorus in which the Batsuit was severely burned, [39] Batman designed a special Batsuit, which protected him from radiation and was made of a heavier material, which couldn't be easily burned. The new suit however, kept the same design as the previous one. [40] The second variation was the "Frogman" Batsuit, which was a diving suit used for underwater exploration and the helmet was shaped after Batman's cowl. The suit featured an oxygen tank with pipes connected to the helmet and it also had fins on the feet for faster underwater movement. [37]

The idea of placing the yellow circle in the Batsuit chest was conceived by Julius Schwartz and implemented by Carmine Infantino in 1964 as a way to improve Batman's appearance. However, this idea was probably taken from Batman #113, where the yellow circle was introduced as part of a bat-suit that belonged to a Batman from another planet.

verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ Batman made additional alterations to his cape, incorporating a thin lattice of flexible rods that could be used to grant him glider-like capabilities. These accouterments proved ideal for aerial combat, particularly against other flying adversaries such as the Man-Bat. [22] During Batman's first appearances, he had no base of operations such as the Batcave and instead, he would store the batsuit in a wooden chest in Wayne Manor. [6] After Alfred joined the Bat-Family, the Batsuit was usually kept in drawers, just like the rest of Bruce's clothing. [76] A short time later, Bruce placed all his Batsuits on a special room in the Batcave and no longer kept them anywhere in Wayne Manor. [16] Batman developed a pair of night vision goggles separated from the cowl which he used for missions in dark places. [23] Shortly after this, he included a radio receiver on the cowl, which allowed him to listen to radio messages from Robin or other members of the Bat-Family. [24] This feature was previously exclusive present on the Utility Belt radio. Years later, Batman created a couple of infra-red visors that would fit perfectly on the cowl's eye-slits. [25]