It may look like a device used in Gotham City, but this handheld tool is employed by several hundred police officers in Los Angeles, California.

Called the BolaWrap 100, the gun-like device shoots out Kevlar cord that wraps around the individual's arms and legs, rendering them immobile.

It was designed to de-esculate situations without officers having to use force, as police  across the US have come under fire for how situations involving a person who is unarmed or suffers from mental health issues are handled.

'BolaWrap is the only remote response to resistance tool that ensures a safe space between subject and officer, does not rely on pain compliance, and is specifically designed to be deployed early in an engagement,' reads Wrap Technologies', maker of the BolaWrap, website.