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BAE System 'Bullet Proof Custard' Body Armor
BAE Systems is working on a super gel that hardens on impact to protect soldiers in battle.
(Liquid armor for frontline troops)
Nicknamed ‘bullet proof custard’ BAE Systems is adding a top-secret liquid to revolutionise body armour used by soldiers that absorbs the force of a bullet shot by thickening and hardening instantly on impact.The bulletproof armour made from ‘shear-thickening fluids’ will be nearly near half as heavy as traditional ceramic panel armour, giving soldiers lighter, more flexible, and even greater manoeuvrability on the battlefield.
Scientists from BAE Systems developed the high-tech ‘liquid armour’ by inserting the futuristic formula between layers of traditional Kevlar (a synthetic fibre with high tensile strength and temperate resistance).
When a bullet hits the armour, the fluid solidifies and absorbs the impact over a wider area compared to a traditional vest, not only protecting the soldier, but also reducing any immediate impact pain.In addition to increasing the ballistic performance of combat body armour, the technology could also be used by police forces and ambulance crews in the future.
SF fans of course remember the Flexible Armor Suit from the 1966 novella Neutron Star by Larry Niven.
He was weaponless, but his suit was a kind of defense. No projectile short of a fast meteorite could harm him. Like a silicone plastic, the pressure suit was soft and malleable under gentle pressures, such as walking, but instantly became rigid all over when something struck it...
From BAE Systems; thanks to Winchell Chung.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 4/5/2012)
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