Nov 22
Perhaps the holy grail of body armor is the type that’s flexible and soft when you’re in motion or need to move around, but that firms up the instant something hits you or when you take some kind of impact, offering protection when you need it and flexibility when you need it.
That’s the promise of Deflexion, a new silicon-based smart fabric from Dow Corning, which is made from a fabric that compresses into a strong, solid, hardened surface when something impacts the surface of the fabric.
The key is in the material’s molecular structure: under normal conditions, the molecules in the silicon fabric are free to move about. Upon sudden compression, they tighten up, are unable to move freely, and become near-solid, distributing the impact of the compression across the entire fabric. This feature makes it ideal for wearable armor like bulletproof vests, motorcycle riding gear, or shock-resistant shoes and boots.
[via DVice]
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