Viable ablative body armor and other fun bits of technological goodies.
Gentlecritters, materials innovations such as this in combination with several other recently announced items seem poised to permit an entirely new "age".
Presuming we don't wipe ourselves out first. ;)
using composite metal foam could reduce the weight of armour by up to 20 per cent while increasing its ability to stop bullets.
This isn't *that* amazing. It is a respectable incremental improvement, but it is not some revolutionary leap in technology. Military body armor already stops almost all small arms fire.
This isn't *that* amazing. It is a respectable incremental improvement, but it is not some revolutionary leap in technology. Military body armor already stops almost all small arms fire.using composite metal foam could reduce the weight of armour by up to 20 per cent while increasing its ability to stop bullets.
The example given stopped an armor-piercing 7.62-NATO long-arm round cold and disintegrated the projectile while permitting less than a fifth of the currently accepted kevlar penetration standard (8mm penetration against the foam vs. a 44mm penetration). If I recall my measurements right, 44mm is nearly a 2-inch penetration, enough to break bones. An 8mm penetration is far less likely to result in major injury.
Cutting 6 or 7 pounds of soldiers' load-out is a good idea in combination with superior stopping ability, yes?