This is way cool.
A futuristic flexible material that instantly hardens into armour upon impact will protect US and Canadian skiers from injury on the slalom runs at this year’s Winter Olympics.
The lightweight bendable material, known as d3o, can be worn under normal ski clothing. It will provide protection for US and Canadian skiers taking part in slalom and giant slalom races in Turin, Italy. Skiers normally have to wear bulky arm and leg guards to protect themselves from poles placed along the slalom run.
Skiwear company Spyder, based in Colorado, US, developed racing suits incorporating d3o along the shins and forearms and offered members of the US and Canadian Olympic alpine ski teams the chance to try them out several months ago. “Now they love it and won’t ski without it,” claims Richard Palmer, CEO of UK-based d3o Labs, which developed the material.
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The resulting material exhibits a material property called “strain rate sensitivity”. Under normal conditions the molecules within the material are weakly bound and can move past each with ease, making the material flexible. But the shock of sudden deformation causes the chemical bonds to strengthen and the moving molecules to lock, turning the material into a more solid, protective shield.
NewScientist: US and Canadian skiers get smart armour
You know in Back to the Future II when Marty, his girlfriend Jennifer, and Doc go to the year 2015? In one scene, a female police officer tells Jennifer “be careful in the future.” Jennifer, who was knocked unconscious earlier, and isn’t sure of where (or when) she is asks quizzically “the future?” The police officer, of course, meant “be careful next time,” but Jennifer (ludicrously, really) takes it as meaning that she is in the future, when things are apparently more dangerous than they were in 1985. Yeah, well… that’s what I feel like reading this news. Am I in the future?
tree says
Sweet. Where I can get mine?
Brian Dawes says
Wow that is truly amazing! Sounds like an alien technology to me 😉 I want some of that.