Orange, squishy body armor material could save lives
It’s bright orange, it’s squishy, it stretches like taffy - and it is unlike any body armor you've ever seen. Defense Specialist Allison Barrie has an up close look at a new orange goo, developed by D30, which is the key to ultra-lightweight body armor that can deliver incredible protection.
It’s bright orange, it’s squishy, it stretches like taffy — and it is unlike any body armor you’ve ever seen.
If you were attacked with a baseball bat and you were wearing this bright orange goop under your clothes, then your attacker might as well have swung a toothpick at you — the goop will take the hit for you and absorb the strike.
D3O concocted this remarkable, soft, stretchy, flexible, orange material that absorbs shock. Incorporated into their TRUST line of armor, there is a wide range available from helmets, chest, back and knuckle armor through to elbow, knee and foot protection. Orange goo-fortified options can shield you head to toe against blunt force trauma.
Sure, the raw material looks, and feels, like very orange Silly Putty. But this advanced material is the key to ultra-lightweight body armor that feels like you are wearing regular apparel.
This orange goo is so powerful it only requires a thin layer to deliver incredible protection.
Blunt force trauma to the abdomen can be dangerous. A swing of a tire iron at your belly could lead to possible abdominal organ contusions and ruptures — D3O armor can absorb that sort of strike and reduce those injuries.
TRUST Vest (D3O)
A serious blow to the head could mean concussion or even death. D3O helmet liners absorb the impact, take the beating for you, and reduce these serious risks.
How does it work?
The TRUST armor is soft and flexible until it gets struck. At impact, the goo stiffens, providing a shield to absorb the attack.
The result? The amount of force transmitted to your body is greatly reduced and a wearer will not feel the blow — or at least experience a significantly reduced impact. Once the blow is absorbed, the goo-infused apparel goes back to its soft, flexible, smushy mode.
What is it made of?
The D3O secret sauce is proprietary and highly sophisticated, employing advanced polymer chemistry. On the most simplistic level, molecules move about freely in the soft material. When hit, the molecules lock, absorbing and dispersing the energy from the impact. The molecules then return to moving freely and the material becomes flexible again.
How could the orange goo protect U.S. police?
Every year, law enforcement and military members are assaulted and subjected to blunt force in the line of duty.
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Patrolling on foot, catching criminals, physical dispute intervention, public disorder incidents, traffic stops, searches and suspects who resist capture are just a few of the many ways police officers can end up suffering a blunt force trauma injury.
Those who serve our nation deserve every possible protection —and they need protection that won’t hinder their ability to do their job. They need light protection that doesn’t slow them down or inhibit movement.
3M ultra lightweight ballistic bump helmet (3M)
D3O’s bright orange goo helps achieve both protection and unrestricted movement at the same time. Unlike traditional heavy, clunky, hot, awkward-fitting armor, the TRUST armor is a comfortable armor to wear because it bends, stretches and breathes with smart air flow designs — while still providing a high degree of protection from the sort of blunt force trauma that commonly occurs.
Some scenarios will require maximum ballistic protection, but in other scenarios with a different threat assessment, the conventional heavy armor may not be necessary and a lighter, less restrictive armor could be a better solution.
The ‘James Bond’ Factor
Since mere millimeters of thickness can provide serious protection, it also means G3O is a great choice for undercover or covert type work. It can be worn under regular clothes, and deliver low profile, if not invisible, protection.
Who uses this armor?
So far, elite military teams like U.S. Special Forces have been leveraging D3O for body protection.
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Allies such as France and Great Britain have been exploring its potential in military and policing applications.
G1 Knuckle Protection
D3O
The D3O orange goo can be integrated into gloves to discreetly provide enhanced protection. There are several options available for different protection levels and task.
Hand dexterity is vital in defense and law enforcement for weapon handling, of course, but also many, many other tasks. Fit and flexibility are key factors to maintain dexterity, so the G1 has multiple flex points incorporated and thin and light protection built in.
D3O’s research suggests that when fingers are hit with blunt force, the innovative orange material provides a whopping 50 percent better reduction in the amount of force that reaches the fingers than other protective gloves available on the market.
TRUST Vest
The futuristic looking TRUST Vest armor worn beneath a regular shirt will basically be unnoticeable.
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In practice, this means if you’re wearing a vest protecting your stomach, the orange goo inside the vest will absorb a punch, a thrown brick — even the impact of a tire iron swung at you.
The TRUST Vest meets the British HOSDB Blunt Trauma Protector standard and incorporates flame resistant fabric.
Enhancing Helmet Protection
If you have a helmet with these astonishing orange goo liners, then you could have a chair smashed over your head and the goo will absorb the blow for you.
D3O has created TRUST helmet pads for many military and law enforcement helmet development programs like the U.S. Army’s Enhanced Combat Helmet.
The seven-component TRUST helmet liner system weighs 13.65 grams and includes a 14-millimeter thick trap pad.
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Based on company research, the Helmet Liner System provides 33 percent more protection than the level required for the U.S. Army Advanced Combat Helmet tests at 10ft/sec.
3M Ceradyne’s new military Ultra-Light Weight Ballistic and Bump Helmet, with advanced protection against ballistic penetration and fragmentation as well as blunt force trauma, incorporates D3O’s amazing materials.
Football, Baseball and Beyond
There are countless other military and law enforcement applications for this remarkable innovation, such as better protection above the foot from a blow and better shock absorption below to reduce fatigue and injury.
The bright orange goo could also be used to reduce impact injury in vehicles and to protect mission electronics from impact and vibration.
When D3O first launched, it immediately caught the interest of top Hollywood stuntmen, who recognized it could provide much-needed relief from their regular beatings at work.
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Partnerships, like the D3O liner integration into Schutt’s sports helmets, have helped to make access to this remarkable innovation more available to civilians.
Now, football, lacrosse and baseball players can benefit from this advanced trauma protection too. The amazing goo is also now available in protective apparel for other high impact popular sports like motorcycle racing, mountain biking and snowboarding.
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