BAE Systems has developed advanced liquid body armor for frontline troops that offers improved ballistics protection and ease of movement during combat.
The flexible liquid armor is apparently based on shear thickening fluids which “lock” together to protect soldiers during impact.
“Current ceramic based armor plates are heavy and bulky, restricting movement and contributing to fatigue, particularly in harsh environments like Afghanistan,” explained BAE spokesperson Stewart Penney.
“[In contrast], BAE’s liquid armor offers troops increased protection with reduced mass, wider area cover and greater maneuverability. The technology can [also] be integrated into standard Kevlar body armor to offer superior, freedom of motion and a reduction in overall thickness of up 45 per cent.”
According to Penney, the technology is best explained simply by thinking of stirring water with a metal spoon.
“In water you feel little resistance to the spoon. Whereas with ‘liquid armor’, you would feel significant resistance as the elements in the fluid lock together.
“The faster you stir, the harder it gets, so when a projectile impacts the material at speed, it hardens very quickly and absorbs the impact energy.”
