Body Armor

861 Words2 Pages

Out of the many technologies being developed in the 21st century I have a major interest in assisting in the development of new full-body ballistic armor. The need for a lightweight, highly mobile, and effective body armor for military and law enforcement agencies has existed and continually increased through time. DARPA now has programs dedicated to producing such body armor and has made great advances in this area. This concept’s goal is to reduce the individual’s fatigue by removing the weight associated with traditional materials used in body armor while greatly increasing the surface area protected. Currently, the body armor worn by those in combat covers only the vital organs in the torso and portions of the head. These systems are heavy …show more content…

I could be placed in combat scenarios where this technology has the potential to benefit me. More importantly it may benefit those I work with and my friends that I will serve with. Those benefits also benefit their families who ultimately pay much more sacrifice to our nation than I believe I ever will. The training that I have received while attending school has been heavily involved in preparations for combat activities. In the group I train with we regularly wear body armor for safety and to train how we may one day fight. We have studied and personally learned of the limitations that ceramic hard plate body armor (standard US Military equipment) during our intensive training. Here at home SWAT officers are able to wear additional body armor since in most cases they are not wearing this armor on patrol and for long periods of time. In combat this is not the case since additional armor adds a significant amount of weight. When patrolling on foot for days at a time or clearing house after house carrying other equipment such as food, water, ammunition, communication gear, medical gear, and weapons that additional weight from armor is not desirable. The troops experience a great deal of fatigue, this fatigue then effects judgment and ability to fight which endangers their lives, their collages lives, and the lives of innocent people in the area. A new lighter armor would help to …show more content…

Once detection is made the fabric in the area of impact would become extremely rigid to prevent penetration and the energy would be spread over a large area of the person. The technology is not yet in existence to make this possible on the individual user’s scale. Another idea is to use a material with a type of fluid bladder within. When an incoming object is detected the area being targeted will receive fluid from a small reservoir will be sent to that area. The result is a fluid barrier that would absorb the energy of the impact and prevent penetration. This system is often compared to being akin to the airbags in vehicles. These two systems are similar in operating principle but utilize different technologies to accomplish the goal. When not responding to a threat the system will be highly mobile while being lighter than current

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