Army Funds Research to Develop Fish Scale Body Armor | World Defense

Army Funds Research to Develop Fish Scale Body Armor

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A research team at MIT funded by the U.S. Army has developed a flexible armor using fish scales as inspiration, according to a study published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Produced by a 3-D printer, the material is a scale design that offers both flexibility and protection. The finished product is still in development and much more complex, but put simply, the outer layers are rigid and the under layers are more flexible and adaptive to the body.

The U.S. Army Research Office is the agency funding work done by the MIT mechanical engineer Stephan Rudykh. The famous engineering university has the MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies on campus.

Army leaders have pushed for advances in materials to protect soldier as the service looks to lighten the load of soldiers. The Army has made strides to make body armor more form fitting, but this scale design would yield a major breakthrough in terms of comfort and weight.

Researchers found that the material increased the penetration protection capability by a factor of 40 while reducing the flexibility factory by only 5.

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A collaboration between American and Israeli researchers has produced a prototype of a new type of body armor inspired by the flexibility of fish scales and other naturally occurring imbricated body armor. The armor prototype was designed to maximize the wearer’s ability to move unencumbered while providing significantly more protection than standard Kevlar body armor.





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3D Print-Com
 

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it seems a great development ,, we have to buy this body armor (:-)
the thing that attracted me is " fish scales " i guess in medieval armor resemble fish scales .
 

TommyVercetti

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This is just great. Modular plating seems like the next logical step up for modern body armors, if past examples are examined. Since the advent of the plate and cuirass, there have been several developments that have proceeded from them that are quite similar to these in design. In both cases we are looking for more maneuverability and of course greater effectiveness.
 

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we need more info on this please.



It should come with little surprise that some of the best product designs and technologies in existence are based off of the principles of biomimicry - which is defined as “an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature's time-tested patterns and strategies.” After all, the complexities involved with creating connected systems within the natural environment that are able to thrive and replenish on their own couldn’t be built by man, so why not take inspiration from the source?


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Among others who have looked towards nature for inspiration in developing new technologies are groups of researchers from both the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), led by mechanical engineer Stephan Rudykh.

Together, the teams have developed a new way of thinking about body armor that enables soldiers to move freely and with little added weight, but is still capable of stopping bullets and shrapnel. Of all things, the armor is inspired by fish scales and is able to be fabricated easily thanks to the capabilities of additive manufacturing.

Previously, we’ve seen similar efforts being made towards creating 3D printed fish scale-like structures from Ranajay Ghosh, an associate research scientist at the College of Engineering at Northeastern University.

Using an Objet Eden 333 3D printer, Ghosh and his team were successfully able to create samples of scale-inspired 3D print samples from ABS plastic and then used VPS silicone for the secondary soft layer. What they found was that the structure allowed both freedom of movement while being flexed while simultaneously being capable of obstructing blunt blows.


Now, Rudykh and his team at MIT have received financial backing for Soldier Nanotechnologies from the United States Army to further develop the fish scale-inspired armor into usable products that can actually be worn in the field rather than being tested in the ‘safe’ lab environment.



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Summary :-


A collaboration between American and Israeli researchers , from both the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) led by mechanical engineer Stephan Rudykh .

the teams work together to develop a new way of thinking about body armor enables soldiers to move freely and with little added weight ,Tough and Flexible Material .

the armor is inspired by fish scales is able to be fabricated easily thanks to the capabilities of additive manufacturing .

the subject still in the research phase and i don't expect that these new body armor materials will become available within the coming 5 years.
 

Redheart

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I think they should be focusing more on replacing soldiers with robots just as they were planning. Of course a few of the human troops would need the armor so if this will keep more soldiers alive then let no cash be spared.
 

kana_marie

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I have witnessed the military waste so much money, in my lifetime. It there is one area where they can NOT put too much money, and that is in body armor for the soldiers. If they are goin to be out fighting for us, then giving them the best armor money can is the least we can do.
 

jeremy2

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If the test trials prove to be a success, then we are headed to greater times. This will indeed be a major break through in the history of modern warfare as troops will be much protected when in the battle field.
 
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