#armor

#armor

This Bizarre Renaissance "Lantern Shield" Was the Supreme Tacticool Accessory of Its DayCore77 introduces us to a strange weapon from Renaissance Italy. The lantern shield was a buckler--a shield that attached to the non-dominant arm of a swordsman. Such shields were common in that era. But this particular buckler, which can be found in a weapons museum in Austria, has additional futures.

New Shock-Absorbing Material is Strong as Steel and Light as FoamResearchers from John Hopkins University have developed a new shock-absorbing material that is as strong as steel but as light as foam. The material offers more protection from a wide range of impacts, but being lighter could reduce fuel consumption and the environmental impact of vehicles. If applied en masse, this could be a game changer for helmets, body armor, and automobile and aerospace parts.The research team, headed by Sung Hoon Kang, increased the material's ability to withstand impact by using high energy-absorbing liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), which have been used mainly in actuators and robotics.In their durability tests, it held up against strikes from objects weighing about four to 15 pounds, coming at speeds of up to about 22 miles per hour. The tests were limited to 22 miles per hour due to limits of the testing machines, but the team is confident the padding could safely absorb even greater impacts.They are currently exploring a collaboration with a helmet company to design, fabricate, and test next-generation helmets for athletes and the military.Image: Will Kirk/Johns Hopkins University#NewMaterial #steel #foam #armor #LiquidCrystalElastomers

"Bionic" Fish-Scale Armor Made of Leather Found in 2,500 Year Old Chinese Burial SiteResearchers discovered fish-scale armor that is an early version of bionics. The armor was found in a 2,500-Year-Old Chinese burial site. The military garment was made of more than 5,000 leather scales, which make it look like the overlapping scales of a fish. According to lead researcher Patrick Wertmann, the armor is “a light, highly efficient one-size-fits-all defensive garment for soldiers of a mass army."The fish-like design is not an aesthetic choice, but more of a reinforcement of defense. The overlapping leather scales "strengthen the human skin for better defense against blow, stab and shot," said study co-researcher Mayke Wagner, the scientific director of the Eurasia Department of the German Archeological Institute and head of its Beijing office.Image credit: Dongliang Xu/Turfan Museum, Patrick Wertmann#armor #China #bionics #history #archaeology

'Nanoarchitected' Ultralight Material Can Stop Microparticles at Supersonic SpeedEngineers at MIT, Caltech and ETH Zurich have created a "nanoarchitected" ultralight material that can absorb impact and stop microparticles at supersonic speed:The researchers have fabricated an ultralight material made from nanometer-scale carbon struts that give the material toughness and mechanical robustness. The team tested the material's resilience by shooting it with microparticles at supersonic speeds, and found that the material, which is thinner than the width of a human hair, prevented the miniature projectiles from tearing through it.The material, which is more efficient than Kevlar, can potentially be used as armors, protective coatings, and blast-resistant shields in defense and space applications.#nanoscale #armor #carbon #KevlarImage: Carlos Portela et al.