'magic Vest' Nano-technology Licensee Chosen

Nano-technology could hold the key to a 'magic vest' for police officers.

Armor Holdings, the US company has announced that it been selected as the exclusive licensee for a unique application of nanotechnology called shear thickening fluid (STF), a flexible substance that hardens when struck by a knife or bullet.

Extensive -*test*-('")ing has shown that when conventional ballistic fabric is treated with STFs, it can resist penetration from an ice pick that it couldn't otherwise have stopped.

STF-treated fabric has little or no effect on the look, feel, texture, weight or flexibility of the material.

STF could be used for a wide range of products such as body armour, vehicle armour, helmets, gloves and bomb blankets.

Dr. Tony Russell, Chief Technology Officer for Armor Holdings, Inc., said, 'Rarely do the words 'flexible' and 'armour' get used in the same sentence, but this new technology has the potential to unlock entirely new and better solutions that will leapfrog to the next generation of armour and other lifesaving equipment.'

Armor Holdings, which will be the sole commercial provider of this technology in applications related to body armour vests and extremity protection, helmets and gloves for protective use worldwide, anticipates fielding the first products later this year.

The company has selected Barrday Inc. as a partner for development and production of STF-based ballistic fabrics.

What is STF?
STF was developed by the University of Delaware's Center for Composite Materials, with the Weapons and Materials Research Directorate of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.

Sometimes referred to as 'liquid armor,' the material is actually a nanotechnology that exists in a flexible, fluid-like state under normal conditions but adopts seemingly rigid qualities and becomes less penetrable when impacted. As a result, this special material can be applied to conventional ballistic fabrics or other materials used in armour applications, allowing them to remain flexible under normal wear, but simultaneously becoming resistant to penetration when impacted by a spike, knife or high velocity projectile or fragment. STF treated fabrics effectively spread the energy over a larger area.