![]() ![]() James Pelland, team lead for Marine Corps Systems Command's Individual Armor Team, jumps over a log to demonstrate the mobility provided by a prototype Modular Scalable Vest, the next generation body armor for the Marine Corps. It's not the military's first attempt to shake up its body armor with natural or synthetic substances. In addition to making flexible, cooler body armor, the material could also be used to make tents that keep occupants cooler as well as parachutes that can carry heavier loads.Īrtificial spider silk may initially cost double what Kevlar does, but its light weight, strength, flexibility, and potential for other uses make it more appealing, according to the release.Īir Force researchers are also looking at Fibroin, a silk protein produced by silkworms, to create materials that can reflect, absorb, focus, or split light under different circumstances. "These materials could be the future in comfort and strength in body armor and parachute material for the warfighter." The ultra-strong fibers outperform the mechanical characteristics of many synthetic materials as well as steel," Urbas said in the release. "Understanding natural silk will enable us to engineer multifunctional fibers with exponential possibilities. Augustine Urbas, a researcher in the Functional Materials Division of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate. Those researchers want to apply that property to synthetics, like artificial spider silk, which is stronger than Kevlar, the polymer typically used in body armor, and more flexible than nylon.Įnhancing body armor and adding comfort for troops is one of many improvements hoped for by a team led by Dr. Arielle Mailloux gets some help adjusting her protoype Generation III Improved Outer Tactical Vest from Capt.
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