Personal bulletproof technology, from Kevlar vests to shields, has saved a lot of lives during dangerous situations. However, in the case of shields, the major drawback was that they are compact, large, heavy and quite hard to handle adequately.
A new invention from a team of engineers from Brigham Young University, promises to address these issues with a bulletproof origami shield. The shield is as strong as Kevlar, being able to deflect most bullets shot from pistols and revolvers, while it can fold as origami paper.
According to one of the researchers involved in the design of the origami shield, professor Larry Howell, the engineers collaborated with SWAT teams, a federal special agent as well as various police officers, in order to better understand what they wanted and needed from a bulletproof shield
The main concerns of the law enforcement agents were that current shields are quite heavy, as they are made from solid steel and can weigh up to 100 pounds. Another major concern is that the cumbersome shields can only protect one person at a time.
In order to address these concerns, the scientists went on to create a lightweight shield, which was compact for increased portability and was even able to protect more agents during dangerous situations.
The new origami shield is capable of easily folding when it is not being used. This makes it much more compact than regular shields, allowing it to be easily transported and deployed where it is needed the most. A user only needs five seconds to expand the bulletproof shield which can act as a cover fire barrier for police officers. Scientists were able to cut the weight of the shields to just 55 pounds, almost half of the current solid steel ones.
The shield makes use of 12 layers of Kevlar deployed in a common creasing pattern similar to that of origami. The new invention had a remarkable efficiency which surprised even the engineers, who initially thought that shots for .44 Magnum would end up tipping over the shield, which didn’t happen.
What do you think about this new bulletproof origami shield? Do you think it will be mass deployed in various situations?
Image credit: Brigham Young University
Roxanne Briean
Latest posts by Roxanne Briean (see all)
- Former Virginia Tech Freshman Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Stabbing a Girl to Death - June 28, 2018
- San Francisco Woman Threatened to Call Police on Girl Who Sold Ice Water for Disneyland Trip - June 25, 2018
- Epping Woman Sentence to 20 Years of Prison for Mutilating Homeless Woman’s Children - June 12, 2018