Air Force Academy cadet creates goo that stops bullets Air Force cadet creates bulletproof breakthrough Quote from Air Force Times
Its all about the view of the world, we all know that if you are going to shoot fish, a bow works better than a .17 high velocity round, that's how water works. That young lady said Why? and then asked what would happen if you maximized the effect? She has the most valuable thing in the world, an open mind and an enhanced curiosity, and I can only hope that it isn't lost in her advanced education. We have all the tools in the world, we just don't have enough people with the minds to propose the right questions.
I would have thought while working on this while on active duty, any invention like this would be military property , proprietary rights.
The idea of using shear thickening fluid as ballistic protection is not new. The faults in previous material has been shelf life, survival of the material is harsh conditions, performance in extreme heat and cold conditions etc... if the shear thickening fluid works well in 70F but doesn't work well in 110F desert type environment it is of limited use. I hope this material performs better than the stuff before.
The USAF will get their cut. They will be included in the Patent rights along with the two others that have worked with the young Lady. The AF is giving her a full ride to expand her studies as well.
Expect this young Lt. to not only finish her full ride scholarship with honors, but to gain accelerated rank and take part in the A.F. wing of D.A.R.P.A.!!!!! I expect to see many great things from her!
Or this is a fluff story about a topic the reporter doesn't understand but thinks is awesome. Something to show that the air force academy has the best and the brightest. (Not in my experience dealing with some of them) patents are cool but just because a patent is granted doesn't mean the invention works as intended or that that inventor makes any money from it. I know this from personal experience. I wish her luck in her future education and career. I hope her invention works. I am just not ready to declare victory yet for this stuff. I have peer reviewed journal articles, industry specs, etc in my career and although people publish papers it does not mean that it is real. Just sayin...
There is a better article here An Air Force Academy cadet created a bullet-stopping goo to use for body armor Pic of test rounds...
I noticed that as well. I was thinking even close quarters includes rifles. Still, will be nice if rifles are included and it could drop a few pounds of the flak jackets of today.
The future armor will be with electromagnetic armor plating and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding which utilizes composite fibers and some pretty brainy ideas to create lighter, stronger protection. For body armor and a multitude of other tasks: Lighter, Stronger, EMI Shielding | Aracon For vehicles: Of course, it's probably going to take a while until we see it widely used. We're still in the stage where the average soldier is not exactly a valued commodity and population reduction is still on the table.
They have to start somewhere. IIRC Richard Davis started out stopping pistol rounds. Wasn't until after he perfected his vest that Second Chance moved into rifle rounds-and letting himself be shot wearing his own product..