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posted by Fnord666 on Saturday February 18 2017, @12:47AM   Printer-friendly
from the not-made-of-paper dept.

BYU engineering professors have created an origami-inspired, lightweight bulletproof shield that can protect law enforcement from gunfire.

The new barrier can be folded compactly when not in use, making it easier to transport and deploy. When expanded—which takes only five seconds—it can provide cover for officers and stop bullets from several types of handguns.
...
In working with law enforcement, BYU researchers learned much of what is currently used hasn't evolved much from medieval times: shields that are mostly flat, awkward plates that cover only one person. Current barriers are so heavy and cumbersome they make it difficult for officers to move into position.

The barrier Howell and his colleagues designed is made of 12 layers of bulletproof Kevlar and weighs only 55 pounds (many of the steel-based barriers in current use approach 100 pounds). The BYU-built barrier uses a Yoshimura origami crease pattern to expand around an officer, providing protection on the side in addition to protecting them in the front.

Aren't police using exploding robots in that kind of situation now?


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  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Saturday February 18 2017, @02:40AM

    by bob_super (1357) on Saturday February 18 2017, @02:40AM (#468466)

    I fear that you might have missed my point.
    I know that the polite English bobby with his truncheon doesn't fit the US realities. I also agree that extreme shoot-out cases require SWAT to have the best equipment (while not agreeing that every department or even county needs a SWAT team).

    I'm questioning whether the convenient availability of a 55-lbs bulletproof shield isn't another step in the wrong direction with regards to the necessary discussion about cops being routinely equipped with excessive toys, just in case (hence the MRAP suggestion).
    Most police officers retiring in the last century would tell you they never fired a shot, and probably never even took out their service weapon.

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  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Saturday February 18 2017, @12:43PM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Saturday February 18 2017, @12:43PM (#468561) Journal

    I'm reminded of the old guy about 10 years ago who went on a rampage in his town [youtube.com]. He armored a bulldozer and proceeded to knock down the buildings and houses of people in his town he didn't like. He had everything worked out, and the cops had nothing that could touch him. He only stopped because his vehicle got stuck. Then he took his own life.

    In other words, people are inventive and do things law enforcement, the national guard, etc., don't expect and aren't trained or are equipped to stop. You don't need to have a howitzer in your garage, just motivation and some basic skills.

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.
    • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Saturday February 18 2017, @05:26PM

      by bob_super (1357) on Saturday February 18 2017, @05:26PM (#468643)

      When some guy took a tank down the highway, there wasn't a rush to equip every small-town police department with anti-tank shoulder-fired missiles, nor attack helicopters...
      Everything has a cost, which has to be balanced against the likelihood of being both used and an improvement.

      People are insane enough that those shields could save lives, but situations where it's beneficial for a cop to reach into his trunk to pull out a 55-lbs piece of hardware (two hands, put the gun down, remove other stuff stashed above it, plus 5 seconds to deploy) to protect himself or someone else, instead of hiding behind the engine of his car, can't be that common outside of maybe SWAT-grade standoffs.