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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: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 18 2017, @09:04AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 18 2017, @09:04AM (#468533)

    Teflon coated bullets?

    I wonder how machined tungsten bullets would fare ( albeit your gun won't last very long )?

    Or tungsten/depleted uranium alloy ( using uranium for its metallic properties, not its radioactive properties ).

    Or would these babies just go right through and not cause enough damage?

  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday February 18 2017, @02:30PM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday February 18 2017, @02:30PM (#468585) Journal

    Brass was used for some "armor" peircing rounds, with either steel or tungsten cores. The brass ate barrels up like candy. A tungsten bullet would be worse by a long shot. Better to use just a plain old lead alloy, and put the armor peircing core in the center of the lead. Think "saboted rounds". Consider the lead to be nothing more than a sabot.

    If you'll read the links again, you'll find that the teflon doesn't help to peirce body armor any. Instead, it "grips" metal door panels and windshields, preventing deflection or ricochet. It seems counterintuitive, but that's what the article claims.

    • (Score: 2) by butthurt on Saturday February 18 2017, @04:19PM

      by butthurt (6141) on Saturday February 18 2017, @04:19PM (#468614) Journal

      > The brass ate barrels up like candy.

      Brass-cased cartridges are the most popular type of ammunition on the market today [...]

      -- http://ammo.com/casing-type/brass [ammo.com]

      Am I missing something?

      • (Score: 3, Informative) by deimtee on Saturday February 18 2017, @07:04PM

        by deimtee (3272) on Saturday February 18 2017, @07:04PM (#468678) Journal

        Am I missing something?

        The difference between a brass cartridge that holds the propellent and is ejected out the breech, and a brass coated round that travels down the barrel at high speed.

        --
        If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
      • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday February 18 2017, @10:16PM

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday February 18 2017, @10:16PM (#468738) Journal

        What Deimtee sais - the brass casing stays in the chamber of your weapon, while the bullet travels down the barrel. The casing causes no wear.