. | . |
Army to test body armor made from spider silk by Stephen Carlson Washington (UPI) Aug 20, 2018
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories has announced that it has delivered ballistic panels made of spider silk to the U.S. Army for testing as body armor. The panels, constructed out of the companies proprietary Dragon Silk, will be evaluated for their ability to stop bullets and other ballistic threats like shrapnel. Dragon Silk is a genetically engineered material, which is produced by silkworms but can mimic the strength and flexibility of spider silk. Kraig Biocraft claims that the genetically modified worms can be included in the infrastructure used by the standard silk industry. "After years of research and investment, developing this ground-breaking technology, we are very excited to now see it in the hands of the U.S. Army," COO Jon Rice said in a statement. Spider silk is extraordinarily strong and is theorized to provide ballistic protection with much less weight and better flexibility than conventional armor like Kevlar. The silk will be produced at the company's facility in Indiana. Spider silk has long been known to have superior strength, flexibility and ballistic protection, but raising spider colonies for production proved to be impossible, since the spiders would often eat each other. Genetically engineered silkworms are more practical and allow for much greater production of the material, Kraig Biocraft said. Layered weave spider silk is much stronger than steel. The company says that is has patented a large number of genetic proteins which were then implanted in domestic silkworms for body armor production. The material has special implications for ballistic underwear, providing protection for the groin region, which has proven difficult to protect. Previous efforts, such as Vietnam-era Kevlar shorts, and modern alternatives such as dangling Kevlar flaps have proven to be cumbersome and unpopular. The Army received samples of the material in May and indicated that it wants more for development. The Kraig Biocrafts contract could reach $900,000 for sample delivery. The system is not in full-rate production and it could be some time before any is fielded, the Army said.
The 2-D form of tungsten ditelluride is full of surprises Seattle WA (SPX) Aug 10, 2018 The general public might think of the 21st century as an era of revolutionary technological platforms, such as smartphones or social media. But for many scientists, this century is the era of another type of platform: two-dimensional materials, and their unexpected secrets. These 2-D materials can be prepared in crystalline sheets as thin as a single monolayer, only one or a few atoms thick. Within a monolayer, electrons are restricted in how they can move: Like pieces on a board game, they can mo ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |