A team of MIT applied scientist is hoping to uprise tomorrow’sbody armortoday with a fish whose category tree extend back 96 million years . call the Polypterus senegalus , or “ dinosaur eel ” to layman schlubs like me , this primitive Pisces the Fishes still flourish in the muddy rivers of Africa , and has retained a full - physical structure suit of armoured exfoliation that was rough-cut on species of Pisces the Fishes millions of years ago . For years scientist have acknowledge that the eel ’s interlocking , millimeters - blockheaded scales were subject of stopping penetrating attacks , but could n’t figure out why . Now , thanks to nanotechnology and a Cary Grant from the U.S. Army ( go Joe ! ) , they ’ve figured it out .
The MIT engineer used nanotech to value the thickness of a exclusive scale ( about 500 millionths of a meter thick ) , and decipher the war paint of its four dissimilar level material . They discovered that the materials , in tandem with the geometry and thickness of each stratum , all contributed to a pretty awful suit of armour .
They even examine the armour plating by “ biting ” weighing machine that had been surgically remove from a live Pisces . What they get a line then was that P. senegalus armor will credibly replace the bulky ceramic plates that adorn our fighting gentleman’s gentleman and women in warzones today .
The P. senegalus armor maintain the cracking localized by forcing it to run in a dress circle around the penetration site , rather than spreading through the entire scale of measurement and lead to ruinous unsuccessful person , like many ceramic stuff .
light , thin , and full ? I cogitate with those sort of outcome soldiers and law of nature enforcement officials likewise could probably turn a unsighted eye to the suspect feel . Either that , or baking washing soda just became the next indispensable item in their arsenal next to unshakable vest . [ MIT ]
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