Smart armour for skiers in the olympics
US and Canadian skier in the olympics are wearing smart armour. Instead of wearing bulky arm and leg guards they now wear a lightweight bendable material know as d30. Skiwear company Spyder have incorporated the material into racing suits which the US and Canadian alpine ski teams are wearing.
Under normal conditions the molecules in the armour are weakly bound making them flexible. The shock of sudden deformation causes the molecules to lock making the material hard and protecting.
Article at New Scientist
More info about the d30 material
Photo: Spyder
[via New Scientist]
