Richard Palmer is tough cookie, or alternatively he’s a complete jackass. Or why would he get smashed all over his head with a shovel? Well, it turns out that he has invented something really neat and to show it off he’s resorted to self-testing (as opposed to testing on animals).
And what has he developed you ask? Well the product is D3O super foam and it is designed to protect the users from injuries in case of impacts. The yellowish substance is reminiscent of playing putty and protects the wearers from pain and injuries. The working of the foam is simple enough, harder one hits it more rigid it becomes!
In its simple state, it retains the properties of jelly and you can mould it without much effort. But, wait till it is exposed to any sort of an impact. Then it becomes more viscous, thereby increasing its resilience. For human bodies it becomes useful when placed against the part of a body where the bone is more apparent, such as shins, knees, elbows etc.
Already, US ski teams have tested suits containing D3O, and positively too. The foam was able to prevent injuries when team members got smashed into fences and trees in excess of 60 miles an hour. There are plans to put this into headgears of riot police and make protective guards for bikers, skateboarders, cyclists and so on.
I’m, however, already onto some sinister schemes. How about lining the inside of boxing gloves with this? One punch and your opponent is done for the night. And whatever Palmer might say, that shovel’s gotta hurt. Serious brain damage, dude! Or maybe there’s no brain inside that helmet anyway.
