A revolutionary new foam has been developed which its makers claim can protect people from pain and injury when they hit something at speed - or when something hits them.
No pain, big gain Bikers, cyclists, snowboarders and skiers could benefit from wearing suits and helmets containing D3O, and riot police in the US are putting it through its paces.
When I went to see its inventor, Richard Palmer, he said he was so confident of its miraculous properties that he would put some of it into his beanie hat and let me smash him over the head with a shovel.
He assured me it would not hurt, no matter how hard I whacked him.
When I hit him the first time, I was reluctant to put much effort into it fearing he would collapse and pass out. No reaction.
I swung the shovel over my head and hit him harder. Still no reaction!
I at least expected his eyes to spin like Catherine wheels - but they did not. He admitted he could feel the impact, but experienced no pain.
The secret formula inside D3O means the greater the impact the more resilient it becomes. In its raw state, the substance looks like translucent orange putty which you can squeeze and mould without effort.
But hit it hard with a mallet and instead of splattering all over the room, it appears to tense up the same way a bodybuilder would firm up his abdominal muscles after inviting someone to punch him in the stomach.
Recently, US ski teams trialled suits containing D3O foam which successfully prevented serious injury when team members careered into fence posts and trees at speeds in excess of 60mph.
Some police forces in America have also tried using it in the gloves of those involved in dealing with riots and other similar situations.
The foam is only effective when placed against a part of the body where the bone is close to the surface, such as an elbow, knee or skull.
What it cannot do is provide any protection for areas where there is no immediate resistance, such as the abdomen.
During the time I spent hitting him over the head with the shovel, Richard appeared to suffer no ill-effects.
He did though admit that after a day of continual demonstrations at a recent exhibition, he did develop a slight headache.
Impressive stuff.
Super Foam Hat Fends Off Swinging Shovel |Sky News|Technology
Racecar applications could change almost certain injuries into knocks and bruises!
No pain, big gain Bikers, cyclists, snowboarders and skiers could benefit from wearing suits and helmets containing D3O, and riot police in the US are putting it through its paces.
When I went to see its inventor, Richard Palmer, he said he was so confident of its miraculous properties that he would put some of it into his beanie hat and let me smash him over the head with a shovel.
He assured me it would not hurt, no matter how hard I whacked him.
When I hit him the first time, I was reluctant to put much effort into it fearing he would collapse and pass out. No reaction.
I swung the shovel over my head and hit him harder. Still no reaction!
I at least expected his eyes to spin like Catherine wheels - but they did not. He admitted he could feel the impact, but experienced no pain.
The secret formula inside D3O means the greater the impact the more resilient it becomes. In its raw state, the substance looks like translucent orange putty which you can squeeze and mould without effort.
But hit it hard with a mallet and instead of splattering all over the room, it appears to tense up the same way a bodybuilder would firm up his abdominal muscles after inviting someone to punch him in the stomach.
Recently, US ski teams trialled suits containing D3O foam which successfully prevented serious injury when team members careered into fence posts and trees at speeds in excess of 60mph.
Some police forces in America have also tried using it in the gloves of those involved in dealing with riots and other similar situations.
The foam is only effective when placed against a part of the body where the bone is close to the surface, such as an elbow, knee or skull.
What it cannot do is provide any protection for areas where there is no immediate resistance, such as the abdomen.
During the time I spent hitting him over the head with the shovel, Richard appeared to suffer no ill-effects.
He did though admit that after a day of continual demonstrations at a recent exhibition, he did develop a slight headache.
Impressive stuff.
Super Foam Hat Fends Off Swinging Shovel |Sky News|Technology
Racecar applications could change almost certain injuries into knocks and bruises!
