Clever kit makes safer sport

23 July 2004

Bye-bye bruises! An intelligent new material could take the pain out of extreme sports. It takes the knocks and forms a shield on impact, keeping you safe and sound inside.

Antenna gets kitted up.

Image: Helen Mortimer

The material, called d3o, is made up of molecules that slide over each other when you move normally, but lock together if there's an impact to take the blow for you.
With lightning reflexes, d3o can respond to a hit in less than a thousandth of a second. The material returns to normal immediately afterwards so it's a lot more comfy than traditional protective gear.

Image: Ruth Julia Gough/ d3o lab

Matt Payne, stuntman

Image: Ruth Julia Gough/ d3o lab

'I have put it through quite a lot of punishment and it's doing an amazing job. So far it's provided the best protection when I've crashed - the bulkier plastic protection I used to use made you think you would be safe but actually hurt like hell in a big fall.'
Matt Payne, stuntman
But it's not all just fun and games. Patients could wear d3o clothing to protect themselves after surgery.

The clever kit could also be developed for military use. And your car could get a whole lot safer with d3o material used for the interior.
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