Jim Mitchell
Communications Services
Oklahoma State University
(405) 744-9782
12/14/04

Contact: Dr. Donna Branson 405-744-5049

Contact Jim Mitchell 405-744-9782 or 612-8338

For print-ready photos, go to: http://www2.okstate.edu/pio/wallace.jpg

(and) http://www2.okstate.edu/pio/wallace2.jpg

(Photos described) These photos show the final (second) prototype armored suit, which offers soldiers the best protection from injuries to arms and legs. The armor is designed to work with (attach to) existing bullet-proof vests.

This photo shows the lighter weight body armor (prototype 1) being field tested at the U.S. Army Research Lab’s Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. The armor is designed to provide greater protection for a soldier’s arms and legs.

Researchers at Oklahoma State University have developed two new body armor systems to offer soldiers more protection against injuries to their arms and legs.

“We started developing the prototype in May with our partner company, FSTechnology, LLC., and our funding partner, the Naval Research Laboratory. One goal of the project was rapid development and we’ve completed what could be a final design in less than eight months with the potential for quick production and distribution,” said Dr. Donna Branson, head of the department of Design, Housing and Merchandising in OSU’s College of Human Environmental Sciences.

The most important goal for the first prototype was to provide protection against ballistic damage to the arms and legs, while minimizing heat stress and weight, according to Branson. She said the same goal applies to the second prototype, which simply covers a larger area of the body to provide a higher level of protection.

 The heaviest of the two prototypes weighs in at 10 lbs. The suits are made of multiple layers of a ballistic clothe known as Dyneema, a commercially available fabric, which is used to provide protection from shrapnel thrown by grenades or improvised explosives, she added.

 “We wanted to strategically position the armor on both prototypes to provide the greatest protection to soldiers while ensuring their freedom of movement and comfort from the heat,” said Branson, who notes the first prototypes have already been put to the test at various Naval Research Laboratory and Army Research Laboratory sites around the country.

 Because military hospital personnel often deal directly with battlefield limb injuries, they were among those who provided feedback to researchers. Branson and her fellow researchers, Dr. Cheryl Farr and Semra Peksoz, also enlisted U.S. Army ROTC Sgt. Ryan Wallace to give them an up-close look at how the suit functions as he replicated the movements of a soldier in a combat zone. (see photos)

 After several hours in the armored suit, Wallace said he was personally impressed. “The suit didn’t restrict my movement at all, whether I was running, rolling or signaling. Unlike our backpacks, you forget you even have the body armor on.”

 According to Branson, earlier feedback from field studies has already allowed her to make some important adjustments to the suit. “It gives us a clearer picture of the different tasks that soldiers might perform and helps us envision variations based on those tasks and the specific level of protection necessary.”

For information about this page, send e-mail to Jim Mitchell.