The Finnish newspaper Aamulehti ran a nice article about us last week. The reporter was kind enough to send me a copy which I scanned.
I knew the article had run when we got a spate of emails asking if we had any distributors in Finland.
I had the article translated. Here it is in English:
Floppy Stress Toy Turns
into Bulletproof Vest
A material that hardens was
invented as early the Second World War but now there are plans to use
it in the army. It costs you about 16 euros (includes
shipping).
There’s a more developed version of play dough by the name of Thinking Putty or Silly Putty that can be found on the Internet. The material remains runny as long as it is not touched, but hardens when handled. You can fashion the material into a bouncing ball, for example.
The US Army and the University of Delaware are examining the fluid material’s use as body armor since it hardens when struck.
“Because Thinking Putty disintegrates while absorbing the energy of a sudden blow, a more developed version could act as a bulletproof vest”, says Aaron Muderick, founder of Crazy Aaron Enterprises.
The idea is that the vest would react rapidly to the impact of a bullet and become stiff.
“The hardening fluid would not only serve as protection but
would be impregnated into fiber materials.”
For example, it could provide flexible protection for the knees.
“It is hard to say when the fluid armor will be introduced,
if ever,” says Department of Defense Technical Research Center staff member
Prof. Jari Hartikainen.
If a lump is hit with a hammer, it breaks into small pieces as if it were made of glass. The pieces can be joined together again.
“We’ve sold the material to the army, but so far only for
amusement, Muderick adds.
Click on: www.puttyworld.com
Hertta-Mari Kaukonn
