It's probably in some other places too, but this months issue of Wired has a 2-page ad for 3do (pimped by becks some how)
Hopefully this is a sign that 3Do is getting a little bigger and we'll start to see its materials in more stuff. The 2nd page does have a photo illustration of a motorcyclist, though the 3Do site only shows a couple folks currently using 3Do materials in moto specific gear.. but it seems the ski/snowboard industry is using it quite a bit now
If you don't know of them, they make impact absorbing materials like we use for our gear. Big whup you say... theirs is some cool shit though. Under normal conditions the material flexible. But when a sudden impact or shearing force is applied it immediately stiffens. Basically you get the flexibility of soft amour with the protection level of hard.
Some interesting stuff... I hope they come out with insert kits like one can get from Knox or T-pro
http://www.d3o.com/
I don't understand why it takes so long to get this in motorcycle gear. You'd think all the companies would jump on a material like this. I guess companies like Dainese have too much invested in their own technology to just jump ship.
That's a good question. There's probably some complex answer with back room dealing and that sort of stuff. Lots of the apparel manufacturers don't make the amour but get it from another party like Knox, t-pro etc. so there's probably some contracts some place.
But what wonders me is why 3Do doesn't just start making their own inserts. There's lots of jackets out there that have pretty generic amour pockets that you could put this stuff in. Knox and t-pro sell kits for just this application already.
I'd love to see some velcro strips of this stuff that you could just slap inside a pair of dragging jeans.
Quote from: erkishhorde on August 22, 2008, 10:34:09 AM
I'd love to see some velcro strips of this stuff that you could just slap inside a pair of dragging jeans.
I'm going to thread jack my own thread. USA dragging jeans or Aussie? I thought both had pockets for armour...
Quote from: IdZer0 on August 22, 2008, 08:21:22 AM
I don't understand why it takes so long to get this in motorcycle gear. You'd think all the companies would jump on a material like this. I guess companies like Dainese have too much invested in their own technology to just jump ship.
I'm here to tell you other companies ARE workin on similar technologies, and have been for some time. They would be on the market as we speak if they felt the technology was developed enough for the application. You will see it, just be patient.
Couldn't help but but notice a distinct lack of any testing information or energy absorption specs on the d30 site. Of course, we don't put that info on our site either, but the info is readily available. Out of curiosity, has anyone seen any of that kind of information anywhere? I would love to read it. It is very cool tech.
The info's there on their site. YOu do have to register, then you have access to PDFs with the specs for a number of the products.
This section would be most relevant (I think) to moto applictions.
http://www.d3o.com/index2.php?section=212-type2
From the PDF of their 'Type 2' knee armour
Property | Units | Value | Relevant Test Method | Tolerance |
Protection2 @ 23˚C | J/kN | 3.3 | EN1621@40J | +/- 10% |
2Protection Value indicates impact energy per kN of force transmitted based on the EN1621 test using an impact energy of 40J
-- So I'm not sure how that stacks up.. but the info's there.
Thanks! I'll take a closer look.
Quote from: yuu on August 22, 2008, 10:52:17 AM
I'm going to thread jack my own thread. USA dragging jeans or Aussie? I thought both had pockets for armour...
I actually don't have a pair but I thought the USA ones were cheaper and didn't have pockets and you had to knox pads w/ velcro on them.
I got a "Moto USA" magazine last week in something I ordered from motorcycle superstore and there's a full page ad for the Firstgear TPG Rainier that used the d3o stuff.
More of an adventure type jacket, It looks like tho. Firstgear's website doesn't say anything about the d3o padding.
who needs another video game system? ;D
^^lol.
Quote from: He Man on October 19, 2009, 08:50:24 PM
who needs another video game system? ;D
Kui - are you even old enough to have played one of those :P
edit: its funnier if i say this...
I was alive in 1993.
I thought it was mispelled and that 3d0 was a game. Couldn't remember for sure.
Back from the dead. Seems like this stuff is making it's way into protection applications... For phones
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/d5cd/ (http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/d5cd/)
wonder if we'll see it more for moto gear or not
QuoteEnter the iBand, made of a magical non-Newtonian fluid called d30. What's that, you ask? To put it simply, a non-Newtonian fluid isn't held to one standard of viscosity. It does its own thing. d30 is a dilatant, which means its viscosity is stress-dependent. When it's not stressed, it's squishy. But when stressed, the apparent viscosity increases and the substance turns rock solid.
Sounds like a cornstarch-water solution.
http://www.scifun.org/homeexpts/lumpyliquids.htm (http://www.scifun.org/homeexpts/lumpyliquids.htm)
It essentially is except IIRC the first versions of it were powdered glass.
Quote from: somegirl on May 27, 2010, 06:17:39 PM
Sounds like a cornstarch-water solution.
http://www.scifun.org/homeexpts/lumpyliquids.htm (http://www.scifun.org/homeexpts/lumpyliquids.htm)
yep - we made that stuff with dome green food coloring too in elementary school and called it Oobleck after the stuff from a Dr Seuss book. And it's a great example of a non-Newtonian fluid, just like this d30 stuff. Obviouly not exactly the same since they have managed to mould or set the compound in something they can mould w/o it returning to a goopy fluid.
Either way - I'm still curious about the stuff.
You what I don't get about this? It's the complete opposite to what a helmet does; it becomes stiff when it hits something. Doesn't that just transmit all the force to the object in stead of absorbing it? It's probably great when you hit a sharp rock or something, then it spreads the impact over a larger area, but I don't think it reduces impact.
Quote from: He Man on October 19, 2009, 08:50:24 PM
who needs another video game system? ;D
[cheeky]
That's what I thought 3DO:
(http://www.consoledatabase.com/images/consoleinfo/3do/3doconsole.jpg)
Quote from: yuu on May 27, 2010, 12:42:24 PM
Back from the dead. Seems like this stuff is making it's way into protection applications... For phones
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/d5cd/ (http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/d5cd/)
wonder if we'll see it more for moto gear or not
I once saw this thing on the show Pitch Men before Billy Mays died where they had a material that was amazingly impact absorbing - the demonstration had Billy wrap his hand in what looked like a towl made of this stuff and then they drove over his hand with an SUV - his had was fine. So I always wondered why they didn't go that route for protective gear.
Quote from: IdZer0 on May 28, 2010, 06:03:51 AM
You what I don't get about this? It's the complete opposite to what a helmet does; it becomes stiff when it hits something. Doesn't that just transmit all the force to the object in stead of absorbing it? It's probably great when you hit a sharp rock or something, then it spreads the impact over a larger area, but I don't think it reduces impact.
Nope... it requires energy to realign the structure of the material - don't get something for nothing. So there's some energy absorbed there. Also, I'd expect that the material stiffens, but does not become hard like a helmets shell does. If it remains somewhat 'squishy' it will plastically deform, taking more energy.
Also, keep in mind that one of the tricks to protecting something is spreading the impact forces over a larger surface area. So an energy absorbing, semi-rigid material would suit that task very well.
We can't reduce impact... that's a fixed amount. You hit something... now Newton is in charge. But, it's what we do with the forces at play taht counts.
I would imagine that the best applications would also include a bit of impact absorbing softer armor underneath.