Body Armor Design

The first vest level that mandates the use of a heavy bulky hard plate with the soft body armor to protect the officer from rifle rounds is level III body armor. However, it is heavier for civilians wishing to purchase this body armor. As technology is getting high and high, more and more advancement in designs are being developed, not only in the design phase, but as well as in the weight factor.

The weak points of any body armor are its excessive weight thus limiting the movements of the person who wears it. Whenever you aim for getting the best protection level, it has always been a fact that there is tradeoff between the protection that you need and the weight of the body armor. The higher the level of protection, the bulkier and heavier it is. By this, man has difficulty choosing which factor should be considered – protection or weight that limits his mobility.

Thanks to the most powerful computer – brains. There has been news of developments in terms of the body armor designs and prospective materials to be used for much lighter body armor especially for the soldiers who are destined to fight in the combat zone. Although it is not yet out but some manufacturers are already harnessing the advanced manufacturing techniques such as bonding materials, flexible steel fiber and meshes, ceramic-composites matrixes and molded glass-ceramics to develop lightweight personal protection systems that can better fit the human body.

These developments are still undergoing construction and thorough testing but for sure, a few years from now, maybe 10-15 years, this possibility of having lightweight body armor without the bulkiness of it will possibly become a reality. All the levels of body armor from level 1, level 2, and level III body armor and so on will all be lightweight compared to their weight currently.