Art student Oluwaseyi Sosanya has created 3D doilies that can be protect soldiers from stabs.
Sonsanya used liquefied silicon together with sewing and knitting machines to develop a new process that 3D prints extremely resistant materials made from cotton yarn that can protect people from stabs, lacerations or blunt impacts.
“I had an idea and the awareness of what I wanted the final structures to look and work like,” told Sonsaya to Wired's Joseph Flaherty. “I needed to build a machine that could execute what I had in mind, and beyond.”
So Sonsaya and his creative partner, weaver Sophie Zajicek, combined design concepts from domestic sewing and knitting machines with software from 3D printers to manipulate humble strands of yarn and transform them into a super-resistant and flexible 3D fabric that protects the body by absorbing and distributing shock.
This is how Flaherty explained the process over at Wired:
In this new process, designers start with a standard CAD file [a file made with computer-aided design software] and Sosanya’s software generates a weave pattern that can absorb and distribute a set amount of force. Each digital doily starts as a length of conventional cotton yarn that could be purchased at any craft store. A silicone binder is applied to the yarn as it’s being woven, imparting a springy property to the final piece while helping maintain the shape of the woven matrix.
The duo has created a pair of shock-absorbing shoes, but Sonsanya is ready to start developing garments for officers and soldiers who need protection and comfort every day.
This is how the machine works:
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