New Face Paint Protects Soldiers Against Bomb Blasts

Zothecula writes "For millennia, face paint has helped soldiers avoid being seen by enemy forces. Recently, however, a team of scientists from the University of Southern Mississippi announced that a new type of face paint may soon also be able to protect against the heat of bomb blasts and other explosions. Additionally, a clear version of the paint could be used by civilian firefighters."

Comments

"I like turtles"

[Kenja]

I just have this bad mental image of our men & women in uniform with unicorns etc on their faces being told it will protect them against bombs... much like the magic amulet I have protects me against lion attacks (never been attacked by a lion since I bought it).

Re:"I like turtles"

[Shoten]

The only way they'd think they were told it would protect against bomb blasts is if they got their information from Slashdot without RTFA. The article clearly explains that it's not protection against bombs, just the flash of heat that accompanies them. This is a major problem for troops who are not directed to the direct trajectory of shrapnel but who still sustain nasty burns; just imagine a bit of facial scarring, and ask yourself if face paint that would have prevented it would be welcome?

Of course, these days Slashdot manages to post links to articles without actually reading the article themselves, somehow...

Re:"I like turtles"

[killmenow]

Of course, these days Slashdot manages to post links to articles without actually reading the article themselves, somehow...

These days? Your UID is sufficiently low to know this is not a new phenomenon.

Re:"I like turtles"

[Anonymous Coward]

Not interested in your anti-lion-attack amulet, but if you happen to have a rock that works similarly for tigers, please let me know.

Re:"I like turtles"

[JustOK]

Does that rock protect you from lion politicians and lion corporations?

Re:"I like turtles"

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

/i wish they'd invent a paint that would protect them from becoming soldiers...

Re:"I like turtles"

[Anonymous Coward]

What are you talking about? Back in my daysCmdrTaco read each article and did not post any dupes or misunderstandings. And this went on for several days, I'll have you young whippersnappers know!

(This would probably have gone better if I had my login information here; mid 4 digits. Oh, well, UID jokes are overrated anyway.)

Re:"I like turtles"

[Aryden]

As long as there is war, there will be soldiers. Paint wont help that.

Re:"I like turtles"

[Anonymous Coward]

What if there was a war and nobody showed up?

Re:"I like turtles"

[FilmedInNoir]

You're lucky, I imagined them in black face singing riverboat songs. Then I burnt my arm with a cigarette and it went away.

Re:"I like turtles"

[Anonymous Coward]

Only if you fling it at them with sufficient force.

Re:"I like turtles"

[Shoten]

Yeah, this is my recollection of Slashdot back in the day too. They sometimes got things a little off, but not with the frequency to the same degree as happens now.

Re:"I like turtles"

[Anonymous Coward]

Then either the Koreans, Japanese, or Chinese would win. Because said war would be fought on the battlefield of videogames :)

I hope to hell older videogames like Starcraft era RTSes where they weren't pay to win however...

Re:"I like turtles"

[sumdumass]

Perhaps his account was hacked and it's really a russian spam bot posting?

Re:"I like turtles"

[readin]

If you can persuade both sides to not show up, I applaud you. If you can only persuade the enlightened democratic countries to not show up, then soon we will all be ruled by the likes of Kim Jung Il, Stalin, and Mao. (What's it called when you mention someone worse than Hitler, an uber-Godwin?)

Re:"I like turtles"

[sadness203]

it's called lead paint.

Re:"I like turtles"

[ewieling]

The soldiers don't have to be human. In the future we will divert valuable national resources to a war without all that messy "soldiers dying" stuff. I'm not sure if this is a good thing. I think one of the (many) reasons the Vietnam war was so unpopular is because the public saw bodies every night on the evening news as they were being unload from the aircraft. I think one of the worst things the USA government has done is to no longer allow the news media to film the bodies coming home. War is horrible. The public should not be shielded from this horror.

Re:"I like turtles"

[morethanapapercert]

Just call them the modern Ghost Shirt society

Re:"I like turtles"

[Aryden]

War is the horror of humanity.

I think one of the (many) reasons the Vietnam war was so unpopular is because the public saw bodies every night on the evening news as they were being unload from the aircraft.

Though I can agree, the Vietnam war still lasted 10 years.

I think one of the worst things the USA government has done is to no longer allow the news media to film the bodies coming home.

As a soldier, I disagree. The news media only wants to use those images to press their biased opinions. When a soldier comes home for burial, it is a time of respect, honor, and mourning. Not a tool to be used by the propaganda machines. If the media could show it with dignity and without the bias, then certainly they should be able to.

Re:"I like turtles"

[Kyusaku Natsume]

As long as there isn't a just, democratic world wide government there will be war.

Re:"I like turtles"

[Anonymous Coward]

"As long as there is war, there will be soldiers. Paint wont help that".

Drones will though.

Re:"I like turtles"

[Anonymous Coward]

As a soldier, I disagree. The news media only wants to use those images to press their biased opinions. When a soldier comes home for burial, it is a time of respect, honor, and mourning

Maybe if such solemnity were reserved for deciding to send the soldiers off to war, maybe there'd be fewer coming home for burial.

Besides, the most grievous insult you could make towards a dead soldier is curtailing the very rights, such as freedom of the press, that they died to protect...and to do it in their name, no less.

I'm sure your heart is in the right place, but you also need to use your brain sometimes.

Re:"I like turtles"

[Anonymous Coward]

You better be careful. The amulet only protects you from magic lion attacks. Though rarer, I imagine they could be considerably worse. Look out for the muggle lions though.

Re:"I like turtles"

[rtb61]

The paint will only protect from clean radiated heat, however bombs not matter how cleanly burning the explosive matter do not just produce radiated heat, they also produce a large amount of high temperature particulate matter and a coat of paint ain't going to do much of anything against even one seconds worth of white hot sand blaster. So more voodoo than reality or homer thinking, eye's wide closed.

Re:"I like turtles"

[Lotana]

Stranger things have happened in history.

Good example is the Huescar vs Denmark which was declared in 1809 as part of a larger conflict between France and Spain. Then this declaration was literally forgotten before re-discovery by a local historian in 1981!

In November of the same year the peace treaty was signed thus ending 172 year (!) conflict without a single shot or injury.

There is a whole list of conflicts like this on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_extended_by_diplomatic_irregularity

Re:"I like turtles"

[Anonymous Coward]

"The news media only wants to use those images to press their biased opinions."

A lot of Americans believe that the news media is biased. I do. I believe Foxnews and the Murdock Press has a conservative bias, as does most talk radio. I also believe that the old TV Networks have a liberal bias. I believe that in the past 50 years, make that 75 years, most major newspapers have run some stories that expose corruption and injustice, which by challenging those in power makes them liberal. I also know that the same newspaper's editorial boards have backed the Republican running for President the majority of times (60-70%?)

Unless you have been living in a cave for the last 25 years, you and everyone else knows that there is bias in media, some extreme, some subtle. Which means if I tune in NBC News, or Rush Limbaugh, or Democracy Now, I have half a brain and can correct for the bias of the outlet I'm watching. Even if the media is showing it with bias.

To get to my point: not allowing the media, even biased media, to show caskets of our dead soldiers, deprives ME and everyone else of the images and information that I could use to make up my own mind with.
It also assumes that someone somewhere thinks that I and millions of other Americans are mindless sheep who can't see through media bias.

I will admit that that is partially true, so what? Because to not allow me and millions of Americans access to information means what? That somebody somewhere thinks they know better? Nations that travel down the road that someone in government "knows better" are taking one step toward tyranny.

Who knows better? George W. Bush? Dick Cheney? Barack Obama? None of the above?

Premise 4 of Derrick Jensen's book, Endgame states:
"Premise Four: Civilization is based on a clearly defined and widely accepted yet often unarticulated hierarchy. Violence done by those higher on the hierarchy to those lower is nearly always invisible, that is, unnoticed. When it is noticed, it is fully rationalized. Violence done by those lower on the hierarchy to those higher is unthinkable, and when it does occur is regarded with shock, horror, and the fetishization of the victims."

 

Re:"I like turtles"

[Anonymous Coward]

What if there was a war and nobody showed up?

The word you're looking for is "peace".

But it's kind of hard to not show up when the war comes to your front door.

Re:"I like turtles"

[da5idnetlimit.com]

just, democratic[...] government

Ok, I'll bite...
Just AND Democratic is nigh impossible. Masses have a tendency to create their own exclusion zone. We have a few centuries of classical greek and roman histories to illustrate the point of view of Democracy. More recently the USSR and other 'democratic' countries have shown how fast a democratic government can grow sour.

  Also we live in a Republic, and not a place where "every voice counts". It's too easy to manipulate the masses in a democratic system, as the Game Theory that would allow a democratic world is unapplicable, the conditions being that all participant are fully informed AND take the most logical decision to maximise gains.

Just AND Government is also quite difficult to define, except if you consider 'Just' as meaning that the laws are applied the same to everybody, which in itself is a nice intellectual consideration.

Please remember that we do not have the BEST system, just one of the less bad...

Now a perfect democratic system is the Tyranny. One vote, that of the tyrant. All the rest are equals.
But then it might not be your preferred system ?

Re:"I like turtles"

[Johann Lau]

When a soldier comes home for burial, it is a time of respect, honor, and mourning.

Depends on whom and what they fought for, and why.

After all, if a murderer of families and children comes home, it's mostly time to reflect on who they killed.

Re:"I like turtles"

[Kyusaku Natsume]

Not necessarily. I'm based my observation in a just and democratic republic, as defined by Montesquieu. Also, world peace becomes attainable under such system when there is only one state, since every state, even under a democratic government will try to expand its influence to the maximum, and, if a state becomes global the need for expansion of influence is gone.

A tyranny is a rotten form of government by definition. The main virtue of democracy is not that the voice of majority is heard, but that it gives voice to a minority. I presume that your cinysm comes from the current state of affairs in modern USA and most of the western world, but this state is not the best achievable under the democratic republic system. The main disease currently affecting the modern states is the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few, since their wealth enables them to setup a propaganda system that manipulates the public and when that is not enough, they can coerce or outright buy the votes of the poor. Believe me, I know that, this is just what happened in my country, Mexico last july, this is the main reason for the mass demonstrations against the "victory" of the candidate of PRI, Enrique Peña Nieto.

So this is the system we have, but that doesn't mean we as citizens can't improve it.

For when "ducking" does not cut it??

[RobertLTux]

im sure that having this as part of say a Helmet would work even better

Re:For when "ducking" does not cut it??

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Helmets usually don't cover one's face, people generally have difficulties with trying to see through Kevlar.

Re:For when "ducking" does not cut it??

[Forty Two Tenfold]

Helmets usually don't cover one's face

Hey, you just gave me a great idea for protecting the troops agains IEDs... This paint DOES come in brown, right?

Re:For when "ducking" does not cut it??

[Anonymous Coward]

If you can't be bothered to RTFA, at least RTFS. You can't duck heat.

Re:For when "ducking" does not cut it??

[RobertLTux]

it depends on how far down you can "duck" but yes that was part of my point

Re:For when "ducking" does not cut it??

[dkleinsc]

You can't duck heat

... but you can heat duck.

Re:For when "ducking" does not cut it??

[MartinSchou]

You do make a good point.

How does one see through the face paint? I mean through, as you seem to be implying that a kevlar face mask wouldn't have holes for the eyes, and as such, you'd obviously have to cover your eyeballs in this paint as well.

Re:For when "ducking" does not cut it??

[akgooseman]

Of course you can duck heat. Stand in full sun then put up your umbrella/stand under a tree/find shaded area on a sunny day. The air temp is the same in full sun vs full shade, but you aren't exposed to nearly as much radiant energy and feel much cooler.

Re:For when "ducking" does not cut it??

[gerddie]

... a kevlar face mask wouldn't have holes for the eyes, and as such, you'd obviously have to cover your eyeballs in this paint as well.

No, that's what your pair of Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses are for.

Re:For when "ducking" does not cut it??

[Baloroth]

Obviously you'd have to use goggles or something. The problem with a full-face mask is that it will almost always interfere with vision and communications. This paint isn't intended for high-risk individuals like a bomb-squad, it's intended to help prevent major facial damage if you do get exposed. A full face mask isn't worth it on those people.

Also eye-lids tend to do a decent job protecting the eyes.

Re:For when "ducking" does not cut it??

[Anonymous Coward]

I say we just give them all Star Wars stormtrooper suits and be done with it.

Re:For when "ducking" does not cut it??

[X0563511]

You should be wearing your eyewear.

I'm sure you've also seen crews wearing some serious goggles, too.

Re:For when "ducking" does not cut it??

[Anonymous Coward]

The idea for vehicle crew masks came about in WWI with the invention of tanks, because the inner hull of the tank can shatter into shrapnel (wikipedia pic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Splatter_Mask_(WWI).jpg)
The idea for FLaK vests came about in WWII for use in aircraft, to protect against similar threats, from the aircraft skin turning into shrapnel.

We do have kevlar flak vests, gorgets (neckpieces), groin plates, leggings, helmets, and face masks in the Air Force: because fuck-all if that 8mm aluminum fuselage is gonna stop anything except shitty AK-47 rounds. We also hang kevlar "tapestries" inside the aircraft to absorb shrapnel created from our own aircraft fuselage.

All these tactics can help provide protection in ground vehicles against IEDs. The problem, is that it adds considerable weight to the vehicles. And in Iraq, they had plentiful and easy access to 155mm howitzer rounds.

If you make a kevlar/whatever armored tactical mask that can deflect and catch shrapnel, the military would definately take a look at it; just remember it can't be patented, because of WWI.

think how more advanced it could have been by now

[Anonymous Coward]

...If we had only, as a society, LEGALLY confiscated Bill Gates' uncountable wealth and applied it to research like this. We'd have 100s of varieties of face paint with MULTIPLE functions per formula. NEWBORN babies would ALREADY BE PAINTED, possibly IN THE WOMB! Imagine where we'd be. Newborns, face-painted with space technologies BEFORE BIRTH!

US Navy WW2?

[perpenso]

Didn't the US Navy use some sort of face paint during WW2 to protect gunners from the heat and flash?

Re:US Navy WW2?

[stephanruby]

Didn't the US Navy use some sort of face paint during WW2 to protect gunners from the heat and flash?

Plus, there is also this version used for firefighters and movie stunt doubles.

The original protective pyrotechnical barrier gel used by professionals around the world seeking the finest protection around fire, flame and heat, such as stunt and special effects experts, foundries, welders, fire fighters, race car drivers and even chefs!

Invented by chemist Gary Zeller over 25 years ago, Zel-Jel Stunt Gel revolutionized safety standards for pyrotechnical effects in the entertainment industry by achieving a level of safety and protection in fire stunts never before attained.

Plus this one is not the only one, there are many other brands. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if a version of this "paint" wasn't already used thousands of years ago by blacksmiths, pottery makers, or even cooks. For someone who's face gets burned on a daily basis, it would only make sense for that person to try all kinds of things to apply to their face to avoid getting burned as much.

Re:US Navy WW2?

[Nutria]

First thing I thought of, too. It was zinc oxide, the same as life guards put on their noses and grandparents smear on babies' bottoms.

Re:US Navy WW2?

[icebike]

The Brits used full flash hoods for turret crews in World War 2, but these excluded the face. The modern British navy have anti-flash gear that covers much more of the face when in actual combat such as in the Falklands. These are made of Nomex today.

In those days, the US Navy was never much of a believer in anti flash clothing as the Royal Navy; though for a long time it did use anti flash cream for covering the face. Now I believe anti-flash hoods and sleeves are used in combat situations.

The US issued Anti Flash cream as early as 1943, to both navy and Marine corp, which was essentially titanium dioxide - same as is used for sun protection today.

Re:US Navy WW2?

[Aryden]

Not even close to the same thing. That gel is great for what it does but can't hold up in a sustained deployment in the field. It also stinks to high heaven in my opinion. Think of it in the aspect of, if you were to go camping, would you want to keep your face covered in jello or vegemite or nutella the entire time?

Re:US Navy WW2?

[Aryden]

Only really protects from UV radiation. Doesn't help for heat flash.

Re:US Navy WW2?

[QuantumRiff]

if you were to go camping, would you want to keep your face covered in jello or vegemite or nutella the entire time?

Do I have to pick only one? :)

Re:US Navy WW2?

[SuricouRaven]

I have that stuff on my walls. Such an adaptable dye.

syncronicity

[redneckmother]

At the time of this post, the "fortune" was "I had pancake makeup for brunch!"

Why clear?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why bother with a clear one? Not to say that I think it would take a lot of resources to develop it but these guys are fighting fires, not bellhopping at a five star hotel.

Re:Why clear?

[Aryden]

Because if they made it in black only, someone would complain that all the caucasion firefighters were in "Black Face" and raise hell.

Re:Why clear?

[Verdatum]

Clear is silly, since I'm certain the formulation includes zinc-oxide. This further protect the skin both thermally and from UV radiation

They probably don't want to use weird colors, for fear of further frightening children who need to be rescued.

Instead, they should be making formulations in a pallet of fleshtones. Firefighters would look a bit weird with the washed out look of a single color opaque makeup, but it wouldn't be unbearable.

Fine print

[jbeaupre]

* Not effective against effects of a bomb if you are the one wearing the bomb.

Why would firefighters need clear?

[perpenso]

Why would firefighters need clear? So what if they painted their faces with some particular color?

Plus would clear actually work as well? Opaque would seem to be a better blocker than transparent or translucent?

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[coldsalmon]

Clear works for sunscreen. We're blocking non-visible wavelengths, after all.

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[Sarten-X]

If I remember those county-fair firefighter demonstrations well enough, one of the major problems firefighters face is that they're already too scary.

In a house fire, children are startled awake by alarms, surrounded by disorienting smoke, and seeing flashing lights outside their window. Then suddenly a grotesque figure with a misshapen body and respirator mask comes bursting in to their room carrying a giant axe, with flames surrounding them. The children scream and run away, frantically hoping to escape their certain doom at the hands of the demon from the hallway. It's no use. Their shocked scream was heard, and the monster lumbers toward them, making unintelligible noises that sound almost like speech. Finally the great beast peels off his face to show a human underneath. "It's okay, I'm a fireman. I'll take you outside." Before the children can fully understand what's going on, they're being carried toward the door, and it's so hot they can't think straight. Maybe this is alright. At the door now, and there's people outside. Then there's mommy and everything's alright.

Keeping whatever remnants of human appearance a firefighter has is a good thing.

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[icebrain]

As a firefighter, I don't really see what benefit this stuff will really bring to us, given that we're already supposed to be covered completely by our turnout gear. We certainly don't have time to go applying it on the way to a call anyway.

Unless maybe it can be applied to the outside of the turnout gear and make it more heat-reflective?

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[c0lo]

Why would firefighters need clear? So what if they painted their faces with some particular color?

Then you'd not know by the color of their skin if it's something wrong with their face.

Plus would clear actually work as well? Opaque would seem to be a better blocker than transparent or translucent?

The protection derives from reflective properties of the paint, not from absorption of the radiation. You certainly don't want the protection layer to absorb the heat.

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[c0lo]

As a firefighter, I don't really see what benefit this stuff will really bring to us, given that we're already supposed to be covered completely by our turnout gear.

What if the turnout gear can be made lighter by using the gel is some form? Would it be an advantage?

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[MartinSchou]

I do hope you're joking.

The mask isn't just there to protect the skin from getting a burn. It's there to keep the air from boiling away their eyeballs, singing and burning their lungs etc.

There's a reason that most firefighters are only allowed to be in a building for about 15 minutes. It's not that their oxygen tanks can only carry that much - it's that they'll collapse from dehydration if they stay in there much longer. They quite literally lose a few pounds in that short time span, purely through the act of sweating.

Now, I may be a sceptic and nay-sayer, but I highly doubt that anyone is seriously contemplating this as a replacement for a firefighter's mask - and that includes the people who came up with it.

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[Sarten-X]

I'm not suggesting it as a replacement, either. I'm suggesting that a transparent paint, rather than an opaque one, could help shave a few precious seconds off the time a (young) victim is in a burning building while still offering a bit more protection for the heroes.

As I understand the situation right now, a firefighter who can't approach a child has the option to remove their mask briefly to try to calm the child down. That comes at a great risk to the rescuer, because the mask may not seal properly afterward, or even those few moments with the mask off could burn their face severely. An extra layer of protection that keeps the calming option open is something I find preferable.

As mentioned below, whether the rescuer will actually have time to apply the paint before entering is another matter.

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[SuricouRaven]

Reflective should be easy. Just make it white. You could probably adapt the makeup used by clowns - just make it longer-lasting, non-melting and flame-retardant.

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[icebrain]

As I understand the situation right now, a firefighter who can't approach a child has the option to remove their mask briefly to try to calm the child down.

I was never taught that, and none of us would ever consider doing that in a fire, because

the mask may not seal properly afterward, or even those few moments with the mask off could burn their face severely.

Not to mention possibly burning our lungs, inhaling smoke and toxic gases, dropping the helmet, etc.

We aren't going to remove helmet and facepiece; we're just going to grab the kid and get him out of there, and worry about calming him down outside, where it's cooler and has breathable air.

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[icebrain]

Lighter turnout gear is always a good thing, but given that the greater threat is heated gases (ambient temperature in a fire room can be a few hundred degrees, and you'll operate there for minutes at a time) and some physical protection against contact with hot and/or sharp objects, and seeing that some level of thickness and insulation will be necessary for that, I doubt this will make much of a difference.

Now, if you could somehow significantly increase the breathable air our packs contain, while making the pack itself lighter and less bulky (and yet easy to refill/swap bottles)... that is something we'd be all for.

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[c0lo]

Reflective should be easy. Just make it white. You could probably adapt the makeup used by clowns - just make it longer-lasting, non-melting and flame-retardant.

Be quick... go patent your idea! See... zinc oxide is white and guaranteed to stay on your face up to 1975 C. Also, used for quite a long time in Sun screens. So stupid of USM not trying that first.

(hint: what you want for firefighting is a paint that is reflecting in IR - you care less how "white" it is in UV-Vis.
And IR radiation is only one side of the protection; the other one is non-radiative heat transfer - direct contact with hot objects and hot gasses. For this, low thermal conductivity - aka thermal insulation - is the key. But anyway, in both cases, heat absorption will hurt rather than help).

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[Anonymous Coward]

Rather than fix the engineering design, can't we just fix our... ah, indoctrination? Storybooks and cartoons tend to depict firefighters are only wearing a thin raincoat and a funny hat.

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[Anonymous Coward]

That only happens with JW children.

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[Lucractius]

As mentioned below, whether the rescuer will actually have time to apply the paint before entering is another matter.

The other good reason for a clear version is that it doesnt make you look funny/stupid if you have to wear it all day to be ready at a moments notice.
Provided it lasts as long as i would expect something intended for battlefield usage, they can apply it at the start of their shift and then their day is otherwise normal.

Re:Why would firefighters need clear?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's why preschools and kindergartens have firefighters come in in everyday clothes, and talk the kids as they put on all the gear. The kids get a show and they also learn what a firefighter looks like all decked out.

Re:think how more advanced it could have been by n

[Vinegar Joe]

Didn't Pol Pot do this in Democratic Kampuchea? How did that work again?

in the dark

[Anonymous Coward]

How about visibility in night vision devices. If the substance reflects infra-red (which bands?) wouldn't it work like a safety reflective vest, yelling "HERE! I'M HERE!"

Re:in the dark

[Anonymous Coward]

Um... the human body emits IR. You're already a beacon screaming "here I am" at those wavelengths.

Also night vision isn't IR, it's light amplification.

Re:in the dark

[SuricouRaven]

Some night vision is amplification, some IR. There is more than one type available. Thermal IR tends to be a bit bulky for a headset, but I've seen a few of those 'real police chases' TV series, and the helicopters always seem to be equipped with thermal IR for use at night. Along with a massive spotlight.

2 Million Sunblock?

[Maximum Prophet]

So will this protect you from a "real bad day"?

Proud of my Alma Mater -

[Cutting_Crew]

This was also the same college(college of polymers) from USM that presented their work in relation to self-healing cars but also shows uses of other things like cell phones.

Re:think how more advanced it could have been by n

[Anonymous Coward]

Didn't your momma warn you about Internet troll, sucker?

How Not To Be Seen

[Ukab the Great]

"For millennia, face paint has helped soldiers avoid being seen"

"In this film we hope to show how not to be seen. This is Mr. Mohammed Quadrallah of 2345 Ibn Ali Avenue, Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, Afghanistan. He can not be seen. Now I am going to ask him to wipe off his face. Mr. Quadrallah, will you wipe off your face please."

(In the distance Mr Quadrallah wipes off his face with a handkerchief, which is followed by a drone strike followed by Wilhelm scream)

"This demonstrates the value of not being seen."

Bad news

[Vladius]

It probably causes cancer.

shielding

[CAIMLAS]

If this is, effectively, a heat shield, how will this impact soldiers in the field when they're not directly being blown up?

In war theatres where heat exhaustion is a significant concern, I don't see adding a protective layer to one of the few exposed parts of the body - a part where a great amount of heat is expelled due to its location - as being all that beneficial. I'm reminded of soldiers carrying their helmets in WWII and being penalized for not wearing them due to their weight and temperature discomfort - in relatively mild Europe.

Additionally, due to the absorbent nature of skin, your body's biggest organ, I have to wonder how this might impact long-term health. I imagine it's probably a flexible ceramic with some degree of volume/mass, possibly made with a non-Newtonian fluid. Assuming there's anything in it to be absorbed by the skin, that couldn't be good for you...

Re:shielding

[Aryden]

You still sweat through the current paints. I never found it to be a hindrance out in the field. The most annoying part was putting the shit on in the first place.

Re:shielding

[CAIMLAS]

I've used it. It always seems to make my sweat sting more when it gets in my eyes, to the point where I have to wash my face/eye area with soap/water to stop it from obscuring my vision.

Re:shielding

[Aryden]

I never had that issue, though many do. Then again, I sweat very little on my face and forehead. The only time that happens is when I had on the pro mask.

awesome

[Quiet_Desperation]

When asked if the face paint was too thick, a soldier demonstrating the product said, "Mmmph mmmm mmmh mmmph mmm mmmmph."

I would like to buy your Lion Amulet

[Picass0]

I have no such protection against lions and now I am very concerned. I will pay double if you include magic unicorn face-paint.

Warner Brothers has been testing the paint

[Grayhand]

This is a shot of an early field test. http://mediaconnectiononline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/wile_e_coyote_ACME.jpg

SPF 1 million

[Sparticus789]

So strong that the pasty-white /. basement-dwellers will finally be able to emerge from their man-cave.

Re:SPF 1 million

[c0lo]

So strong that the pasty-white /. basement-dwellers will finally be able to emerge from their man-cave.

That's racist and sexist (as it implies that basement-dwelling geeks come in Caucasian male flavor only).

Re:SPF 1 million

[Sparticus789]

Oops, don't want to exclude anyone from being criticized.

So strong that the black-as-night /. basement-dwellers will finally be able to emerge from their man-cave
So strong that the pasty-white /. basement-dwellers will finally be able to emerge from their woman-cave
So strong that the black-as-night /. basement-dwellers will finally be able to emerge from their woman-cave
So strong that the black-as-night /. basement-dwellers will finally be able to emerge from their transgender-cave
So strong that the pasty-white /. basement-dwellers will finally be able to emerge from their transgender-cave

If any other geeks feel offended, please feel free to add your own variations.

Pretty interesting stuff

[Tyrannicsupremacy]

But i really like the idiot's comment at the bottom of the article: "Why a clear version for firefighters? Why not a silver or, better yet, gold version that would reflect infrared? Not very stealthy, but firefighters aren't soldiers. Gadgeteer 24th August, 2012 @ 03:57 pm PDT "

DEET encased in hydrogel?

[Anonymous Coward]

The part I don't get is why encapsulating DEET in hydrogel doesn't render it ineffective as well as nonflammable. Is there a chemist who can explain? I couldn't find the actual paper, but it seems like a pretty big flaw.

Re:DEET encased in hydrogel?

[Sparticus789]

The Army requirement is for the paint to be 35% DEET. Nowhere does it say the DEET has to be effective.

Heat is the least problem

[DaveV1.0]

If one is that close to the blast, one has to worry about shrapnel and the pressure wave. Those are much more dangerous than the heat of the explosion.

Re:Heat is the least problem

[SuricouRaven]

I imagine it's easier to treat a soldier for internal injuries if you don't have to worry about their skin falling off too.

DEET?

[jklovanc]

I wonder how well the DEET worked after "encapsulating the DEET within a hydrogel". Wouldn't that mean that the DEET could not get to the air and deter flies?

Only downside...

[Anonymous Coward]

The only downside is, it causes lukemia.

That's one small step for paint,

[Penurious Penguin]

and one giant leap toward manned solar expeditions!

Life imitates art!

[Anonymous Coward]

Woot! One step closer to making the atmospheric re-entry hull paint on my Asp Explorer real! \o/

It is available now

[ozduo]

I saw it on the home shopping channel right after the miracle weight reducing cream.

But...

[Greyfox]

If you're standing close enough for the heat to be a problem, won't the shock wave and shrapnel still kill you? I suppose at least you'll leave a prettier corpse, though...

you know what else

[mapkinase]

you know what else protects your soldiers? Keeping long crooked American nose out of business of other nations.

Re:think how more advanced it could have been by n

[cronicthebadger]

ISTR something like this was developed in Great Britain about 20 years ago, called "starlite", and could be painted onto objects to protect from intense heat radiation.

Batman has had this for a while

[Anonymous Coward]

http://i2.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/250/draft_lens18266372module153566886photo_1316793824catwoman_001_02.jpg

Catwoman likes it.

Apologies if the text is too small to read.

Drilling sergeant

[Kamamura]

"Now listen you maggots! Shoot 'em, blow 'em, kill 'em anyway you like, but remember this. The blue ones are bulletproof, so use knives or grenades. But not on the green ones, those are resistant to all forms of explosives... and poison, I think. The black ones cannot be drowned and the purple ones can safely ignore radiation, so nukes are useless. War has become more complicated, I guess."