The Army has awarded The Johns Hopkins University a contract that could reach $90 million to develop lighter and stronger armor for its troops and vehicles. The Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute will zero in on just what happens at the moment of impact so it can figure out how to improve armor’s ability to shrug off such shocks.
HEMI’s research will drill down to the atomic level in metals, ceramics, polymers and other materials. “What affects the material is the huge amount of energy landing all at once,” says HEMI director and Johns Hopkins engineer K. T. Ramesh. “Captain America needs a new shield, and we’re going to work with the Army to build it.”