Face paint for soldiers can protect against burns

A team at the University of Southern Mississippi has created a heat-proof face paint, which will help soldiers avoid burns during explosions.

University research has already developed mobile software to detect landmines in the form of the Military University of Technology in Warsaw’s SAPER app. Now a team at the University of Southern Mississippi has created a heat-proof face paint, which could help soldiers avoid burns from bomb blasts. Funded by the US Department of Defense and developed in collaboration with the American Chemical Society, the face-paint is designed to be used as camouflage for army personnel. When facing the blast of an explosive, which can reach up to 600°C in temperature, soldiers can experience burning and traditional paints containing wax or oil can exacerbate the problem. The new material is made with a silicon base that can protect skin from extreme heat for up to two seconds and defend against mild burns for 15 seconds, giving soldiers time to move away from the danger. The video below from New Scientist gives a demonstration of the paint: Although the current working version could soon be deployed among the armed forces, the researchers are also hoping to create a transparent version for use by fire fighters. Researchers: what other piece of essential kit could be upgraded and improved for the emergency and armed services? Spotted by: Hemanth Chandrasekar