There was a electro-hardening ceramic announced several years ago. While this particular compound is metallic, it seems to work along a similar concept. Should be interesting as this new class of materials come to market. If we can get something as hard as diamond cheaply, there are numerous applications ranging from drilling to manufacturing equipment to artistic etching.
I'd be interesting to see what materials could come out of this and what eletrical science can come out also.
I'm sure the military would be interested especially if allows for a weight saving over traditional armour.
yes but it would take a power source that is always one. The military didn't even buy the Dragon scale bullet proof armour because it was too expensive, yet you could jump on a grenade with it and survive.
wait. why is the title Polarize the hull plating. All this energy does to certain medals is make the bend-able and easy to form. The last thing you want a hull of a ship to do is become soft.
No, the Army and Air Force didn't buy it because it failed durability tests. It did not match the rating claimed by the manufacturer. It did pass Navy testing, but they went with the other services by buying interceptor armor.
wierd because I have seen actual demonstrations and it beats modern military vests which haven't changed much since the first Gulf war.
What's the problem with a soft hull? A brittle hull would be more unwanted. Wouldn't some softness allow it to better absorb the energy from hits? Plus, mending the hull in place would be much easier if it's malleable. Though it's not as good as a "self-healing" one -- if the cracks could simply join in one of the possible states. Actually, due to the this thread, I just exchanged the hull of the starship in my book to a soft kind.