Dismounted infantry soldiers who have to operate on all grounds from garrison workshops to uneven battlefields, jumping off moving land systems vehicles or helicopters and often landing on their knees, suffer from the highest incidence of lower limb musculoskeletal injuries. Existing commercially available internal knee pads offer the wearer good flexibility in motion, but in real-life situations, soldiers can be kneeling on abrasive or flinty surfaces which can rip or damage their combat trousers and degrade the protector. External knee pads provide better and more durable protection but, when the pads are not in use, can simply be worn around the legs or ankles hindering movement and can be displaced in action.

The knee pad system features D3O’s unique patented technology which is based on non-Newtonian principles: the patent covers the use of a dilatant fluid which is integrated into the materials. In standard conditions, the molecules flow freely allowing the material to remain soft and flexible, but on impact, they lock together to absorb impact energy and reduce the force transmitted. The molecules instantly return to their flexible state. The raw material (dilatant fluid) is strain rate sensitive which means the stronger the impact, the more the molecules react, and the better the protection.

The system comprises a high performance inner knee pad which uses D3O impact protection material which protects the soldier from repeated impacts and is comfortable and flexible to wear, plus an outer clip-on shell which is secured and detached using clips through tailored holes in the fabric, retaining the key benefits of traditional external knee pads such as abrasion and puncture resistance. The combination of the soft and flexible internal knee pad teamed with a detachable shell is the optimum solution bringing comfort and superior protection in a format that can be easily integrated into soldiers’ active combat pants, as part of their uniforms. It provides a comfortable, flexible and efficient protection solution for use in theatre.

D3O technology was presented to the defense industry by UKTI at the recent NATO Summit; the UK’s Ministry of Defence and US Department of Defense have both expressed strong interest in the patented system, with wearer trials currently underway.

Mostyn Thomas, D3O’s General Manager said:

“Featuring our unique patented integration technology, the D3O TRUST high performance internal knee pad system is a versatile solution designed to protect soldiers both in the physically demanding combat environment and back at base where prolonging durability of uniforms is a key goal for defense procurement teams.”

“In both US team sports and the oil and gas industry where the likelihood and severity of impact is high, the use of D3O is now setting the benchmark in high performance impact protection. D3O is committed to bringing the expertise in using smart impact protection materials to create personal protection equipment which will help to reduce the thousands of lower limb injuries affecting soldiers each year.”