BYU engineers developed a foldable ballistic barrier with 12 Kevlar layers.

Engineering professors from the Brigham Young University (BYU) in the United States have created an origami-inspired, lightweight bulletproof shield that can protect law enforcement from gunfire.

BYU said in a statement that the new barrier can be folded compactly when not in use, making it easier to transport and deploy. It takes only five second to expand and provide cover for officers and stop bullets from several types of handguns. 

“We worked with a federal special agent to understand what their needs were, as well as SWAT teams, police officers and law enforcement, and found that the current solutions are often too heavy and not as portable as they would like. We wanted to create something that was compact, portable, lightweight and worked really well to protect them,” Larry Howell, a professor of mechanical engineering at BYU, was quoted as saying.

The BYU researchers learned most of shields in use at present are similar to what existed during the medieval times - they are almost flat, awkward plates that cover only one person or more individuals behind each other.

Current barriers are so heavy and cumbersome they make it difficult for officers to move into position.

The barrier Howell and his colleagues designed is made of 12 layers of bulletproof Kevlar and weighs only 30 kilograms, compared to steel shields that approach more than 45 kilograms. The BYU-built barrier uses a Yoshimura origami crease pattern to expand around several officers, providing protection on the side in addition to protecting them in the front.

In testing it with officers on site, the barrier successfully stopped bullets from 9 mm, .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum pistols. 

Whether the BYU shield can protect from heavy automatic rifles is an unanswered question.

The ballistic barrier was just in prototype form and was expected to enter a limited serial production for law enforcement agencies.

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The idea of using the Japanese art of paper folding to create objects in modern projects is not new.

Origami model as been long used in cosmic exploration, for example in foldable solar arrays and compact robots, saving space and fuel on board of shuttles and rockets.

However, an origami-styled bulletproof shield that unfolds in second to save a life is something that deserves attention.