Energy-absorbing material could prevent hip fractures

The U.K.’s Royal Academy of Engineering is helping start new businesses based on technological innovation, and awarded up to £85,000 (approximately $140,000) to Dr. Daniel Plant, Imperial College London, to develop a material for “smart clothing.” The material, Armourgel, is an energy-absorbing material that hardens on impact, but is thin and flexible enough to be used in everyday garments. The honeycombed material, substantially thinner than comparable materials currently used in motorcycle gear, could cushion the fragile bones of elderly patients. Hip fractures take up 20 percent of orthopedic hospital beds in the U.K. and cost the National Health Service £1.73 billion per year.