Constructed for influence: Modern defence and safety through body armour
pspcorpca 
Body armour has evolved a long way from the surface-level defence provided to warriors with simple leather or metal and leather designs that didn't provide much in the way of protection against crude weapons. Modern body armour offers an entirely different level of protection to those on the medieval battlefield, and is already finding its niche as a part of modern military and civilian safety equipment.
At its most basic, body armour in Canada is intended to prevent impacts from rounds, shrapnel and all manner of physical threats. But the definition of adequate protection has changed. Today, lethal threats extend beyond firearms to include high-velocity rounds, blades, IEDs, and blunt force trauma. Defence wear companies, on the other hand, have themselves adopted advanced technology and new materials – like Kevlar, Dyneema, and ceramic plates – to provide better protection without the weight or heat.
One increasingly prominent evolution in the body armour landscape is the development of role-specific armour. A combat soldier would need different protective capabilities from a police officer, a civilian security guard, or a reporter in a dangerous place. When it comes to body armour, users can transform the level of protection without it turning their load carriage into a somewhat heavy solution.
Wearable technology is also changing the nature of body armour. Sensor-enabled smart armour could track vital signs, measure the force of impacts, and notify medics on the ground of an injury as it happens. The merging of safety with data is something that not only can make life and death differences in high-stakes situations such as law enforcement, but also in military situations.
There's also an increasing emphasis on comfort and how wearable they are. Historically, protective equipment’s bulk and tendency to trap heat made its extended wear impractical. Modern breakthroughs in breathable materials, weight distribution and flexible panel design have made it possible to wear body armour for long periods without affecting activity or stamina.
And off the battlefield, body armour is increasingly being used for civilian purposes, like protecting journalists, activists and even first responders. With mass shootings and civil unrest on the rise, people are beginning to look at low-profile, soft body armour as standard equipment.
And as threats change, so, too, will technology for protective equipment. Body armour technology’s future is to provide highly protective systems that are user-customizable and that respond to their wearer’s surroundings. Body armour has evolved from a wartime need to an essential underlayer of protection for many in an increasingly uncertain world.
James Foster is the author of this article. For more details about Police Tactical Belts, please visit our website: pspcorp.ca.
