More Evidence of “Trek Tech!”

Remember “Star Trek: The Voyage Home?” (The one us Trekkers playfully call the “Save the Whales” movie!) One of the things that they mentioned about in that movie was “transparent aluminium.” Scotty was willing to give away the formula if the guy that owned the company would make some for him. Well, this is an old article, but my brother-in-law, Jon, sent it to me and pointed out that they ARE working on just that… transparent aluminium! Wow!

Military: New Aluminum Windows Stop .50-Caliber Bullet

“A new type of transparent armor made of aluminum could one day replace glass in military vehicles. The product is called aluminum oxynitride. It is being tested by the Army and the University of Dayton Research Institute in Ohio. The material is a ceramic compound with a high compressive strength and durability, according to an Army statement issued this week. It performs better than the multilayered glass products currently in use, and its about half the weight. It is virtually scratch-resistant. ‘The substance itself is light-years ahead of glass,’ said 1st Lt. Joseph La Monica, who heads the research. Glass is still used in the new process, being sandwiched between an outer layer of the polished aluminum oxynitride and a polymer backing.”

How cool is that?