WILMINGTON, Del., October 24, 2025 – DuPont (NYSE: DD) today announced the launch of three innovative testing protocols that set a new benchmark for evaluating the comfort and mobility of soft ballistic body armor. Developed in collaboration with independent textile research and testing institute Hohenstein, the testing methods are designed to simulate real-world movements and situations to identify discomfort levels and mobility constraints faced by law enforcement and military personnel.
Police officers often reference lack of comfort as a key reason for removing their body armor on duty. Additionally, restricted mobility leads to body fatigue, which weakens focus, slows reactions and increases the risk of injury.
“Maximizing comfort and flexibility in soft ballistic solutions is essential to address the critical needs of law enforcement and military personnel,” said Christophe Djololian, Global Market Development Leader at DuPont. “By taking into account body movement and specific end-use scenarios, we have developed solutions that more objectively evaluate discomfort and mobility constraints from the wearer’s perspective.”
Three Comfort & Mobility Tests have been developed:
- Lower Costal Bending (LCB) Test simulates upper body bending motions common in active duty, and measures energy loss due to armor stiffness, which can lead to accelerated fatigue in the field.
- Double Curvature Compression (DCC) Test replicates a bent torso to assess how well ballistic materials conform to the body’s complex curves. High conformability = enhanced freedom of movement.
- Edge Pressure (EP) Test evaluates localized pressure points at the vest edges, such as the lower abdomen, neck and arms, which are often causes of discomfort.
These test methods were developed in collaboration with Hohenstein, a German-based research institute with strong expertise in textile testing and ergonomics.
“It is in the DNA of Hohenstein to get as close as possible to the user’s reality,” said Dr. Jan Beringer, Senior Scientific Expert at Hohenstein. “With dedicated wear trials, possible discomfort and movement restrictions were determined. Then, leveraging decades of expertise, tests and equipment were designed to simulate the wearer’s experience in close collaboration between DuPont and Hohenstein.”
“It is our intent to drive the industry to more comfortable body armor to improve the performance and protection of military and law enforcement personnel. With these new comfort and mobility test protocols developed with Hohenstein, we can now quantify and standardize flexibility in body armor so protection and comfort go hand in hand. As we design new, more flexible materials such as Kevlar® EXO™ fabrics and structures, a wide range of highly optimized solutions for the greater benefit of end-users is now possible,” said DuPont Global Segment Leader, Steven LaGanke.
