Team members showcase the gold medal certificate won at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva.

A series of protective equipment products with excellent reusable impact resistance, developed by the research team at the Advanced Structural Technology Research Institute of Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), has won the gold medal at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva.

In the desert regions of North America lives a diabolical ironclad beetle that can withstand pressure up to 39,000 times its own weight, making it an insect that cars cannot crush. In China, there are various beetles with similar structures. These beetles exhibit different interfacial connection forms while maintaining their compressive properties.

Inspired by the beetles, BIT's research team launched the project: Bioinspired design of human armor based on Beetle elytra.

The team addressed issues such as weak impact energy absorption performance and poor reusability in complex extreme environments by proposing a novel design method for reusable cushioning structures based on interfacial friction mechanisms. They designed various biomimetic cushioning composite superstructures integrated with intelligent sensing systems.

The developed series of protective equipment products exhibit excellent reusable impact resistance, self-sensing capabilities, and flexibility, making them suitable for applications in areas such as human motion protection.

The protective equipment products and the gold medal certificate

Founded in 1973, the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva has been held annually. As of 2022, it has successfully organized 47 offline exhibitions and 2 special online exhibitions. It is one of the longest-running and largest invention exhibitions globally.

The exhibition this year took place in Geneva from April 9 to 13, attracting participation from universities, research institutions, and businesses from nearly 40 countries and regions worldwide. Over 1,000 invention projects were showcased at the event.