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Posted on August 27th, 2009 by Jonathan Bray
The wonderful world of d3o orange goo
On a recent edition of Dragons’ Den, Jason Roberts, founder and CEO of a company called Tech21, managed to convince Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis to part with £150,000 (in return for a 40% stake in his business) for what is effectively a range of laptop bags, MP3 player and mobile phone cases.
Doesn’t sound that exciting, does it? But there is something rather special that lies at the heart of his apparently mundane products – a fabric called called d3o. This is an impact-absorbing material, that’s becoming increasingly popular in the world of protective clothing – it’s been used by the military, the US downhill ski team, and motorcycle clothing manufacturers to provide impact protection in the event of a crash.
What’s clever about it is that it’s soft and flexible in its natural state but goes hard on impact, as Mr Roberts ably demonstrated on a recent visit to PC Pro. He extracted a large lump of what looked like orange goo from his bag – the goo, he told us, was the raw material behind d3o.
Then he placed it in on the table and proceeded to hit it with his fist with the sort of impact that would have been enough break his knuckles with nothing in the way; but he didn’t even wince. We tried it too, and it didn’t hurt a bit. He hit it with a mallet and it hardly changed shape. Then he rolled it into a sphere and bounced it on the desk like a rubber ball.
It’s truly fascinating stuff, and it drew universal interest when I touted it around the office. The applications for it seem endless, and others clearly agree. Just check out the list of products detailed on the d3o website and you’ll see why.
We’re not so convinced how useful the iPod nano “iBand” made of this stuff will be (available from the Apple online store for £19.95), but I’ll be first in line for a protective laptop or camera bag.
28 Responses to “ The wonderful world of d3o orange goo ”
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August 27th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Is it that different to bog standard silly putty?
(recatchpa: “rancor authority’s” – sounds like something out of Star Wars)
August 27th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Looks and sounds an awful lot like Silly Putty
August 27th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Newtonian_fluid
If you make a paste from cornflower in water you can stir it gently with a wooden spoon, or shatter it with a hammer – best tried in a metal bowl
August 28th, 2009 at 10:48 am
This stuff looks so cool it protects your expensive equipment and offers stress relief when it doesn’t work!
August 28th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Really inspiring stuff!!!
A brilliant British company showing the world that great new technological products can come out of this contry.
I’m waiting for the laptop bag!
August 28th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Non Newtonian liquids, brilliant stuff, the kids love it. Its the same principal as being able to run across a swimming pool full of custard, try and walk and you will sink.
Tons of applications though, lightweight bulletproofing anyone?
August 28th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
[...] Random Feed wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptOn a recent edition of Dragons’ Den, Jason Roberts, founder and CEO of a company called Tech21, managed to convince Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis to part with £150,000 (in return for a 40% stake in his business) for what is effectively a range of laptop bags, MP3 player and mobile phone cases. Doesn’t sound that [...] [...]
August 28th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
I wish I knew you were going to present this piece on your podcast (great by the way) in advance. I demo’d this stuff in the store in Oxford a few months ago. it’s brilliant! – For your nearest store, checkout the online store: http://www.exstores.com/oxford/
Take care folks,
S
August 29th, 2009 at 2:01 am
[...] The wonderful world of d3o orange goo | PC Pro blog http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/08/27/the-wonderful-world-of-d3o-orange-goo – view page – cached On a recent edition of Dragons’ Den, Jason Roberts, founder and CEO of a company called Tech21, managed to convince Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis to — From the page [...]
August 30th, 2009 at 8:49 am
“..a fabric called called d3o”?
August 31st, 2009 at 8:59 am
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.
August 31st, 2009 at 10:58 am
So, why haven’t we heard anything new about this since it first showed up in 2006
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EBWGbhsuws
August 31st, 2009 at 12:23 pm
“Then he placed it in on the table and proceeded to hit it with his fist with the sort of impact that would have been enough break his knuckles with nothing in the way; but he didn’t even wince.”
Ummm, you would still break your fist if it doesn’t give. The idea is that if you cover your hand with it, smacking the material will take out the sting.
August 31st, 2009 at 2:14 pm
this was on TV with Billy Mays quite sometime ago wasn tit?
August 31st, 2009 at 4:29 pm
So then your laptop hits the floor, bounces up and falls flat on the surface not being protected by the silly putty. Ingenious!!
August 31st, 2009 at 4:31 pm
How about making car bumpers and steering wheel covers from this stuff too? Might it not be able to protect people’s lives in case of car accidents?
Better than airbags at least?
September 1st, 2009 at 2:51 pm
[...] Apple online store for
September 6th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
[...] 6, 2009 The wonderful world of d3o orange goo | PC Pro blog On a recent edition of Dragons’ Den, Jason Roberts, founder and CEO of a company called Tech21, [...]
September 8th, 2009 at 3:17 am
[...] The Orange Goo That Could Save Your Laptop A British company has patented an orange goo that could save your laptop or iPod after a nasty fall or crash. The wonderful world of d3o orange goo | PC Pro blog [...]
September 8th, 2009 at 3:25 am
The wonderful world of d3o orange goo | PC Pro blog…
The Orange Goo That Could Save Your Laptop…
September 26th, 2009 at 11:41 am
mobile phones with free gifts…
Most people don’t know they can get a valuable free gift with their next mobile phone… all from a name you can trust… Tesco! Don’t go direct to a UK network when free Wii’s, HDTV’s, Laptops, Playstations and much more. All above board and from …
January 29th, 2010 at 9:48 pm
How to get a free iphone…
Even“ hands- free” cell phone use. I’ ve written on this exact topic for an insurance website and cited the same studies referenced in this article. I’ m not even going to comment on the inanity of doing any sort of texting while driving— sending or re…
July 26th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Sounds like he’s close to inventing Flubber. I can just picture Robin Williams in front of the Dragons!
August 24th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
I learned more new stuff on this losing weight issue. One issue is that good nutrition is vital if dieting. An enormous reduction in junk food, sugary food items, fried foods, sugary foods, pork, and white flour products could be necessary. Keeping wastes harmful bacteria, and wastes may prevent targets for shedding fat. While certain drugs temporarily solve the issue, the awful side effects are certainly not worth it, and so they never present more than a short-lived solution. This is a known undeniable fact that 95% of fad diet plans fail. Thanks for sharing your ideas on this weblog.
January 7th, 2012 at 6:26 pm
When I initially left a comment I clicked the -Notify me if new comments are added – checkbox and here if a comment is added I receive six e-mails with the similar comment. Can there be any way you can remove me from that system? Thanks!
March 2nd, 2012 at 7:52 am
This actually responded my personal difficulty, thank you!
August 15th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Anyone know where I can purchase D30 putty/goo from?! I’m a technology teacher and would love to get the kids to experiment with this to learn about modern/smart materials? Thanks
January 13th, 2013 at 11:01 pm
Where did u get the goo I really want some a lot.