Special Report: Impact protection technology
Possible Answer S.A. writes about its ambitions, technology, strategies and products in impact protection technology.
Possible Answer S.A. is specialised in the development and production of dilatant fluids for impact protection, based on the principle of non-Newtonian fluids, with Polyanswer patented technology. We produce a gel that hardens almost immediately on impact. In obtaining our fluid we resort to recyclable materials giving excellent impact properties (up to 80% of impact absorption), making products lighter, more flexible, more comfortable, ergonomic, safe, customised and easy to use.
Polyanswer developed a technology to be applied in products or solutions that protect the user from collisions and impacts. Traditionally, materials used for impact protection are heavy, rigid and inefficient in preventing collateral damage from impacts due to poor absorption and dissipation of the impact energy. There is a wide range of impact protection products in different economic sectors, namely sports (winter sports such as skiing, extreme sports, hockey, American football, etc.), motorcycle garments and helmets, footwear, personal protective equipment (PPE) and defence (ballistic vests, shields, batons, military vehicles, etc.).
Our technology is based on the production of a non-Newtonian fluid (reo-thickener fluid) produced from recyclable materials and conferring excellent properties to devices that are impacted at high speeds. The product is malleable and flexible, but its viscosity increases when a force is applied, so the fluid turns immediately solid. Following the impact the material returns to its original flexible state.
Our strategy is not to produce for end users but for equipment manufacturers and retailers. In this business-to-business (B2B) model we are able to assist each of our clients and focus on the impact material. We also aim to maintain a continuous investigation programme in order to improve product development for different utilisations. Our ambition is to become a world-leading reference company in impact protection and shock absorbing materials.
Our product will be manufactured in different modalities according to each target client’s needs. Each component is tested to the highest standards to ensure the protection of the end user. We have protocols with Faculdade de Engenharia, Porto, and Universidade do Minho, Braga, to test and characterise our products.
In recent decades, personal protective solutions have undergone a great evolution, mainly in the development of new materials. In sports markets, motorcycling and personal protective equipment, the most used materials are the foams and polymeric composites in helmets, body protection, elbow pads and knee pads. Despite the great effort and development, the materials currently used are not efficient in avoiding collateral damage and injuries resulting from impacts and collisions because these materials do not have the capacity to absorb and dissipate impact energy. Besides, these types of materials in general are rigid and uncomfortable.
In other sectors, some competitors are developing similar products based on combinations of different materials. In comparison, our product has greater absorption and dissipation of impact energy, greater flexibility and adaptability. These features enable integration in different protection and security products for the fields of sport or personal protection, giving the user simultaneous protection and comfort.
Polyanswer will not be the first company offering impact protection, but we believe that our product specification will allow us a good market entrance without extra cost. Our objective is to gain market recognition with a sustainable growth rate and become a reference for quality and innovation.
Small variations of our product have been developed for applications in different situations. Each application can involve different formulations, for which technical sheets for use in a commercial approach have also been developed. We invite producers to test our product, for which we provide personal technical assistance.
The project has been co-financed with equity from the promoters (the team of five that began the project: three technologists, Igor Ribeiro, Nelson Oliveira and Bruno Oliveira; chief commercial officer Pedro Pinto; and myself) and Portugal Ventures, a venture capital and private equity firm based in Oporto, Portugal.
Miguel Pimentel
Chief Executive Officer
Possible Answer S.A.
+351 933 770 269
+351 253 540 107
[email protected]
www.polyanswer.com
