The child’s safety blanket that can stop a bullet: $1,000 fabric can also help protect children from falling debris from tornadoes

5/16-inch thick rectangle features backpack straps to keep it in place

Made of high-density plastic used for ballistic armor that is lighter than Kevlar

Can protect from debris from a tornado - or bullets from a 9 mm handgun

An Oklahoma company has created a protective blanket that developers say could give children a better chance of surviving debris from a tornado - or bullets from a 9 mm handgun.



The Bodyguard Blanket, made by ProTecht, is a bulletproof pad designed to protect students during disasters at school.



The 5/16-inch thick rectangle features backpack-like straps that allow users to put it on, and then duck and cover.

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The Bodyguard Blanket can protect students from tornado debris or bullets during school disasters.

HOW IT WORKS The blanket is made of Dyneema, a high-density plastic used for ballistic armor that is lighter than Kevlar. Normally used by U.S. soldiers while in battle, it is qual to or exceeds the protection used by police departments.

The firm claims the Bodyguard blanket provides bullet resistant protection against 90% of all weapons that have been used in school shootings in the United States.

It has been classified to protect against various projectiles, including 9 mm and .22-caliber bullets.



Steve Walker developed the pad, The Oklahoman reported.



Walker started on the idea after a massive tornado struck last year in Moore, killing 24 people including seven children inside an elementary school that didn't have a tornado shelter.



'We're trying to stop that blunt-force trauma when that rubble is falling down on a child, for instance,' said Walker, a podiatrist from Edmond.



He gave a sketch of the protective blanket to Stan Schone, an inventor and one of his patients, during an appointment.



The two form half of the executive team at ProTecht. The others are Jeff Quinn and Jay Hanan.



Hanan is an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa. He introduced the team to Dyneema, a high-density plastic used for ballistic armor that is lighter than Kevlar.



The new material also protects against nails, shards of metal and other sharp objects.



'Instead of bending over and hoping for the best, they're afforded an extra layer of protection,' Schone said.

The 5/16-inch thick rectangle features backpack-like straps that allow users to put it on, and then duck and cover.

The new material also protects against nails, shards of metal and other sharp objects.

At $1,000 per blanket, he and others with the company say buying one per student would be less expensive than building tornado shelters.



'By no means would we ever say that this is more protective,' Walker said.



'But when you have budget constraints, this might be a viable alternative.'



The blankets can be stored in classrooms until needed

ProTecht took a finished blanket to a shooting range and had it subjected to a National Institute of Justice Class 3A test, which is used to test body armor for police units.

The classification implies protection against various projectiles, including 9 mm and .22-caliber bullets.



It passed, Schone said.

