所谓的“第二种皮肤”,就是仿生皮肤。这种“皮肤”实则是一种近似人体“皮肤”的防生物武器的衣服,它的质地结构具有生物细胞的多孔性,但比生物的“皮肤”更胜一筹,因为它还能选择性地将外界有害病原菌阻隔在体外。
Second Skin
Although soldiers don special suits and masks1) to protect their skin and airways from toxic2) chemicals,these defenses are uncomfortable and don't provide sufficient protection against biological weapons.So the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency challenged Da Ingber,scientific founder of Molecular Geodesics Inc.in Cambridge,Massachusetts,to come up with3)an alternative4).
One of the problems with existing suits,says Ingber,is that they are too much like raincoats--that is,they prevent body heat from dissipating5) into the air.Another issue:Existing suits don't allow the freedom of movement needed to perform such tasks as loading and firing weapons.
To create a better material,the company is testing different structures based on an architectural principle.
Since a pathogen6) is most likely to enter the body via7) the nose and mouth,the company is also devising materials for face masks that filter pathogens and allow soldiers to breathe normally.Existing masks feel like breathing through a blanket while exercising,says Ingber.The ideal material would mimic the porosity of biological cells to allow air in,while selectively filtering out hazardous8) pathogens.The company is presently testing a prototype9) materials.