Armour
From Blood Frontier
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Hard Armour
Hard Armour is used for EVAs and other extremely hazardous environments. It is usually a soft suit coated in polymers with overlapping protective plates that deflect otherwise lethal projectiles such as micrometeorites away from the wearer with a high degree of success. These Armours are common in construction and exploration work, and often have closed circulation systems that recycle oxygen. There are military and police variants, although they are most often used in space or underwater where the sheer weight is not such a factor. This Armour is one of the most inexpensive types, and very reliable if well maintained, making it one of the most common types as well.
Soft Armour
Soft Armours are more of a historical footnote than anything, and are not used in modern times except in certain disciplines. They suffer from limited usability, often being specifically tailored to one hazard, such as radiation, biological contaminants, and depressurization.
Reactive Armour
Reactive Armours are relatively new, although the idea behind them is quite old. The Armour is composed of a soft, self-repairing shell with some strategically placed plates, and the inside is filled with a reactive gel. When the gel is struck by a high velocity object, it causes a chemical reaction that hardens the gel in a wide area. The hardened gel slows or stops the projectile, and then reverts to it's non-solid state. The gel also acts as highly effective insulation against extremes of temperature and also radiation.
The most effective gels used by the military and police forces are actually nanotechnological in nature, and protect from a very wide range of hazards. In addition, they normally have a closed circulation system, an onboard AI for monitoring the wearer's health , and they can also regenerate damage to the wearer, making them highly desirable. Such suits are unfortunately highly expensive and need constant upkeep in order to work correctly.
Powered Armour
Powered Armour is used almost solely in construction. As Armour, it is not very effective due to the bulk, and can be stopped by almost any police or military grade weaponry. In addition, the power source is used up quite quickly. In older powered Armour that utilizes radioactive isotopes, damage can result in hazardous quantities of radiation, rendering an area unsafe for habitation for hundreds of years. Powered Armour is not used by any known military or police force.
