A Łódź-based Polish consortium has created a new ballistic vest designed for the female anatomy, addressing comfort and protection issues in standard models.
Designed for Female Officers
Police officers, prison staff, and border guards in Poland now have access to a new piece of service equipment tailored specifically to their needs: the “Ballistic, multifunctional vest designed for women.” The vest is a nominee in the Dziennik Gazety Prawnej’s “Eureka! Discovering Polish Inventions” competition.
Addressing Fit and Protection Gaps
Previously, the Polish market was dominated by ballistic vests designed for men or unisex models. Women often found these uncomfortable and ill-fitting, with inadequate protection for those with larger builds, as parts of the vest wouldn’t lie flush against the body.
Loose, ill-fitting vests were also inconvenient and hindered performance, particularly concealed carry models.
Consortium Development
The new vest was developed by a scientific-industrial consortium including the Institute of Technology and Security “Moratex,” the Władysław Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, the Central Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Maskpol S.A. Protective Equipment Enterprise, and Motex sp.j.
Innovative Design Features
The invention consists of a protective vest equipped with a patented ballistic insert and a corrective system – a bra – designed to compress female breast tissue according to size. The system differentiates between small/medium and large busts.
This system effectively “flattens” the bust, with internal layers and cuts stabilizing each breast individually for optimal fit.
Protection Levels and Applications
The vest’s modular system provides two levels of protection. The basic level meets the Polish standard K2O3, offering bullet and fragment resistance.
Additionally, a special stab- and spike-resistant insert can be added for protection against bladed weapons, which is particularly important for prison officers facing a higher risk of such attacks.
Positive User Feedback
Ergonomic tests involving 50 uniformed service representatives yielded very positive results, with over 85% of users satisfied with the vest’s performance.