Electromagnetic Shielding Bomber - Pre-Order

Long before the Curiosity Rover was sent to Mars to search for signs of life, every single one of its components had to be tested here on Earth. So NASA created an electromagnetic shielding tent that was designed to completely block out external electromagnetic radiation during testing… like someone sending a text next door, turning the microwave, or chatting with the James Webb telescope. A specialist lab was commissioned to build an electromagnetic compatibility shielding tent to protect Curiosity during the tests that would completely block out all external electromagnetic radiation to prevent disruption. And we’ve now used the same technology to build the first Electromagnetic Shielding Bomber.

Based in Bremen, northwest Germany, Shieldex® are the lab that creates high-tech metallised fabrics for digital forensics, the aerospace industry and medical textiles… and Mars Rovers. Applications for their materials have included protecting electronics from cyberattacks, disguising satellites from thermal imaging cameras, and making wearable biometric sensors. They also make materials that are lightweight, flexible, durable, kill bacteria, and block electromagnetic radiation within defined ranges.

To understand the science behind the material we need to take a look at the electromagnetic spectrum – a phenomenon that was iteratively discovered during the 19th century through the work of scientists like Sir William Herschel, James Clerk Maxwell and Heinrich Hertz. The spectrum shows the different types of electromagnetic radiation that allow the transfer of energy and information throughout the universe. There are seven separate groups – radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays and gamma rays.

As you travel through the spectrum from left to right, each group increases in frequency and decreases in wavelength, which means increasing in photon energy but decreasing in range. At the low end of the spectrum radio waves and microwaves can travel thousands of miles and are used for things like mobile networks, satellite communications, TV signals, and radar. At the other end we have ionising waves. Ultraviolet, x-rays and gamma rays can’t travel as far as low-frequency waves, but they’re powerful enough to alter atoms and damage organic matter – which is why we get sunburned, and why gamma rays from nuclear decay are so lethal.

Our Electromagnetic Shielding Bomber is one of the first pieces of clothing that can block electromagnetic radiation. Its silver outer shell is engineered and tested to block radio waves and microwaves in the frequency range 0.2GHz to 14GHz. For context, the most common WiFi frequencies are 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Bluetooth operates at about 2.4GHz. And operating up at 10GHz are Ku-band satellites and radar systems. The material we’ve used achieves a shielding effectiveness of 60dB against these frequencies, which is equivalent to a 99% attenuation, or reduction of the signal.

As well as two double-entry bellows pockets and an internal zipped pocket, the jacket comes with its own phone shielding pocket that works like a wearable Faraday cage. It completely blocks access to your devices, regardless of whether they’re switched on or off. You’ll find the jacket pocket on the left chest. Physically it’s engineered just like a pillow case to totally envelope your device. Conceptually it’s more like making a pocket that’s entirely watertight… just for electromagnetic energy instead. So you shouldn’t be tracked, hacked, or even called.

While our Shielding Suit Jacket looks like it’s just stepped off a spaceship, the Electromagnetic Shielding Bomber gets its aesthetics from inside a cockpit. The original MA-1 flight jacket was born in the jet age – when cockpits got tighter, planes got faster, and pilots needed gear that could handle G-forces without getting in the way. Out went thick leather and fur. And in came high-tenacity nylon, a cropped cut, and minimal knitted collars and cuffs.

The cuffs and hem of the Electromagnetic Shielding Bomber are built from a 1x1 ribbed knit engineered with just enough elastane to grip comfortably at your wrists and waist. A raised pattern adds stretch and structure while keeping the finish soft. The jacket is lined with dot quilting and packed with a polyester fill that traps warmth without bulk. The heavy-duty metal two-way zipper that runs down the centre of the jacket is made by historic Italian manufacturer, Riri.

We’ve been working on future material science challenges since we started the company – from disease resistance and climate change, to space travel to resource scarcity. And next up is the electromagnetic spectrum. While it does a great job of helping information and energy travel throughout the universe, as we enter an era of cybersecurity breaches, geopolitical instability, the first manned missions to Mars, and cosmic radiation exposure, it’s also going to present an increased threat.

Gamma rays might have turned Bruce Banner into The Hulk, but the reality is that radiation and human beings don’t go well together. Exposure to cosmic radiation will be a real threat on board future deep space missions, and we’ll need solutions to reduce radiation sickness or the risk of cancer and degenerative diseases. So while the Electromagnetic Shielding Bomber only blocks low-frequency waves for now, it’s our first step towards everyday clothing that is fully radiation-proof.