ANCILE: Wearable Active Protection System for Personal Defense Against Ballistic Impact
- Publicado
- Servidor
- Preprints.org
- DOI
- 10.20944/preprints202512.1271.v1
Active protection systems have long been employed on military vehicles and installations but have traditionally been too bulky for individual use. To enhance personal safety across military and industrial applications, the Active Neutralization of Celeritous Impacts by Lateral Expulsion (ANCILE) system was developed using open-source, commercially available components. The ANCILE system integrates a semi-modular interception platform designed to detect and deflect fast-moving projectiles and debris, offering an active layer of protection for the wearer. The system employs dual cameras mounted on a wearable, turret-like mechanism that can pneumatically deploy a Kevlar sail to intercept incoming threats. The experimental testing demonstrated reliable detection and interception of objects traveling up to 7.5 m/s, with an average interception probability of 28.6% (± 8.3%) at higher velocities. The Kevlar sail resisted standard ballistic projectiles ranging from .22 Long Rifle to .357 Magnum. Although current detection and response performance remain limited by the hardware, refinement with specialized sensors and actuators could enable higher-speed operation. This preliminary work confirms the feasibility of a low-cost, wearable active protection system with potential applications in construction, manufacturing, aerospace, and defense.