According to Rob Vito CEO of Unequal Technologies, his company mission is to protect soldiers and athletes from severe blunt force trauma. The idea began ten years ago when, as a professor at Penn State, a student asked Vito, “What if you could make a kevlar vest lighter, thinner and more flexible?”
Since then, Vito and his company have designed Unequal gear for high profile celebrities such as Sidney Crosby, Troy Polamalu, Michael Vick, Tony Romo and even Tom Cruise. When their material is placed inside a helmet or layered into protective apparel, Vito says it may reduce the severity index of impact by 50 percent.
In a demonstration on ESPN Vito says he wore an Unequal Technologies vest and sustained numerous hits to the chest with a baseball bat. He says he walked away unharmed.
Vito explained that the supplemental padding is made of bulletproof Kevlar, which disperses the force while lowering the acceleration of the impact on the body.
For both athletes and the military, “anything that can lower the frequency of injury will increase longevity,” says Vito.
In addition to football and ice hockey, Unequal has developed protective headbands for soccer players and female lacrosse players who wear little to no padding during games.
