Today’s invention is a generic system for protecting against friction (and thermal damage).
A kevlar braid is pressed into a spiral-shaped duct.
A temperature sensor within the duct detects any build-up of friction on the pad.
This releases a lock on the braid so that it is free to flow from a bobbin behind the pad, around the spiral and be dragged out through the centre by the frictional force itself.
This means that the pad is rapidly self-renewing when abraded.
I imagine several of these being attached to a motorcyclist’s leathers, so that when they skid down the road, they will have lesser skin damage (although a similar approach might also work within an aerospace ablation shield).
