The mother of invention

As cell phone coverage spreads across the United States, towers have been built in isolated areas ? places where it might seem like good natured fun to take a shot at the tower.

Making the equipment bullet proof seems like the easy answer, but it isn't. As some officials from LGS ? Alcatel-Lucent's U.S. government subsidiary ? explained to me recently, Kevlar is expensive and metal plating is heavy. There also the problem that metal plating is designed to shatter to dissipate the force of the impact. So one shot would leave the equipment unprotected.

With the expertise of Bell Labs behind it, LGS has developed a resin that can stop repeated shots from a .45 caliber, 200 grain bullet. That's pretty tough stuff.

The company is now in talks with the military to see how it can be adapted to flak jackets and bullet-proof vests.