Post
by Psychlonic » Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:08 pm
Thank you, but bear in mind that the mylar shield - while it DOES block your IR signature - was really only designed in that guide to move through empty buildings protected with electronic security. It's very bright, fragile, and cumbersome. And even then, proper employment requires a good knowledge of how PIR sensors work along with usage of movement technique.
You can get olive drab, black, or camouflage casualty blankets that are quieter and lined with heavier mylar that won't tear as easily. They cost more - $30 roughly - but they are far superior. One might go about designing a better rigid "skeleton" than simple cardboard although hypothetically the corrugations should help prevent heat transfer if parts of the shield touch your body. And bear that in mind, while it blocks heat it can still transfer it so if you heat the material up, it's going to "soak through" and become visible again.
Another quick material option would be the mylar windshield shades out there.
The use of the shield in an evasion scenario where people are actively looking for you would be quite tricky and this was never the intention of the design, although I suppose a better design could remedy this. I've seen my work posted elsewhere with armchair survivalists scoffing at it as being too much of a gizmo to be effective but again, that was never the point of the design. It would severely immobilize you and I have no idea how effective it could be if employed at a normal rate of movement.
Perhaps a Mark II design should be thought up. FLIR technology is only going to get cheaper and cheaper, and the mylar shield isn't up to snuff.
Knowledge alone is not power, it is the potential for power. That potential can only be unlocked through applying that knowledge and realizing the skill.