A T-shirt that turns into body armour

Washington: An ordinary cotton T-shirt can be converted into body armour, thanks to scientists from South Carolina, Switzerland and China.

They combined the carbon in the cotton with boron to create a tough, light weight fabric of born carbide, the same material used to protect tanks.

Available at Wal-Mart, the treated T-shirt would be not only bulletproof, but also resistant to ultraviolet light from the sun and life threatening neutrons emitted by decaying radioactive material.

The research could lead to more comfortable body armour for soldeirs and police. It could even be used to produce lightweight, fuel-efficient cars and aircraft. The T-shirty can also block other hazards, such as ultrvoilet rays.