Could the same armor that protects Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller also prevent serious injury among other Winter Olympics athletes? THE GIST: * U.S. and Canadian ski teams wear suits with high-tech protective armor. * The armor, which is based on sheer thickening fluid, is similar to the material used to protect soldiers. * The material can be sculpted to protect any part of the body. The Olympic alpine skiing course has seen its share of wipeouts the last couple of weeks. But crashing U.S. and Canadian skiers have been well protected by a neon orange goo. Made by the British firm d3o and adapted by U.S. ski wear designer Spyder for the U.S. and Canadian ski teams, the material is soft and flexible under most conditions, but instantly hardens when a skier hits a gate. "This padding is about spreading as much of the shock over as wide an area," said Phil Settig of Spyder. "These guys are traveling so fast that when they hit a gate it can snap back at up to 600 miles an hour. It's like getting caned." The new pads help protect an athlete's body and their dreams of Olympic gold. The active ingredient in d3o is a special class of liquid known as shear thickening fluid (STF). For years, STF has been part of soldiers' body armor.