Rice flour, rice wine and rice milk are all common interpretations of the staple grain, but a Vietnamese chemist has developed a novel use for rice plant won't fill bellies, but just might save lives.

According to a report from Than Nien News, Nguyen tested her bulletproof paint on a firing range, where a bullet shot from 2 meters (6.5 feet) away was "obstructed" by a vest coated with six layers of the rice husk paint. Nguyen said common bulletproof vests have 20-40 layers of paint.

 

Rice husks, or rice hulls, are the protective outer casings of rice. Innovators have long been searching for novel ways to make use of rice husks, coming up such applications as a material that can be used as thermal building insulation, a brewing agent for beer, a pillow stuffing and several others.