Magnetic Hazard Shield

Magnetic Hazard Shield (MHS) is a full-body shielding system originally developed by Pacific Industrial Science. It uses magnetorheological damping technology to absorb impacts. It was the foundation for the first exosuits developed by the company, and had the ability to absorb high-energy bullet impacts and explosions. The technology was later stolen by Küiser Laboratories and integrated into the ALEX project. In the modern era, it has been superseded in performance by Dynamic Containment Array (DCA) and Adaptive Nanomachine Regenerative Armour (ANRA), but remains an important component of standard combat armour due to its commodification.

The majority of MHS shielding systems are capable of defending against 9mm, .357, .44, 5.56, 7.62, and 12/70 slug rounds, depending on configuration. They are weak against stab/slash attacks and higher calibre ammunition, and so the armour is usually augmented with kevlar or composite plates as part of a carrier system. One advantage of MHS over regular armour is the system can take many hits before it becomes damaged and cells need to be replaced.