Environment

Smart clothes that can give you personal cooling and heating!

Such personal thermal regulation systems will be able to reduce energy use at homes and offices as well as optimize the use of a building’s HVAC system by not overheating or overcooling areas inside the building where the occupants do not reside.

Researchers in United States are developing clothes that can adapt to the environment and provide the right comfort required by you by communicating with your Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment that often keep you too hot or too cold.

Such personal thermal regulation systems will be able to reduce energy use at homes and offices as well as optimize the use of a building’s HVAC system by not overheating or overcooling areas inside the building where the occupants do not reside.

Almost half of the energy consumption at typical US homes goes for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Ineffective way of heating or cooling of the building is wastage of money and has an adverse effect on the environment and climate. This also results in low productivity of workers.

The clothes the researchers from the non-profit SRI International (SRI) are developing can adapt to the environment and wearer’s body. SRI’s work has been funded by ARPA-E – the research arm of the US Department of Energy.

The personal thermal regulation system being developed uses low-cost electro-active polymer materials and structures which efficiently manage active heat transfer and boost passive cooling while being quiet and comfortable, SRI said in a blog post.

People can make their recreational of fitness activities more enjoyable, fun-filled and productive by wearing the personal thermal regulation systems.

A person can use the system without giving up his present clothing. The scientists also want to integrate the system through smart watches, fitness bands and other wearable technology for data logging and communications with other systems.

Big Wire

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