Surgeon and other clothing with automatic temperature control
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd has developed new technology that takes care of the thermal, moisture and flow-technical behaviour of smart clothing. The temperature of smart clothing, for example, is automatically adjusted according to the wearer’s individual needs. The technology is also suited to demanding conditions such as hospitals and sports
In its Smart Clothing project, VTT developed a technology that can be utilised in smart fabrics and clothing, able to calculate whether the wearer needs to be cooled or warmed based on initial data measured from the person and the environment. Furthermore, this technology is able to determine the needed warming or cooling power so that the thermal sensation of the person wearing the smart clothing remains optimal in varying conditions. The smart fabrics and clothing currently on the market faces the challenge of adjusting the individual temperature of a human body rapidly and automatically according to the wearer’s actual need.
The technology is based on the Human Thermal Model calculation tool developed by VTT, enabling the calculation of a person’s individual thermal sensation from the prevailing conditions. Individual thermal sensations are ultimately caused by differences in body composition. There are statistically significant differences between men and women, for example, because men have on average 5 to 15 kg more muscle mass than women.
The wearable smart technology developed by VTT can be applied extensively even in demanding conditions, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and different consumer groups such as police officers, firemen, soldiers, outdoor workers, athletes and small babies.
In hospitals, the technology enables new solutions and makes individual treatment more effective. Wearable technology helps surgeons if they get too hot during an operation. The clothing is constantly calculating and adjusting how much the surgeon’s body needs to be cooled. “Hospital patients have been asked about their most unpleasant experience, and the most common answer is feeling cold – pain comes only second”, says Principal Scientist Pekka Tuomaala from VTT. For example, patients often feel cold after surgery. Body temperature can be individually adjusted, when a smart blanket identifies the person, measures the ambient temperature and adjusts the blanket’s temperature to meet the patient’s actual needs.
The technology has already been tested in designing clothing for long-distance runners in different temperatures by Taiwan Textile Research Institute.
VTT is currently looking for companies to join in the development and production of the technology for the market.