Researchers at US San Diego have recently received a $2.6 million grant for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The grant will help to make clothing that could regulate body temperature.
“The smart fabric will be designed to regulate the temperature of the wearer’s skin — keeping it at 93° F — by adapting to temperature changes in the room. When the room gets cooler, the fabric will become thicker. When the room gets hotter, the fabric will become thinner. To accomplish this feat, the researchers will insert polymers that expand in the cold and shrink in the heat inside the smart fabric.” [1]
Led by distinguished researcher and professor of nano engineering Joseph Wang, the breakthrough technology has far-reaching benefits, including the reduction of heating and air conditioning bills. Wang estimates the cut by as much as 15 percent. Assistant professor Renkun Chen adds ““This is like a personalized air-conditioner and heater.”
It’s yet to be determined how much smart clothing will cost, but the aim, according to the research team, is to keep the method low-cost so that everyone can afford to wear the ‘designer’ clothes.
[1] UC San Diego: Jacobs School Engineering Website. Retrieved from http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/news/news_releases/release.sfe?id=1753
That’s really cool, when would this be hitting the public?