Upcoming type of jacket 'know' to cool the body

The hot summer days will be cooler thanks to a clothing with internal cooling system being developed by scientists.

Empa, a Swiss technology company, has developed a 'smart' vest with an integrated cooling system. Coolpad technology creates a shirt with water-filled pads that allow heat to escape through the cell membrane and cool the surrounding environment. A small propeller is mounted behind the water pads to blow air into the body.

Jackets make the body cooler during hot summer days

This intelligent cooling technology can also be used for other casual wear, uniforms, camouflage and even backpacks.

Integrating a mini air conditioning system into your clothing is not easy. It requires researchers to design pressure-sensitive pads that are flexible and soft. On the other hand, it is difficult to find in the market a kind of fan that is small enough to fit into the shirt so Empa engineers have to design them themselves. Water pads are also tested as they often experience water leakage during the test.

A small battery provides power to the shirt and an electronic circuit that controls the air flow is also integrated into the unit. Empa's engineers used diode laser welding to create ultra-thin welds that connect water pads together with soft seams.

Officers at the Zurich police station tested the shirt and said they felt comfortable wearing it. With these shirts, the hot feeling uncomfortable when you have to put on the bulletproof jacket will not be anymore. It is anticipated that the first steam vests will be produced in the near future.

References: Livescience