(March 10, 2016) 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.