Smart clothing helps the body adapt to the environment

Under the auspices of the US Department of Energy, researchers at the agency's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) are working on a garment that can adapt to thermal performance based on the environment and the wearer's body temperature. By changing the structure of the garment or transferring heat to the body and removing heat, the garment allows people to feel comfortable and comfortable at a wide range of external temperatures.

This kind of thermal energy can be moved in three ways: one is through conduction, that is, through the atoms in the material for energy transfer; the other is through convection, that is, through high-energy atoms moving in the environment; the third is radiation, so that thermal energy moves like electromagnetic waves. Clothing can control heat by changing the amount of radiation that is transmitted to the body or the ease with which air can circulate.

The University of California, Alon Gorodetsky team is trying to control the way radiation is radiated. “We are getting inspiration from squids and cephalopods that have this amazing camouflage skill,” he said.

Salmon can use a blend of proteins in the skin to alter the ability to reflect visible light. The team is applying this technology to longer infrared wavelengths in the heat band. "We are using this technology to study materials that can modulate the temperature radiation of objects." Gorodetsky said he did not disclose how his team implemented this technique for radiant control like cephalopods.

The Jintu Fan team at Cornell University took a different approach, controlling the flow of hot and cold air through a series of tiny pipe networks embedded in lingerie. "Beyond it, you can wear whatever you like," Fan said. (Red Maple)