Danger Dust

As global warming intensifies, people increasingly suffer from extreme heat. For those working in a high-temperature environment indoors or outdoors, keeping thermally comfortable becomes particularly crucial.

Thermal protective clothing is essential to safeguard individuals in extreme high-temperature environments, such as firefighters who need to be present at fire scenes and construction workers who work outdoors for extended periods.

Soft Robotic Textiles for Adaptive Personal Thermal Management

Thermal protective textiles are crucial for safeguarding individuals, particularly firefighters and steelworkers, against extreme heat, and for preventing burn injuries. However, traditional firefighting gear suffers from statically fixed thermal insulation properties, potentially resulting in overheating and discomfort in moderate conditions, and insufficient protection in extreme fire events.

Herein, an innovative soft robotic textile is developed for dynamically adaptive thermal management, providing superior personal protection and thermal comfort across a spectrum of environmental temperatures.

This unique textile features a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-sealed actuation system, embedded with a low boiling point fluid for reversible phase transition, resembling an endoskeleton that triggers an expansion within the textile matrix for enhanced air gap and thermal insulation. 

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202309605