iFiber receives support for “Development of Soft Robotic Clothing for Adaptive Thermal Management”

Dr Dahua Shou is the most recent recipient of research support from the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) via The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles (HKRITA) for his project. It involves the development of soft robotic clothing for adaptive thermal management. The ITF which is administered by the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC), aims to increase the added value, productivity, and competitiveness in innovation and technology.

Personal thermal management is critical for the comfort and performance of human beings, especially for those who stay in varying thermal conditions. However, there are issues with wearing a conventional coat because the garment has a constant thermal resistance, which may fail to meet thermal requirements with changes in climate. For example, there is a large temperature difference between the different times of the day when the weather is changing from sunny to cloudy, or between morning and afternoon, or with indoor and outdoor environments. Therefore, thermoregulation of the body can be quite challenging. Moreover, excessive heat from highly active activities can often cause discomfort to wearers. For instance, the dramatically increased metabolic rate from resting to walking, which is 75 and 174 W/m2, respectively, will cause wearers to suffer from heat stress and heavy sweating even in the cold during the winter. The after-chill effect caused by wet clothing after sweating can be harmful and even fatal to human health.

Maintaining a comfortable body temperature is one of the most basic human needs, but a substantial amount of energy is consumed to maintain a constant ambient temperature. Heating and cooling needs account for over 50% of building energy used, but the US Department of Energy projects a 9% -18% energy cost reduction when the thermostat is turned down 10 - 20°F. Therefore, thermal management clothing that maintains thermal comfort whilst adapting to an increased range of ambient temperature is highly desirable.

Dr Shou’s project intends to design and develop thermally adaptive clothing to maintain the body temperature of the wearer for comfort and performance under various thermal environments, by optimally regulating the clothing microclimate based on a novel soft robotic technology. Realising a thermal adaptive function within the same item of clothing is not only an exciting scientific challenge but also a significant technological advancement.