Soldiers could be invisible to night vision goggles with wearable technology that changes temperature
- Scientists used materials that use electricity to create a temperature difference
- They sandwiched them between stretchy sheets of that are similar to wax
- The device is able to cool down or heat up to match the exterior temperature
- Researchers how to make complete jackets using their innovation
Soldiers could soon go undetected by night vision goggles while on the battlefield.
Scientists have developed a wearable device that quickly cools down or heats up to match ambient temperatures, camouflaging the wearer’s body heat.
Designed as a wireless device, the technology can be embedded in fabric and is capable of going from 50 to 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit in less than a minute.
Researchers aim to create a jacket using the material that would make the wearer invisible to heat-detecting sensors.
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Scientists have developed a wearable device that quickly cools down or heats up to match ambient temperatures, camouflaging the wearer’s body heat. Designed as a wireless device, the technology can be embedded in fabric and is capable of going from 50 to 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit in less than a minute
‘Metamaterial‐based thermal camouflage holds great promise but their applications on human subjects are yet to be realized, reads the study published by the University of California San Diego in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
‘Direct temperature control represents a more desirable strategy to realize dynamically adjustable camouflage within a wide ambient temperature range, but a wearable, portable, and adjustable thermo‐regulation system that is suitable for human subjects has not been developed.’
‘This work demonstrates a wearable and adaptive infrared camouflage device responding to the background temperature change based on the thermoelectric cooling and heating effect.’
Although the outside fabric would either cool down or heat up, the team says the wearer will remain at a comfortable temperature inside the article of clothing.
The outer layer of the device is made of thermoelectric alloys—materials that use electricity to create a temperature difference—sandwiched between stretchy elastomer sheets.
Researchers aim to create a jacket using the material that would make the wearer invisible to heat-detecting sensors.
And it would be battery-powered and controlled using a wireless circuit board.
Current state of the art heat camouflage technology consists of a surface coating that changes how much heat clothing emits at the surface.
The coating absorbs the heat from the wearer’s body and reflects only enough energy to match the ambient temperature.
However, the coating only works at a predetermined temperature – if there is a change in the ambient temperature, the technology renders useless.
But researchers at the University of California have found their biggest challenge – how to scale up the technology.
Their goal is to create a jacket with the technology built-in, but under current conditions, the garment would weigh about 4.5 lbs., be about 5 millimeters thick and only function for one hour.
The team will be looking to find lighter, thinner materials so the garment could weigh two or three times less.