UC San Diego professor Joseph Wang continues to revolutionize health focused wearable technology. ApplySci recently described his totally noninvasive glucose monitoring tattoo, and his bio-ink pen for self monitoring.
Professor Wang is now developing clothes with integrated sensors that enable them to heat or cool wearers. He believes this can reduce energy costs by regulating the temperature around individuals instead of across rooms.
ApplySci sees this as another way to increase the independence of (cognitively or physically) disabled people — helping them stay warm or cool when their ability to add or remove clothing layers is limited.
The smart fabric will keep a wearer’s skin temperature at 93 degrees fahrenheit by adapting to temperature changes. The fabric will become thicker when a room gets cooler, and thinner when it gets warmer. Polymers that expand in the cold and shrink in the heat will be incorporated into the clothing.