A wearable air conditioner? Chinese team creates wristband that could help beat the summer heat
- Researchers say textile can produce power for a device or keep people cool
- Next mission is to explore ways to make clothing to lower body temperatures by as much as 15 degrees Celsius
A Chinese-led research team have developed a fabric that they say can generate power from heat for wearable electronics or help cool people in summer.
The thermoelectric textile, which looks like a wristband and can be twisted, knotted, bent and stretched, can generate power for a device such as a pedometer or LED array, according to the team.
“It feels like a normal wristband when worn on the wrist,” said Zhang Kun, corresponding author of the study and a professor at Donghua University’s school of textiles in Shanghai.
“Textiles can be a good foundation for wearable devices. We can use thermoelectric strings and textiles to make a comfortable thermoelectric generator that can create electricity and adjust the temperature of the body.”
The study was published in the monthly peer-reviewed journal Energy & Environmental Science in Britain last month.
Thermoelectric materials are used in many applications, including in aerospace, infrared detectors and computer chips, with differences in temperature between materials producing an electrical voltage.
