Hello from NASA: an unusual jacket with a thermometer

The theme of clothing with augmented functionality has been raised on Habré several times already. Often, gadgets such as a t- shirt with drums , a t-shirt with charging for the phone , LED underwear , a cap with the definition of a Wi-Fi network, or sneakers with LEDs have additional features, but rather are for fun objects.

Possession of them does not imply serious use of the built-in dopfunktsionala. As a rule, such art gadgets are designed for the amateur.

Yes, yes, that's exactly what I thought, until I met the hero of my article, or rather the heroine =)
')
Photos from tombanwell.blogspot.com


Gadgets for technology

As is usually the case with motorists: in the winter I was going to go to the store in search of a jacket, on the one hand warm enough for the street, on the other hand - not very limiting mobility while driving.

Tired of aimless searches, I already wanted to buy Columbia once again. Out of a stupor, I was overwhelmed by the edge of teeth: “Young man, can I help you?”, I tried to answer something neutral, but the girl turned out to be quite talkative. And after a couple of minutes, I agreed to try on an unremarkable jacket.


Photo jacket taken from the site auto-jack.com. The color in the picture does not match, I have black. But I did not find another similar picture of my model.

My attention was immediately attracted by the thermometer on the inside. From the endless stream of words of the seller, I caught that the jacket with "climate control": /?! This turn of events puzzled me, I began to carefully examine the future purchase.

A couple of questions, memorized answers of the seller in the spirit of "we guarantee - the room is not hot, it is not cold in the cold." Short fitting. And here I am in a jacket going outside. Then thoughts are born in my head: “That's you and ...”, “marketing victim”, “ears hung”, “maybe it's too late to return?”, Etc.

There was a familiar frost outside, the “object of purchase” kept a comfortable temperature not worse than a down jacket, which is quite expected for a winter jacket. The real tests were ahead.

A surprise for me was the behavior of the jacket in the car. The first thing that I immediately felt was that lightness unusual for winter jackets: there was no tightness in the shoulders, the sleeves did not interfere. It seems that even taxiing was comfortable. I was still skeptical and referred to “comfort” rather as self-persuasion (or self-suggestion).

So I drove to the house. Going out into the street, I realized that I was comfortable in the car, despite the included condo. I did not have a desire to unbutton, take off my jacket, or reduce the temperature in the cabin. Then I remembered with a kind word the consultant's girl, who assured that the jacket was designed with an eye on car owners.

At home, I began a detailed study. Interestingly, a fair amount of documentation and material samples were attached to the jacket. And even a test - you can check how the fabric breathes. During the tea party, I put this test on the mug, and really made sure that the fabric misses the steam.


A bunch of descriptions that are attached to the jacket

In the process of a detailed study of related materials, understanding came to me, and skepticism gradually disappeared. As follows from the explanatory docks, the jacket works like this: you put the jacket on indoors, and a certain temperature is set inside the jacket, which is approximately equal to the room temperature.

This is achieved as follows: the jacket has an internal compartment, which is a buffer for exchange with the environment. The compartment is made of cloth with round balls-capsules - as assured brochures, developed capsules for NASA technology.


Phase Change Material

The capsules require special attention and a separate explanation (yes, they are used in the space suits of NASA astronauts). They protect against extreme temperatures. The technology is called Phase Change Material or phase transition materials.

Thank God, it’s not for the Moon that we could reach the store ... In this case, the cherished balls work as follows: they take heat in the room and give it in the cold.


Figure with heathcoat.co.uk

But that's not all. The 3D fabric is used in the armpits and on the back. It feels like a voluminous mesh, which is often used on inlays in sneakers. This "grid" plays the role of ventilation, which is associated with the inside of the jacket.


What is inside the jacket can be seen through the transparent window on top of the lining of the jacket. Through the window is visible silver breathable fabric that reflects the heat inside the jacket.


In the photo there is a sample of such a fabric, a thin silvery surface with holes is visible (bottom felt)


The jacket is designed an important mechanism to combat perspiration: lining fabrics absorb sweat and send to the outer layer, and from there everything evaporates.

Also in the jacket used a lot of other technologies that have recently become very common (Teflon, membrane, fleece, nano coating, etc.). This whole cocktail of technologies creates a pleasant and convenient product, interesting not only from the point of view of an idea, but also quite wealthy from the practical side.


I especially liked it - I did not see it anywhere else - a socket on a lining, climate control, just like in a car. And under the panel there is a window with a thermometer. Cool - you can see the temperature.

When my wife saw the thermometer, she immediately turned her eyes and turned on the track “I want this too.”

Pps

At the request of ice2heart in the comments I took pictures on probes that were with the jacket, as the membrane takes moisture out and does not let it go inside. (enjoy)