Demystifying science | Smarter and smarter clothes

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We are starting to see the fruit of much research in stores.

“We already have textiles on the market that open up ventilation spaces when the skin temperature increases,” explains Patricia Dolez, researcher at the University of Alberta. When you’re not sweating, porosity is normal, but when you’re hot from exercising, openings form in the garment to [créer] more ventilation. »

M^me Dolez, who worked at the École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS), gives Nike’s Sphere React technology as an example.

Clothing with pockets housing small fans, to increase ventilation and the evacuation of body heat, also exists in certain countries, including Japan, note M^me Dolez.

Clothing that keeps you warm is even more common.

This is why a lot of research is being done to improve evaporation, particularly with textiles with shape memory. Another solution for keeping clothing cool is the use of small capsules of materials that change from solid to liquid form at a certain temperature.

“This material absorbs energy, therefore cools,” notes M^me Dolez.

But for now, this approach only works for a limited period, half an hour at most. This means that it is only used for certain professional clothing, for workers who are exposed to heat or who must exert great physical effort for a limited period.

Self-regulation

Another avenue is “self-regulation” using sensors. “We want to detect thermal stress,” explains Alireza Saidi, researcher at the Occupational Health and Safety Research Institute (IRSST).

Mr. Saidi has published several studies on sensors integrated into clothing that would detect when the wearer is cold or hot. It uses various variables, including heart rate, in addition to using artificial intelligence. “The temperature felt varies from one individual to another, particularly depending on gender,” says Mr. Saidi.

A sign that research has progressed a lot: several researchers are working on standards to evaluate the ability of different clothing to keep you warm or cool. M^me Dolez, for example, is working to develop standards to determine which insoles keep the warmest.

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