ScienceDaily has a piece on electrically heated textiles.
In a new paper in Applied Materials & Interfaces, the scientists describe how they use a vapor deposition method for nano-coating fabric to create sewable, weavable, electrically heated material. The demonstration glove they made can keep fingers toasty for up to eight hours. The three-layered glove, with one layer coated by the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxytiophene), also known as PEDOT, are powered by a button battery weighing 1.8 grams. A dime weighs just under 2.27 grams.
The authors point out, "Lightweight, breathable and body-conformable electrical heaters have the potential to change traditional approaches to personal thermal management, medical heat therapy, joint pain relief and athletic rehabilitation."
8 comments:
"Personal thermal management" - superb!
They have, of course, missed the most exciting application for this new material: tea-cosies.
Great invention, however, marred by others...
"Until recently, textile scientists have not used vapor deposition because of technical difficulties and high cost of scaling up from the laboratory. "
Presumably the lift was out of order...
"As if by magic, Dr Jolly was ready at the organ with the Benedictus. It was positively a relief to stand again; this oak was adamantine. But air cushions, alas, would be too bad an example for the boys. Hardy young Spartans! it was an essential part of their education that they should listen to the word of revelation without pneumatic easement. No, air cushions wouldn't do. The real remedy, it suddenly flashed across his mind, would be trousers with pneumatic seats. For all occasions; not merely for church-going. [...] No, the knees were obviously less important, except for people like revivalists and housemaids, than the seat. Sedentary are commoner than genuflectory professions. One would introduce little flat rubber bladders between two layers of cloth. At the upper end, hidden when one wore a coat, would be a tube with a valve: like a hollow tail. Blow it up - and there would be perfect comfort even for the boniest, even on rock." Aldous Huxley, Antic Hay (1923)
Nice one Sackerson. But what pray I ask, about underpants?
One can provide one's own inflation for those.
" trousers with pneumatic seats" there are various scenarios to this statement, I am sure we all have our own vision !!!!!!!!!
I smell a rat. Yer average small button cell will not deliver much more than a few 10s of milliwatts. Might warm up something very small but no real effect on a human hand. I reckon the 3 layer insulation is the big thing here. When I go skiing I put woolly mittens under my ski gloves and hands are toasty all day.
Conducting gloves would make electrocution easier though, I can think of a few candidates...
Sam - good idea, presumably the material could be used for lightweight camping tea-cosies.
Scrobs - if the lift was out of order they would certainly have a problem because health and safety rules require staff to use the stairs with both hands on the rail.
Sackers - another excellent idea for comfortable camping. I thought I'd read Antic Hay but don't remember the quote so I probably haven't. Must rectify that.
Demetrius and Wiggia - how about swimming trunks?
Roger - I smell a rat too. As you suggest a button cell surely doesn't have the wattage. Maybe somebody is after some funding.
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