MIT researchers develop air-conditioning bracelet that could revolutionize the market. The MIT bracelet also aims to end energy expenditure.
With the thermal sensation in our country reaching 50ºC in Brazil, carrying a personal air conditioning system doesn't seem like a bad idea. Thinking about the heat wave around the world, four engineering students from Massachusetts Institute of Technologys (MIT) turned this desire into reality with the development of an air-conditioned bracelet called Wristify, an innovation that promises to provide waves of cold or heat directly to the user.
Understand how the air-conditioned MIT bracelet works
The operation of the Air Conditioning Bracelet is intelligent, with a system attached to the bracelet that directs pulses with hot or cold waves directly to the user's wrist.
According to researchers, by sending these waves continuously in a specific area, they can impact the entire body, taking advantage of human skin's sensitivity to rapid temperature changes.
Sam Shames, one of the developers of Wristify, explains that this process generates an illusion that deceives the body, making it feel cold or hot in the desired location. This unique idea could be a great alternative for those who don't have air conditioning at home, potentially playing a role in reducing energy consumption linked to cooling buildings.
According to Shames, buildings use a large amount of energy to supply traditional equipment. In fact, this represents 16,5% of all primary energy consumed in the USA. The goal of the MIT bracelet is to reduce this number while maintaining thermal and individual comfort.
The bracelet, which went through 15 prototypes, has a battery life of 8 hours and the sensors allow a temperature variation of up to 0,4 ºC per second. The air-conditioning bracelet won a $10 prize in an MIT contest, and the team plans to invest the money into improving the bracelet before launching it commercially.
MIT focuses on saving electrical energy
In addition to this MIT bracelet with air conditioning, a few months ago, MIT researchers developed a type of air conditioning that operates without the need for electrical energy.
This technology is a solution to traditional equipment, which has high consumption and environmental impact linked to its operation. The new cooler has a passive system, combining three distinct methods, evaporative cooling, radiant cooling and thermal insulation.
The innovative new technology from MIT researchers shows incredible results, enabling a reduction of up to 9,3 degrees Celsius in ambient temperature. Furthermore, its ability to operate without the need for energy makes it particularly attractive in places where access to electricity is still limited, such as in rural areas and inland cities in tropical countries, such as Brazil.
Brazilian researcher also develops air-conditioning bracelet
Brazilian Ranieri Silvestre developed a personal thermostat. The idea came to him when he was still 16 years old and attending high school at a public school in Suzano, metropolitan region of São Paulo.
A Apser is a bracelet that promises to maintain body thermal comfort through waves of cold and heat transmitted by the wearable in contact with the skin. This system can change the perception of temperature in real time, enabling constant control of sensations in hot or cold environments.
Like the MIT researchers' technology, the Brazilian's air-conditioned bracelet generates controlled waves of heat and cold sent directly to the user's wrist.
The effect created by the bracelet emulates the physical sensations generated in the brain when a person holds a mug of hot tea in a colder environment or when a bag of ice water is placed on an athlete's forehead to relieve heat from the entire body. enabling thermal perception to be changed instantly and progressively.
