heat protection through reflection
A garment that can help workers thermoregulate more effectively so they can continue to work safely and efficiently in outdoor environments.
Group research and design project for the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge, Advisor Professor Saleh Kalantari, Cornell University, Spring 2019
Michael Brigham, Chloe Collins, Julia Jaffe, Michael Kowalski , and Elena Sabinson; Award of Merit Recipients
Laborers working in the field often continue to exert themselves during the hottest hours of the day in the direct sunlight, despite extreme conditions. Our goal is to help individuals and communities adapt to the changing climate instead of introducing infrastructure or systems that may disrupt the natural processes and behaviors that are central to the community.
The corrugated facets of each hair reflects solar radiation to the point of total internal reflection. This allows the ants to forage during the hottest parts of the day, away from the threat of predators. We translated this structure into the design of the microfibers covering our vest, mimicking the passive cooling via reflection utilized by the ants. Beyond reflection, we explored how to enhance heat dissipation by examining this process in other homeotherms. Using bottlenose dolphin fins as our inspiration, we created a triangular ridge to conduct excess heat away from the body and dissipate it via convection.
Our final inspiration came from the pangolin, whose unique scaly exterior served as a model for how to construct our garment in a way that supports articulation and unrestricted movement.