The system works on the principle of “elephant ear”, absorbing heat from the human body and then releasing it to the outside environment through a cooling pad.
The US Air Force introduced the Acclimate system, which cools the body of a soldier wearing a tactical body armor. According to the developer, Captain Justin O'Brien, he wanted to create a system that could provide maximum comfort to soldiers experiencing thermal overload. This was reported by the press service of the US Air Force Materiel Command.
“The inspiration for creating this cooling system came when I served in the military and watched every day how my team and I withstand the thermal load of body armor. Seeing this , I wanted to find a solution,” — O'Brien admitted.
The concept behind the innovative solution, the captain explained, is to embed a water bubble and circulate this water through a cooling pad on the user's back. O'Brien likened the feature to a giant radiator “like an elephant's ear” that absorbs heat from the human body and releases it to the outside.
“The great thing about the Acclimate system is that it can be used in so many different ways. for different people. Now it's for people who wear body armor every day,” — added the captain.
Meanwhile, O'Brien's team is working on variants of the Acclimate, which could soon be designed for dogs or service professionals.
O'Brien also emphasized the inclusive nature of the innovation, adding at the same time that he himself does not have an engineering education, but hopes for further support from both his team and specialized specialists.
“I do not have a formal engineering education. My experience served as an impetus for this idea, and everyone has their own experience, and everyone can start the innovation process at their own level. But it will take people with a technical background to help bring this idea to life,” — concluded the captain.