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Makes me wonder if there is any possibility we could build a portable vest-mounted air conditioner that circulates cooled air around/within clothing, while vent

by jl6 4y ago

Makes me wonder if there is any possibility we could build a portable vest-mounted air conditioner that circulates cooled air around/within clothing, while venting hot air through a rear exhaust.

adrianN 4y ago
Building that shouldn't be too difficult, but powering it for reasonable periods would probably be difficult and noise might be a problem for cosplaying applications.
noughtme 4y ago
An actual air conditioner would be heavy, you can get a fan jacket: https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/DFJ201ZS https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/DFJ201ZS Liquid and air cooled suits are common in auto racing.
- iancmceachern 4y ago
  Yeah, in racing they have vests with tubes sewn into them and they circulate cooled water though them. They also have blowers that blow cooler cleaner air directly into the helmet, you can buy special helmets with the air intakes built right in.
michaelt 4y ago
I've certainly seen people in costumes with 80mm PC case fans blowing out the back, to provide some air circulation. So circulating and venting ambient air isn't unusual. And there are vests that circulate chilled water [1] for military and astronaut use - although the military one linked puts the chiller in a vehicle and each passenger plugs themselves into it. For portable use I suppose the question is whether a battery-powered cooler provides more cooling than the same weight in ice packs. [1] https://www.med-eng.com/product/cooling-vest/ https://www.med-eng.com/product/cooling-vest/
nigerian1981 4y ago
A bigger version of this fan for dogs maybe? [1] [1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/02/wearable-fans-help-japans-hot-dogs-beat-the-heat https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/02/wearable-fans-...
Tade0 4y ago
I would rather have something that lets me inhale cold, dense air. I ran the numbers and at 45°C(113°F) the oxygen content by volume is so low in comparison to room temperature that it actually approaches the level at which the air is considered "oxygen deficient". Of course you'll get the same effect at higher altitudes, but the difference is that you can acclimatize to them in a matter of days, whereas daily temperature changes are to high to enable the same in response to them. I'm no expert, but considering that the body has to work harder to cool off during heat waves the effect could be non-negligible.
_tom_ 4y ago
Inflatable costumes are common now. They have the advantage of being lighter than a lot of other approaches, and they are filled by a constantly running fan, so they are much more plea to to wear. It's a bit like the "dancing man" inflatable you see outside of car dealerships. It's not airtight, but the fan keeps air coming in at the rate it flows out.

by jl6 4y ago

Makes me wonder if there is any possibility we could build a portable vest-mounted air conditioner that circulates cooled air around/within clothing, while venting hot air through a rear exhaust.

adrianN 4y ago

Building that shouldn't be too difficult, but powering it for reasonable periods would probably be difficult and noise might be a problem for cosplaying applications.

noughtme 4y ago

An actual air conditioner would be heavy, you can get a fan jacket: https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/DFJ201ZS https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/DFJ201ZS Liquid and air cooled suits are common in auto racing.

iancmceachern 4y ago
Yeah, in racing they have vests with tubes sewn into them and they circulate cooled water though them. They also have blowers that blow cooler cleaner air directly into the helmet, you can buy special helmets with the air intakes built right in.

michaelt 4y ago

I've certainly seen people in costumes with 80mm PC case fans blowing out the back, to provide some air circulation. So circulating and venting ambient air isn't unusual. And there are vests that circulate chilled water [1] for military and astronaut use - although the military one linked puts the chiller in a vehicle and each passenger plugs themselves into it. For portable use I suppose the question is whether a battery-powered cooler provides more cooling than the same weight in ice packs. [1] https://www.med-eng.com/product/cooling-vest/ https://www.med-eng.com/product/cooling-vest/

nigerian1981 4y ago

A bigger version of this fan for dogs maybe? [1] [1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/02/wearable-fans-help-japans-hot-dogs-beat-the-heat https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/02/wearable-fans-...

Tade0 4y ago

I would rather have something that lets me inhale cold, dense air. I ran the numbers and at 45°C(113°F) the oxygen content by volume is so low in comparison to room temperature that it actually approaches the level at which the air is considered "oxygen deficient". Of course you'll get the same effect at higher altitudes, but the difference is that you can acclimatize to them in a matter of days, whereas daily temperature changes are to high to enable the same in response to them. I'm no expert, but considering that the body has to work harder to cool off during heat waves the effect could be non-negligible.

_tom_ 4y ago

Inflatable costumes are common now. They have the advantage of being lighter than a lot of other approaches, and they are filled by a constantly running fan, so they are much more plea to to wear. It's a bit like the "dancing man" inflatable you see outside of car dealerships. It's not airtight, but the fan keeps air coming in at the rate it flows out.