Electrotextile Based Intelligent Hand Warmer

During cold weather operations tasks requiring manual dexterity can become significantly more difficult as the drop in temperature causes capillaries in the fingers to rapidly contract, decreasing skin blood flow and leading to stiff, sore fingers. Infoscitex Corporation (IST) is proposing to address this problem by developing an intelligent electrically heated fingerless glove that is specifically designed to keep the fingers both unencumbered and warm. This system will contain a network of highly flexible electrotextile resistive heating elements. The path that these elements take within the glove will be chosen to maximize the efficient transfer of heat to the blood as it travels out to the fingers. This will allow the fingers to be left uncovered. By using electrotextile materials for the bus bar and heating elements rather than conventional wires IST will significantly improve system comfort and flexibility. The heating system will be controlled by a flexible power supply that is able to maximize user comfort and minimize power usage by regulating its output based on the ambient temperature. The end result will be a lightweight system that is able to keep the wearer’s fingers warm and dexterous even when working in sub-freezing conditions for extended periods of time.