METAVEST: Liquid Metal Biomimetic Personal Cooling System for Industry Workers

Hot environments can negatively impact worker health, well-being, and productivity, especially in industrial and outdoor settings. Personal cooling systems (PCS) provide a solution, but current systems have limitations in cooling capacity, size, mobility, and battery life. This study introduces METAVEST, a lightweight and energy-efficient PCS comprising a cooling unit and a biomimetic vest. It utilizes Galinstan as the primary coolant and ice as the secondary coolant. The Galinstan circulates through tubing attached to the vest, absorbing body heat and cooling via tubing embedded in an insulated cold pack with ice. This study focuses on designing a cooling vest tubing network, which draws inspiration from human heart capillaries for efficient heat transfer. Rectangular-shaped thermally conductive tubing is fabricated and characterized for efficient heat transfer from the body, and its flow resistance and heat transfer characteristics are compared with circular tubing. Additionally, a network of tubing and a prototype vest has been developed to mitigate heat risks for industry workers in hot conditions, ensuring their safety and improving performance by addressing heat-related challenges.