A fabric made by welding aerogel pockets together with ultrasound mimics the make-up of a camel’s hump to protect against fire as well as letting sweat escape
Technology
20 January 2023
Firefighters’s suits protect them from heat, but don’t stop them getting sweaty stevecoleimages/Getty Images
Insulating fabric inspired by a camel’s hump could protect firefighters from extreme heat as well as allow their sweat to pass through it.
There are a wide variety of heat-resistant fabrics used for firefighter’s uniforms, but they almost all trap moisture within the fabric, leaving firefighters to get soaked in sweat as they labour in the heat.
Jian Fang at Soochow University in China and his colleagues have developed an insulating fabric that uses pockets of …