Pop-Sci Core77 Design Challenge/ Description HUMAN POWERED 10/20/03

Description of Design

Hot Pawz ::: Temperature Control Winter Garment for Children Television, interactive websites, messaging systems and videogames… Every day can be jam packed full of virtual action and entertainment for our youngest as they sit in front of the screen, attempting to capture wild Pokemon characters or discovering the Legend of Zelda, for an average of three and a half hours a day (1)! Let’s take wintertime as an example: snowball fights, forts and snowmen, sledding, skiing, skating… and finally all the glorious glorious snow! What could be more fun for an eager and slightly hyperactive 3 to 6 year old? The proposed products called Hot Pawz, are an aid and encouragement for children to GET OUTSIDE! Hot Pawz are winter jackets for children aged 3-6. They utilize thermo chromatic fabrics, an air circulation system, provide warmth, protection from the elements, and use the child’s own body power to drive all these features. Each jacket features an icon of a winter animal on the front and paw prints on the sleeves and back (wolves, polar bears and penguins), these are made with thermo chromatic fabric responding to small changes in temperature. The icon is placed close to the body and changes color according to the child’s activity level. This makes it easy for the parent to monitor whether the child is too cold (and encourage more activity or engage the built in heating system), or overheating (and propose a “time-out” or activate the built-in cooling system). Due to the small size of their bodies, children lose heat very quickly and can suffer from hypothermia or wind-chill. Sweating, on the other hand, can cause the child to remove layers, unzipping jackets and exposing the body to the outside temperature. The color of the animal alerts the parent as soon as a change in temperature occurs. The more active children can encourage the less active ones to play to change their animal’s color. The jackets become an interactive game! The build in air circulation system can be used for cooling or heating depending on the need. When too cold the child has to open the large rubber seal located on the front breast, which exposes a mesh lined vent ending in a suction tube. While pumping arms (or doing the chicken dance) cold air from the outside enters the pump and is released to all areas of the jacket using the flexible tubing network located in between the layers. New innovative electrode membranes by Nippon Valqua Industries are located under the arms where most rubbing occurs. Energy is generated by friction when the child is playing and is stored in the material. When too cold the child opens the “heat on” access, presses the button and the stored energy powers the coil located inside of the pump producing heat. When the “chicken dance” is done air is warmed up in the pump and circulates in the jacket. Hot Pawz are a fun interactive way for children to enjoy winter, get more exercise and spend more time outdoors!