A fabric for firefighters or athletes capable of automatic cooling

The Catalan company ECima has created a technical fabric that allows the temperature to be cooled automatically without being connected to electricity. It is a flexible thermoelectric device that can be integrated into any textile material, such as the clothing of firefighters, athletes, industrial workers or in hospital equipment.

For this project, ECima has received a grant from ACCIÓ, within the framework of the R&D Nuclis program promoting R&D business projects between Catalan companies and international partners. In fact, ECima is developing the project in collaboration with the company Intelligent Textile Products (ITP) and the research center Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT), both German, as well as the Catalan technology center Leitat.

The project is based on the design and development of functional fabrics that through a series of coatings become an active cooling system. The consortium has created a thermoelectric device (based on the technology of the so-called ‘Peltier cells’) that integrates into any textile material to control its temperature automatically. The solution incorporates a system of connection to a battery that provides the energy to operate, without having to connect to the current and facilitating the mobility of the user who uses it.

The system incorporates a series of temperature sensors, power control and ventilation elements to ensure the good distribution of cold and the efficiency of its operation through heat dissipation. It is a flexible device that, unlike other thermoelectric solutions, can be adapted to all types of fabrics and shapes.

According to Jordi Mota, head of R&D at ECima, “the growing demand for better health care means that the textile industry for medical use is moving towards the development of products that provide new functionalities to improve the quality of life. of the patients, as it is the case of the control of the temperature in those situations that require it ”. This solution can be applied “in those situations where a temperature control is required”, explains Mota.

More information here.