Beyond Sensing: Wearables For Thermal Comfort And Human Strength Augmentation (Wearable USA 2017)

Most successful wearable technology to date is based on sensing of our body's physiology and motion. But wearables can do much more than sense. They can augment our body's capabilities. Soft robotic exosuits can provide forces to comfortably augment human strength and motion without the bulkiness of exoskeletons. Apparel and footwear can actively regulate our thermal comfort. While clothing inherently keeps us warm, cooling presents a particular challenge. Designs that effectively leverage knowledge of the body's natural thermal regulation system combined with electroactive materials for more effective cooling and heating can enable wearables that are comfortable, quiet and easily integrated with existing clothing and footwear.

Roy Kornbluh, is a Principal Research Engineer in SRI International's Robotics Laboratory. He is leading SRI's effort to create wearables for personal thermal regulation. Throughout his 25+ years at SRI, Mr. Kornbluh has led a wide variety of projects that utilize technologies at the intersection between mechanical engineering and material science. He is one of the principal inventors of the dielectric elastomer type of electroactive polymer artificial muscle transducer technology that was pioneered by SRI and commercialized by Artificial Muscle Inc.. Mr. Kornbluh is also a principal inventor of the electrolaminate type of mechanical metamaterial that is being applied to a variety of applications in robotics, aerospace and biomechanics. He is the author or coauthor of more than 50 publications in the areas of polymer actuators and robotics, and holds more than 30 patents in these areas. He served on the IPC of the SPIE Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices Conference and was an associate editor for the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation. Mr. Kornbluh has an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University. In the early 90s, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador where he helped improve rural water and sanitation systems.

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