Did you hear the news? It’s cold as an ice demon’s butt outside! This winter has been particularly harsh, either disproving or proving Al Gore’s predictions of global warming depending on how you look at it. In any event, even the coldest winter for most of us is nothing compared to what some go through. Some people live near or work near the Arctic, where a temperature just slightly below zero is considered an exceptionally warm day. These unfortunate souls can’t get by on the amateur hour clothing we don to survive harsh climes. They are gonna need some exceptionally wicked wearable technology. Thankfully, they are getting some.
Norwegian scientists at SINTEF have developed a line of “smart clothing” called ColdWear, directly intended for people who live or work near exceptionally harsh environments. These clothes not only keep you warm, but also measure your vital signs as well as the outside temperature to make sure you aren’t about to lay down and die on a glacier somewhere. The purpose of these jackets is to alert the wearer of unsafe conditions or impending fatigue, both of which can be deadly in subzero temperatures.
All of the pertinent info gleamed by these jackets are then sent via Bluetooth to your smartphone, where you can peruse the data and decide whether or not to continue that miles long trek across the mountain to discover Curly’s gold. They cannot, however, alert you to nearby hungry wolves. You’ll have to rely on Liam Neeson for that one.
