Robot that sweats to understand the effects of heat on humans – 07/23/2023 – Science

In Phoenix, Arizona, thermometers exceeded 43°C for about 20 days, something unheard of since 1974. The extreme conditions make the city a laboratory for climate research – and it is there that scientists have developed a humanoid robot sensitive to high temperatures, to study the impact of heat waves on the human body.

What happens when we face heat spikes? And how to protect against them, on a planet that is warming? It is to answer these questions that the researchers developed Andi, a robot capable of breathing, shaking and sweating. The thermal dummy is 1.78 meters tall and was developed by scientists at Arizona State University.

Andi looks like a simple vehicle crash test dummy, but in reality hides treasures of technology. Beneath its carbon fiber epidermis, it has 35 independent thermal zones equipped with connected sensors that measure how heat diffuses through the body. His cooling system, made up of pores, allows him to perspire and thus regulate his temperature like a human being. As a person, Andi sweats more on her back than her calves or forearms, for example.

Understanding hyperthermia to adapt to global warming

A dozen similar thermal mannequins are already used by manufacturers of extreme sports clothing to test their products, but Andi is the only one that can be used outdoors and, above all, aims to advance research.

As experiments of the kind cannot be performed on human beings, our body’s reactions when exposed to extreme temperatures are still poorly understood. To further study, University of Arizona scientists can now leave Andi at the mercy of the scorching heat in Phoenix for hours and analyze how hyperthermia manifests itself in humans.

The robot will help to better understand hyperthermia, a 21st century disease that threatens a growing part of the world’s population because of global warming. For obvious ethical reasons, “no one studies the increase in body temperature while someone suffers from heatstroke”, explains professor of mechanical engineering Konrad Rykaczewski, involved in the project.

With Andi, this becomes possible, in real conditions. Accompanied by Marty, a mobile weather station that measures heat reflected from surrounding buildings, the robot takes its first steps amid a historic heat wave in Phoenix.

“If the future of Paris looks like Phoenix today, we can learn a lot about the way we design buildings,” continues Rykaczewski. “How do we change them? And how do we change what we wear? How can we modify our behavior and adapt it to temperatures of this order of magnitude?”, He adds.

The effects of heat on each type of person

Andi is also infinitely reprogrammable. The research team can “create digital twins of the mannequin to study different segments of the population,” says Jennifer Vanos, a climatologist also involved in the project. Young people, athletes, obese or in fragile health: scientists can simulate each person’s specific thermoregulation mechanisms, including the fact that the older you get, the less you sweat.

Unlike ordinary mortals, Andi can also survive in direct sunlight without spilling a drop, in experiments where perspiration is not a major factor. How to face a hot wind, humid heat, and with what kind of clothes? Scientists will test it in various situations. The research will be useful for designing clothing against the heat, rethinking urban planning in cities or protecting the most vulnerable.

With information from AFP.