Smart Jacket for Hypothermic Athletes
Many winter athletic endeavors subject the athletes to significant cold stress especially the participants of mountaineering, polar etc. This results in hypothermia, which is a condition in which there is a decrease in the core body temperature to a level at which normal muscle and brain functions a
2025-06-28 16:35:35 - Adil Khan
Smart Jacket for Hypothermic Athletes
Project Area of Specialization Wearables and ImplantableProject SummaryMany winter athletic endeavors subject the athletes to significant cold stress especially the participants of mountaineering, polar etc. This results in hypothermia, which is a condition in which there is a decrease in the core body temperature to a level at which normal muscle and brain functions are impaired. Hypothermia is a leading cause of death related to outdoor activities. Exposure to cold, wind, and snow without adequate detection and treatment can lead to hypothermia. When the body core temperature drops the athlete’s performance suffers as a result. In severe cold there is first a marked vasoconstriction of the vessels to the skin and superficial parts of the body followed by reduced blood flow to the muscles and tendons.
During hypothermia, your heart rate is affected too. Low temperatures cause your blood vessels and arteries to narrow, restricting blood flow and reducing oxygen to the heart. Your heart must pump harder to circulate blood through the constricted blood vessels. As a result, your blood pressure and your heart rate increase. So detection of heart rate is important too.
When an athlete is performing the winter sport, he/she does not recognize the initial symptoms of hypothermia which deteriorates the body condition and results in poor performance.
We hereby propose an innovative sensor regulated jacket prototype which would be controlled by a pyroeletric sensor embedded in an ear device which would detect the Infrared Radiations emitted from the tympanic membrane coupled optical heart rate sensor for the cardiac pulse which would operate the jacket and treat hypothermia by resistive heating process automatically with continuous detection and prevention without causing any interruptions in athlete’s performance.
Project Objectives1. The aim is to design a smart jacket which would treat hypothermia in winter athletes by the help of their core body temperatures and their cardiac rhythm cycle and prevent them from life threatening situations due to unnoticed body conditions.
2. The whole process would be wireless and help the athletes without being an hindrance and monitor their state continuously and prevent as well.
3. It would not operate on the basis of skin temperature because the skin could get cold even in a state where hypothermia has not occurred because a lot of other factors of ambient temperature affect skin too.
Project Implementation Method1. Calibrating Pyroelectric sensor and Heart rate sensor
2. Making an earpiece device
3. Making an heart rate pulse detector device
4. Coupling the outputs of both the devices together
5. Designing jacket with suitable material
6. Interfacing all of them together
Benefits of the ProjectThe vision of our prototype is to provide benefit to the winter athletes who face hypothermia but are unable to detect it initially until it turns into a life threatening condition and even if it is detected it is not properly treated in accordance with the accurate core body condition. Our smart jacket can be used by athletes participating in winter Olympics and other winter based sport activities who are the sufferers of hypothermia but do not need excessive heat.
Technical Details of Final DeliverableThe final deliverable project would be consisting of a sensor regulated jacket which would work on the basis of combined output of heart rate activity and core body temperature detected by IR radiations and treat hypothermia in winter athletes.
Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemType of Industry Medical , Health Technologies Wearables and ImplantablesSustainable Development Goals Good Health and Well-Being for People, Climate ActionRequired Resources| Item Name | Type | No. of Units | Per Unit Cost (in Rs) | Total (in Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total in (Rs) | 51000 | |||
| Pyro electric sensor | Equipment | 3 | 2000 | 6000 |
| Pulse Rate Sensor Amped | Equipment | 1 | 500 | 500 |
| Arduino Nano | Equipment | 3 | 1000 | 3000 |
| Heating pads | Equipment | 10 | 200 | 2000 |
| Jacket | Equipment | 1 | 15000 | 15000 |
| Bluetooth | Equipment | 4 | 500 | 2000 |
| Battery | Equipment | 3 | 1500 | 4500 |
| Power bank | Equipment | 2 | 4000 | 8000 |
| Miscellaneous | Miscellaneous | 1 | 10000 | 10000 |