Department - Author 1
Materials Engineering Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Materials Engineering
Date
6-2013
Primary Advisor
Richard Savage
Abstract/Summary
Patients with spinal cord injuries are often unable to regulate their body temperature. This can be very dangerous when the body reaches temperatures above 104 degrees F. The result is damaging to the human body and can even result in death. Therefore it is necessary to implement external sources of cooling for these individuals who are incapable of reducing their body temperature through normal methods. This two year long thermal vest project is a senior project sponsored by QL+ and began in Fall 2011. QL+ is a not-for-profit organization who focuses on improving the quality of life of those injured in the line of duty. The focus of this project was to help these veterans with such injuries in developing a vest to help cool the body and keep them safe while they enjoy activities in their daily life. The result of this project has been a design which is a lightweight, low cost, comfortable, and long lasting vest which can help regulate the body temperature of these individuals. This report outlines the research, decisions, construction, and testing that a team of four students of different engineering concentrations have done for the thermal vest.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/matesp/75