The Brrf-Pluss wearable solution aims at protecting the workforce from heat stress related injuries and fatigue during hot temperatures.
Pluss Advanced Technologies has launched a cooling wearable technology that can be worn by workers who are outdoors, such as on construction sites, mines, furnaces, shopfloor, in order to prevent heat stress related injuries and fatigue during hot temperatures.
A study conducted across 70,000 factories in India has estimated that there is a 4 per cent drop in productivity for every 1°C increase in temperature above 27°C, as workers tend to be less productive and be absent more often at higher ambient temperatures. The wearable tech uses ‘phase change materials,’ which work on the principle of ‘energy storage and release’ to maintain a lower temperature than the ambient temperature.
The wearable cooling tech has been designed to offer two options:
- The first design maintains the optimum thermal comfort for the body for up to 8 hours at an ambient temperature lower than 40°C. The solution consists of an inner vest which houses a pouch containing Phase Change Materials (PCM), and an outer jacket which is connected to pair of small ventilation fans attached that is powered by a portable Li-ion battery pack and the complete kit weighs just under 500 grams.
- The second design maintains the optimum thermal comfort for the body for up to 8 hours at an ambient temperature higher than 40 deg C. The solution consists of an inner vest which houses four pouches containing Phase Change Materials (PCM), and an outer jacket which is connected to pair of small ventilation fans attached that is powered by a portable Li-ion battery pack and the complete kit weighs just under 2 Kilograms.
The Brrf-PLUSS wearable cooling tech is based on Phase Change Materials (PCM) technology that can maintain a temperature gradient of up to 15°C lower than the ambient temperature. The Phase Change Materials’ (PCM) pouches for the Brrf-Pluss jackets can be easily recharged by placing it in a refrigerator. A conventional refrigerator or commercial cooler that maintains a temperature of +10 deg C is sufficient to recharge the PCM packs. The Brrf-Pluss cooling tech themselves are easy to assemble, use and maintain, and come in a number of sizes and colours.
Commenting on the launch, Vishnu Sasidharan, Vice President, Pluss Advanced Technologies said, “The body’s normal temperature is 37 to 38 °C, when heat is excessive in the environment the body’s cooling mechanism takes up more energy and the rest of the body has to bear with less energy, which can explain the lower productivity during hot conditions. Brrf-Pluss jackets have been designed to make wearer constantly exposed to the environment comfortable during high temperatures.â€
Use of PCMs for cooling serves as a better alternative to ice as temperature maintained with ice packs rise with time as ice melts. The ‘phase change materials’ have been designed and developed in India by Pluss Advanced Technologies; the vest fabric and design has been made by Mumbai based manufacturer. Pluss has received the National Technology Award from the Government of India in 2021 for development of ‘phase change materials’-based shipping box that maintains the desired temperature for pharma products, such as vaccines, during transportation and storage.