Flare

What it does

A smart garment that uses peltier cooling and airflow to reduce body temperature counteracting the effects of hot flushes. The garment is design with comfortability and breathabilitiy in mind to fit women and grow with their shape. Charged on a docking hanger

Your inspiration

Femtech is a huge trend in the design and technology industry at the moment. Menopause is an area of design that lacks representation and solutions to symptoms suffered by women. Through my research I discovered many women learn to cope with symptoms by themselves as the medication (HRT) is not suitable for them due to medical history. I wanted to create a solution that did not involve medication but instead using technology to harvest the heat created through hot flushes and produce cooling temperature with the use of a peltier cooler which would significantly decrease body temperature providing relief from multiple symptoms of menopause

How it works

The peltier cooler is sewn to the back of the bra that aligns with the top of the neck, this will target large blood vessels in the back of the neck which will experience a cooling temperature from the peltier cooler which creates a temperature difference by transferring heat between two electrical junctions and the cold temperature will travel through the bloodstream reducing the overall body temperature. The fan sits on the breast plate and provides airflow towards the chest, neck and face region which is the most severe area during a hot flush. The discreet positioning of these devices make it suitable for everyday wear for the women without the cause of distraction which many women suffer from due to their symptoms. The bra itself is designed with the user in mind; a seamless wireless fit with breathable bamboo material. It has mesh panelling for a flattering sexy appearance aswell as maximum breathability. Due to sweating the bra has odour-free technology

Design process

I began looking at ways of absorbing sweat using pads in bras but this was only masking the problem. I wanted to eliminate it from the source which is temperature rising causing palpitations, sweating and feeling hot. I looked at many ways of cooling in which I found the way in which laptops, phones prevent overheating is because of peltier cooling. I adapted this knowledge and researched extensively if this could be used on humans to the same effect. There were a few studies done on it which received positive results, so I took this further and developed my own design that is sewn into the bra and targets the back of the neck which I learned through user testing was one of the best parts of the body to target to reduce body temperature the fastest. I then worked on creating a bra that fits the needs of all women with a diverse skin tone range and size range making sure it is a suitable fit on both a XXS and 6XL. The design is flattering on the bust with good support from thick straps. I removed wires and seams from the traditional bra for a more comfortable fit and researched the best material to take forward. Bamboo is stretchy, breathable and hypoallergic which made it the best choice for my final design, The fan was included as I looked at the most popular way people cool

How it is different

Throughout the design process my focus has been the user, currently women age 16 and 40 shop for the same bras, even though their breast tissue, elasticity, shape and needs are entirely different. Flare is designed just for menopausal women's needs to combat sweating, hot flushes, discomfort, embarrassment. There are peltier coolers on the market but are commonly worn on the wrist. I wanted a complete discreet design so that women can go about their everyday tasks without being disrupted by symptoms. The flexible internals and exterior of the peltier cooler moves with the body and worn under clothing . Smart clothing is a new trend where electronics are being incorporated into designs, therefore there will be a need to power these electronics and clothing. I created a docking hanger that stores and charges the device wirelessly when placed on the hanger, this is a possible solution that could solve the issue of powering smart clothing

Future plans

I would like to take the technology of this design further and do alot of user testing of the peltier cooling and collect data on it's effectiveness to reduce the effects of hot flushes, by how many degrees is it bringing down overall temperature and most importantly is it suitable to all women going through this transition

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