What happens in the body when a person has heat stroke? How can we protect ourselves in a warming planet? To answer these burning questions, Arizona researchers deployed a robot that can breathe, vibrate, and sweat.
The southwestern state capital of Phoenix is currently enduring its longest heat wave on record: On Friday, the mercury topped 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) for the 22nd day in a row, a sign of what’s to come in a world affected by climate change.
For humans, such heat represents a potentially lethal threat, which is not yet fully understood. But for ANDI — a kind of humanoid robot at Arizona State University — it’s a beautiful day.
“It’s the world’s first outdoor thermal mannequin that we can routinely take outside and … measure how much heat it’s getting from the environment,” mechanical engineering professor Konrad Rykazowski told JEE News.
ANDI is “a very realistic way to experimentally measure how humans respond to extreme climates” without putting people themselves at risk, Rykaczewski says.
At first glance, ANDI – which stands for Advanced Newton Dynamic Instrument – resembles a simple crash test dummy.
But its epoxy/carbon fiber skin hides a treasure trove of technology, like a network of connected sensors that gauge body heat.
The ANDI also has an internal cooling system and holes that allow it to breathe and sweat. There are 35 independent thermal zones and, like humans, the robot – which cost more than half a million dollars to build – sweats more than its waist.
Until now, there were only a dozen or so plants of this type, and none of them could travel abroad.
They were primarily used by sports equipment manufacturers to test their technical wear in thermal chambers.
Hyperthermia, a 21st century condition –
The researchers hope the robot will provide a better understanding of hyperthermia – when the body overheats, a condition that is threatening an increasing proportion of the world’s population as a result of global warming.
For obvious ethical reasons, “no one measures the rise in core temperature while someone is having heat stroke,” says Rykaczewski. But the effects of heat on the human body are not yet fully understood. ANDI provides researchers with an opportunity to understand
With Marti (Mean Radiant Temperature), a mobile weather station that measures heat reflected from buildings around it, the robot is taking its first steps outside Phoenix – an ideal laboratory in which to prepare for tomorrow’s climate.
“How do we change what we wear? How do we change our behavior patterns, and how do we adjust them to the temperatures that are at that temperature?” Rykaczewski says.
Andy is also infinitely reprogrammable. Jennifer Vanos, a climatologist involved in the project, says the research team can create digital twins of mannequins to look at different parts of the population.
For example, the older you are, the less you sweat. Young people will need different protection than athletes or people in poor health. With ANDI, scientists can simulate thermoregulatory mechanisms specific to each individual.
Phoenix, test lab for the future
They can also test the robot in different situations. For example, Phoenix is dry – what about humid summers? How does the human body cope with hot winds?
Their research will be useful in designing heat-resistant clothing, rethinking urban planning and protecting the most vulnerable.
In Phoenix, which opens dozens of cooling centers for the homeless each summer, their findings could guide the actions of social workers.
“How long does a person have to stay in a cooling center to cool down, to get their core temperature down to a level that’s safe again? We can answer that question with Andy,” says Wanos.
The team also dreams of developing low-cost sensors to adjust working hours on building sites based on the heat actually experienced on site and the health of workers – rather than based on general weather conditions.
Rykaczewski says this could be “a step toward better safety for every city, per state, per country than these empty recommendations.”
Such specific, tailored solutions can have a global impact, redeveloping entire cities.
“If the future of Paris looks like the Phoenix now, we can learn a lot about how we design buildings,” says Rykaczewski.
