Wristify - Diving application? Reduce thermal protection requirements?

[miketsp]

My dream is to be able to dive even cold water with a minimum of thermal protection - and consequently a minimum of weighting.

Reading about this Wristify device developed by four MIT engineering students who developed a thermo-electric bracelet that monitors air and skin temperature, and sends tailored pulses of hot or cold waveforms to the wrist to help maintain thermal comfort.

Seems to me that if this really works it would be fairly easy to adapt it for diving use. Could this be the end of feeling cold during a dive?

?Cool? invention wins first place at MADMEC - MIT News Office

Wristify

Is this the end to sky-high energy bills? Thermoelectric wristband which will keep your whole body warm created by scientists | Mail Online

 

[Steve_C]

I do not believe the physics. You have massive heat loss from legs and trunk and head in water without thermal insualtion. You are going to counteract all that loss by inputting heat on your wrist. I see several problems

1. You would a major power source which would be heavy.

2. The ammount of heat you would have to pump into your wrist would cook it.

There is no free lunch.

 

[ergo46]

The MIT Grads have been testing on the idea of only a few degrees. In diving your talking about massive changes in temp.

 

[miketsp]

I do not believe the physics. You have massive heat loss from legs and trunk and head in water without thermal insualtion. You are going to counteract all that loss by inputting heat on your wrist. I see several problems

1. You would a major power source which would be heavy.

2. The ammount of heat you would have to pump into your wrist would cook it.

There is no free lunch.

I certainly wouldn't expect to eliminate neoprene altogether but if I could drop from my 7mm to a 3mm (still with hood and gloves) that would be a huge increase in comfort level and sense of freedom and my lower back would certainly appreciate the weighting reduction.

 

[victorzamora]

One problem is realizing that this doesn't keep you warm, it tricks you into thinking you're warmer than you are. It makes you tolerate temperatures a few degrees lower in terms of COMFORT. Cold water will give you hypothermia, even if you don't "feel" cold. Plus, as was said above, this can only compensate for a few degrees at best.

It's a cool find, but it just won't work underwater. Sorry.