First we had the climate dress by Diffus for the ladies. Now thanks to the design duo Nieuwe Heren men too can don urban pollution-sensing apparel.
The “Aegis Parka,” named after Zeus’ protective shield in the Iliad, incorporates sensors for the most common urban pollutants (although I can only visibly see one sensor) — NH3,NOx, alcohol, Benzene, smoke, and CO2. Similar to the Climate Dress, it uses an LED display to warn the user of hazardous air quality: the worse the pollution, the more LEDs illuminate.
In addition to warning the user of pollutants, the parka also incorporates a built in respirator with active carbon filters to protect the user from inhaling the pollutants when conditions move from moderate to hazardous.
The garment is also treated with TiO2 (titaniumdioxide) solution which although is great for the environment, may potentially be toxic to the body. The idea of textiles that filter the air is wonderful, but the safety of having the organic compounds broken down on the surface of our bodies is a topic up for much debate.
Lastly, the parka is constructed from Schoeller® high-tech fabrics Ceraspace™ created out of ceramic particles and PCM™ a special textile containing millions of microcapsules filled with Phase Change Materials (PCM). The latter fabric actively balances out temperatures extremes to achieve the wearer’s personal comfort climate.
via Design Milk
