Who doesn’t feel uncomfortable wearing a jacket while driving in the scorching sun? Or, during rain or cold weather, you still feel cold despite wearing a jacket.
Now, you don’t have to worry anymore because five UGM students have created a jacket that can automatically adjust the temperature to match the body temperature with the surrounding environment. The jacket is named Automatic Comfort Jacket or ACO Jacket.
Wahyu Agong Nugroho Jati, the head of the ACO Jacket development team, explained that the ACO Jacket was created with cooling technology using a cooling fan and body heater utilizing a heating pad.
The heating and cooling system can work automatically based on the desired and ambient temperatures.
“Users can set the desired temperature limit when wearing the jacket,” Wahyu Jati explained on Friday (November 17).
UGM students created the ACO Jacket through the Student Creativity Program in Innovative Work, which received funding from the Ministry of Education and successfully advanced to the upcoming National Student Scientific Week at the end of November.
The ACO Jacket was created by a team led by Wahyu Agong Nugroho Jati (Mechanical Engineering Technology) and members Yogi Ilham Ruswara (Mechanical Engineering Technology), Genesis Junior Sumlang (Electrical Engineering Technology), Linthang Cahya Wijaya (Civil Infrastructure Management and Maintenance Technology), and Melani Putri Pratama (Software Engineering Technology) under the guidance of Ma’un Budiyanto.
Jati said the cooling fan speeds up the absorption of heat radiation into the external air by circulating air between the outside and inside. Through this cooling system, the temperature can be maintained to prevent overheating.
The heating system is used to warm up or raise the temperature to thermal comfort using a heating pad. The heating pad is an electronic component in the form of a pad that contains a heating coil when supplied with a safe 5 Volt DC electrical voltage for the body.
“Users can set the temperature range. When the ambient temperature detected by the thermostat temperature sensor exceeds the set temperature range, the cooling fan will activate to lower the temperature inside the jacket,” he said.
“Conversely, if the ambient temperature is below the set temperature range, the heater pad will activate to warm the user’s body.”
Yogi Ruswara explained that the detection of ambient temperature uses four LDR sensors. The four sensor pins will protrude or come out of the jacket to make the temperature detector more optimal.
“The heating medium is placed on the user’s abdomen and back to provide maximum thermal comfort,” he said.
The ACO Jacket uses the outermost layer of Puma Scott fabric, making the jacket look fantastic and luxurious. In the innermost layer, the material covers the electronic case that can be removed for repair and washing. Thus, the electronic circuit remains safe when the jacket is washed.
Genesis Sumlang added that the development of the ACO Jacket started from unpredictable weather and rising temperatures in Indonesia. Seeing this condition, they developed a cooling and heating system implemented in secondary clothing, namely jackets.
“We tried to develop a jacket commonly worn as secondary clothing to be more comfortable with a temperature adjustment system. The ACO Jacket comes with heating and cooling features so that it is easy to use and becomes a protective layer for the human body,” he explained.
The ACO Jacket is made in various sizes and has several layers. The outer layer is designed to resist water splashes, making it safe for its electrical components.
Meanwhile, inside the jacket are several pockets for the heating elements. On the back, there is an integrated fan. There is also a foam layer, so users feel comfortable using the jacket.
Author: Ika
Photographer: Donnie