Cláudia Azevedo Lopes
The fibre producer Inovafil is working in partnership with the German army to develop the coating for a military helmet. The Portuguese company is responsible for producing the entire textile interior of the helmet, with thermoregulation technology that makes it more comfortable and adjustable to different weather conditions.
“Helmets have been around for a long time, and they fulfil their function. However, now the goal is to go further and innovate, making them not only safer, but also more comfortable. We are going to cover the helmet with a thermoregulating fibre, which has the ability to manage the temperature according to the environment around”, says Rui Martins, CEO of Inovafil (photo).
According to the businessman, we are talking about “a phase change material”, a liquid that changes its state according to the temperature. That is, when exposed to high temperature, the material becomes liquid, and when exposed to a lower temperature it becomes solid.
“When the liquid that is inside our clothes goes below 26 degrees, it becomes solid, so that the heat does not come out, and the body temperature is maintained. When, with this same garment, we move to an environment with a temperature above 26 degrees, it turns liquid, changes state, letting the heat out and making the garment cooler”, explains Rui Martins.
The thermoregulation fibre, which is already being marketed by Inovafil, will be used to coat the German army helmets.