ASU professor redesigning cooling vests to deal with hot temperatures in Arizona

ASU professor redesigning cooling clothing to deal with Arizona’s summer temperatures

Professor Konrad Rykaczewski has been working on the project for two years. FOX 10's Stephanie Olmo reports.

PHOENIX - Arizona's triple-digit summer heat can be dangerous, and one professor at Arizona State University is looking into the future, and has come up with a way people can adapt to extreme heat.

Professor Konrad Rykaczewski has created a design for cooling vests. He's been planning this project for two years, and hopes he can get people to think more about the future.

"There has been a substantial increase in these days where you wake up and it’s already 90°F," said Professor Rykaczewski.

The weather pattern over the past few decades has Professor Rykaczewski thinking about the future, and what people can do or wear in order to adapt to even hotter temperatures.

"Having an ice bath or just putting ice against your body is something obvious, but it’s also potentially not good because then, you end up overcooling you skin," said Professor Rykaczewski.

Professor Rykaczewski and his team of engineers are working on cooling garments. For starters, he took vests that can already be found in stores, and figure out how to improve them.

Some of the works include a liquid cooling vest, as well as a water-absorbing vest. Professor Rykaczewski says he hopes that in five to 10 years, he will have a number of solutions for different articles of clothing, especially for those who work outdoors.