Interviews
EMPA uses multilayer material to develop cooling blankets
21 Aug '08
5 min read
For the complete duration of the tests the ponies were monitored by vets who continuously measured physiological parameters such as skin and body temperatures, quantity of sweat, pace length and ECG values.
Shetland ponies in Empa's climate chamber
After a series of tests with the ponies, distributed over a fortnight and each of one-hour duration, Markus Weder and his colleagues were able to confirm that the new blankets worked very well. Without them the skin temperature rose to over 40°C due to the simulated sunshine and increase in temperature when the animals moved from their stable to the competition venue. With the multilayer cooling blankets, however, this value rose to only 38°C. The horse's skin temperature remained cooler, therefore, when the blankets, which are made of a special material which stores latent heat and reflects heat radiation, were used.
After their physical activities, the ponies' handlers covered them with equally novel sweat blankets which can absorb six times more perspiration than conventional, commercially available blankets. This enables the animals to dry off significantly faster than was previously possible. Were the ponies to be brought from the warm, humid climate chamber directly to conditions simulating an air conditioned stable without the new sweat blankets, their skin temperature would fall from 40°C to 21.5°C within a very short time. Such an abrupt drop in temperature can cause the dreaded post exercise chill in sweat-drenched animals, and encourage infectious diseases to develop.
With the sweat blanket newly developed by Empa, the ponies' temperatures merely fell to between 39°C and 35°C. Thanks to a reduction in sweat evaporation due to the novel blankets, the animals' skin cooled to a much lesser degree, minimizing the strain on their health.
These very promising results have moved the Swiss Equestrian Federation to order tailor-made hi-tech blankets for all the horses of the Swiss teams participating in the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong. And who knows – maybe one or two of them will bring back an Olympic medal with a little help from Empa technology!
Empa is an interdisciplinary research and services institution for material sciences and technology development within the ETH Domain. Empa is able to offer its industrial partners solutions tailored to meet their specific needs. This encourages companies to think and act in innovative ways and at the same time helps to improve the quality of life for all of us.
Shetland ponies in Empa's climate chamber
After a series of tests with the ponies, distributed over a fortnight and each of one-hour duration, Markus Weder and his colleagues were able to confirm that the new blankets worked very well. Without them the skin temperature rose to over 40°C due to the simulated sunshine and increase in temperature when the animals moved from their stable to the competition venue. With the multilayer cooling blankets, however, this value rose to only 38°C. The horse's skin temperature remained cooler, therefore, when the blankets, which are made of a special material which stores latent heat and reflects heat radiation, were used.
After their physical activities, the ponies' handlers covered them with equally novel sweat blankets which can absorb six times more perspiration than conventional, commercially available blankets. This enables the animals to dry off significantly faster than was previously possible. Were the ponies to be brought from the warm, humid climate chamber directly to conditions simulating an air conditioned stable without the new sweat blankets, their skin temperature would fall from 40°C to 21.5°C within a very short time. Such an abrupt drop in temperature can cause the dreaded post exercise chill in sweat-drenched animals, and encourage infectious diseases to develop.
With the sweat blanket newly developed by Empa, the ponies' temperatures merely fell to between 39°C and 35°C. Thanks to a reduction in sweat evaporation due to the novel blankets, the animals' skin cooled to a much lesser degree, minimizing the strain on their health.
These very promising results have moved the Swiss Equestrian Federation to order tailor-made hi-tech blankets for all the horses of the Swiss teams participating in the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong. And who knows – maybe one or two of them will bring back an Olympic medal with a little help from Empa technology!
Empa is an interdisciplinary research and services institution for material sciences and technology development within the ETH Domain. Empa is able to offer its industrial partners solutions tailored to meet their specific needs. This encourages companies to think and act in innovative ways and at the same time helps to improve the quality of life for all of us.
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