Thermochromic Pullover to View Skin Temperature Fluctuations to locate infections and tumors

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Medical

A thermochromic fiber has been developed that can be woven into clothing by an Australian research and development company and it's available for immediate production. The fiber composition can be fine-tuned to cover a narrow band of temperature variations which translates the minute temperature differences of anything it touches such as skin.

Similar to the Liquid Encapsulated Crystal paints hospitals used to paint skin observing color changes to find tumors over a decade ago, this invention refers to a fabric pullover or sweater made from fibers tuned to react to 98.6 through 102.0 degrees Fahrenheit (or other limits for other purposes) slipped on by a patient making it easy to visibly identify infections under the skin, tumors, etc. without having to rely on invasive surgery or guesswork.

The fabric, once in contact with skin, immediately changes colors in direct response to the narrow temperature range custom set by the manufacture. Each color represents a specific temperature making it an instant indicator of potential problems lying underneath the skin. Similar to synthetic nylon, the sweater can be washed and sterilized after every use unlike the paints which are washed off and discarded costing greatly and impacting our environment.

The thermochromic sweater can also indicate if one's circulation is not quite right by observing the cold and warm areas indicated by different colors instantly appearing across the entire surface.

A small patch of fabric can be laid directly onto a wound to see where blood circulation has caused the rise in temperature due to a possible infections below.

The Pullover would also be good for health-conscious people who work out using it as an indicator of 120BPM matching the body temperature to display a particular color to heat-output. This could be a method to let a user know when to safely stop exercising. Tuning the fabric to display unsafe temperatures could be useful for firemen, paramedics working around accidents, workers around furnaces, ovens, etc.

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  • ABOUT THE ENTRANT

  • Name:
    Harry Wainwright
  • Type of entry:
    individual
  • Profession:
    Educator
  • Number of times previously entering contest:
    3
  • Harry's favorite design and analysis tools:
    Powerpoint
  • Harry's hobbies and activities:
    Inventing
  • Harry is inspired by:
    Imagination and seeing the world through a lens of improvement and convenience.
  • Patent status:
    pending