Walter to get a little hot under the collar

A life-size dummy with a waterproof fabric 'skin' that oozes moisture through tiny holes has been built by SAR researchers to simulate sweating in the human body.

The study will help with the design of more comfortable clothes for people working in extreme environments.

The mannequin, called 'Walter' by its creators Fan Jintu and Chen Yisong, of the Institute of Textiles and Clothing at the Polytechnic University, will be used to study how fabric interacts with the body and will help with the design of safer and more comfortable clothes for soldiers, firefighters, athletes and even astronauts.

'It's not aimed at fashion designers, but for more practical or work-related purposes,' said Dr Fan, an associate professor at the institute.

Temperature and humidity sensors connect Walter, and the clothes being tested, to a computer which controls and monitors rates of perspiration and then measures the heat loss and vaporisation of different fabrics.

Inside the dummy, which costs about $100,000, pipes, pumps and valves distribute water at body temperature to its extremities.