ARMY AL&T


Current MCC technologies, such as the Microclimate Cooling System, have been successful in alleviating heat strain in Soldiers confined to vehicles, but cooling limitations and power and weight restrictions make MCC impractical for Soldiers mobilized on foot. (U.S. Army photo courtesy of Program Executive Office Soldier.)


Compared with the traditional constant-cooling approach, STFC removes body heat and reduces cardiovascular strain.


because it applies existing biomedical knowledge in a new way, and revolution- ary because it heralds the development of new cooling vests that can sense tem- perature and deliver cooling to specific body areas. It may also integrate emerg- ing nanotechnology solutions to sense skin temperature and remove heat.


NSRDEC supports Program Executive Office Soldier’s Air Soldier program with the development of vapor com- pression MCC technology called the Wearable Environmental Control System. Air Soldier is a phased pro- gram; as technologies mature and capabilities develop, they will be inserted into the Soldier’s kit, cul- minating in the third phase, in which most legacy items will be replaced with a fully integrated ensemble.


40 APRIL –JUNE 2011


The first phase of the Engineering and Manufacturing Development program will transition existing MCC technology in FYs 11-12 to address heat stress issues encountered by rear crewmembers in the UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook aircraft. These systems will use traditional MCC approaches and will not have STFC capability; further development is still needed, particularly with respect to garment and sensor development.


The next step for this system in the current theaters of operation is to find a funding source. This will enable coordinated sustained engineering, biomedical, nanotechnology, and material sciences research. A dedicated research effort is needed to develop improved MCC garments, which


probably will depend on emerging nanofiber and/or nanosensor technologies; the integration of sensors into clothing to control the STFC system; and the best Soldier applications of STFC.


DR. SAMUEL N. CHEUVRONT is a Research Physiologist in the Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM). He holds a Ph.D. in excersise physiology from Florida State University.


DR. SCOTT J. MONTAIN is a Research Physiologist in the Military Nutrition Division at USARIEM and Deputy Chief for the Division. He holds a B.S. in community health education from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, an M.S. in biology (exercise physiology) from Ball State University, and a Ph.D. in kinesiology (exercise physiology) from the University of Texas-Austin.


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