Intense summer workouts often lead to sportswear absorbing excessive sweat, becoming clingy and cumbersome, causing discomfort and potentially impacting performance.

Sportswear with intelligent sweat management

A research team led by Dr. Shou Dahua at PolyU has developed “iActive”, an innovative, electrically activated sportswear inspired by natural perspiration. The garment features artificial “sweat glands” and a branching liquid transport system that aligns with the body´s sweat map, effectively removing sweat and enhancing comfort. This sportswear, which won a Gold Medal at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, operates at a safe voltage and is washable. It creates a dry microclimate three times faster than human sweating, reducing stickiness and weight. In comparison to traditional fabrics, the textile materials in “iActive” are 60% lighter and 50% less clingy when soaked, providing the wearer with all-round comfort and enabling sports enthusiasts and athletes to perform at their best. Furthermore, a mobile app further aids personalized sweat management by wirelessly adjusting the sweat level of “iActive”. This innovation is versatile and can be seamlessly integrated into a variety of textile materials to facilitate sustainable mass production. It is also applicable to protective clothing, enhancing performance in high intensity occupations.

Drawing inspiration from volcano dwelling beetles

Dr. Shou Dahua also emphasizes the importance of heatstroke prevention and cooling measures due to global warming. Therefore, his team developed “Omni-Cool-Dry”, inspired by volcano dwelling beetles. This fabric not only provides ultra-fast sweat dissipation and ensures all-day comfort with its dry and breathable features under dynamic thermal conditions, but also reflects solar radiation and emits body heat into the cold universe, enabling passive cooling. The team is working hard to leverage the benefits of both inventions to further enhance the sweat-dissipating and cooling capability of “iActive” sportswear. Dr. Shou, a core member of PolyU´s Research for Intelligent Wearable Systems, received various awards, e. g. the 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award by the Fiber Society for his outstanding contributions to the fields of personal thermal and moisture management, and international awards. His work is published in top journals, and he will chair the Fiber Society Spring 2025 Conference at PolyU.

In conclusion, “iActive” and “Omni-Cool-Dry”, address global heat management challenges, enhancing comfort and performance through advanced sweat and heat dissipation. Highlighting the significant contributions to intelligent wearables and garment manufacturing, by demonstrating the potential of merging technology with traditional industries.