This sweating robot knows what extreme heat will do to humans
The robot, named ANDI, is designed to measure the amount of heat a body is subjected to the hottest days and how extreme heat might impact humans.
ASU's ANDI, the world’s first outdoor breathing, sweating and walking thermal manikin, will help researchers better understand how our human bodies are impacted by heat stress. Photograph: Christopher Goulet/ASU
As the world faces a daunting future of extreme heat due to climate change, researchers in Arizona are working to study how heat might affect us in the future. Enter ANDI, the humanoid robot from Arizona State University, designed to be a crash test dummy for the dangerous temperatures of tomorrow. This unique creation can simulate human responses to scorching conditions, shedding light on hyperthermia and guiding us towards smarter climate adaptation.
ANDI, short for Advanced Newton Dynamic Instrument, appears deceptively simple at first glance – akin to a crash-test dummy. However, beneath its epoxy/carbon fiber skin lies a network of advanced sensors that assess heat distribution within the body. Equipped with an internal cooling system, pores for breathing and sweating, and 35 independent thermal zones, ANDI mirrors human responses to extreme climate conditions.
ANDI can mimic the thermal functions of the human body, like changing skin temperature and changing core temperature, and has 35 different surface areas that are all individually controlled with temperature sensors, heat flux sensors and pores that bead sweat. Photograph: Christopher Goulet/ASU
ANDI’s role as a thermal mannequin presents an ethical advantage – researchers can comprehensively study hyperthermia without endangering human lives. The condition, brought on by overheating, poses an increasing threat to global populations amid rising temperatures. By unlocking the secrets of human thermoregulation, scientists hope to develop effective strategies for climate resilience. ANDI is “a very realistic way to experimentally measure how a human person responds to extreme climate” without putting people themselves at risk, mechanical engineering professor Rykaczewski says.
Accompanied by MaRTy (Mean Radiant Temperature), a mobile weather station, ANDI has embarked on its first outdoor mission in Phoenix, an ideal laboratory to confront future climate scenarios – temperatures recently exceeded 43 degrees Celsius for the twenty-second day in a row. The robot’s insights could well shape behavioral changes, urban planning, and protective measures to safeguard vulnerable communities.
Until now, only a dozen or so mannequins of this type existed, and none of them could venture outdoors. They were mainly used by sports equipment manufacturers to test their technical clothing in thermal chambers. Additionally, ANDI’s ability to be reprogrammed allows for tailored simulations, addressing the unique thermoregulatory needs of diverse populations. This is particularly useful as the older you get, the less you sweat. Young people will need different protection from athletes or people in poor health. With ANDI, scientists can simulate the thermoregulatory mechanisms specific to each individual.
The implications of this research are far-reaching. By designing heat-resistant clothing, reimagining urban layouts, and offering personalized support to those in need, ANDI’s contributions could shape a climate-resilient future. For example, the knowledge gained could revolutionize construction sites, ensuring worker safety by adapting working hours to real-time heat conditions. As the team envisions a world where cities adapt to extreme temperatures, the lessons from Phoenix could echo across the globe.
In this pursuit of climate resilience, ANDI stands as an innovative and invaluable ally, holding the key to unlocking the secrets of survival in a warming planet.
