Staying Warm with Wearables in Record-Breaking Lows

While being born and raised in the Midwest has its perks, negative 45 degree weather is not one of them. As many of us struggle to start our cars and bundle for recording setting lows, I’d like to feature a few helpful wearables during this seemingly unbearable winter. Both Wearable Technologies and Techvise have helped provide a few solutions for this artic cold.

SKIINCore is a smart and wire-free heated base layer that keeps individuals warm while remaining flexible. Designed by engineers in Canada, SKIINCore features conductive yarn that delivers 18 watts of heating power from a battery that snaps into a docking station positioned at the midsection. The wearable generates heat for up to eight hours from the yarn that connects to a 56g battery.

“Stretch it, touch it, and wash it—we guarantee you won’t be able to tell where the thread ends and the tech begins. We knit our tech (including the heating elements!) right in between the sweat-wicking synthetic inner layer and the heat-trapping wool outer layer,” the company said.

SKIINCore’s base layer that keeps individuals warm

Next up is a smart heated jacket called the Mecury Intelligent Heated Jacket developed by Ministry of Supply.  The jacket is equipped with sensors that detect the outside temperature and use thin carbon pads to regulate heat inside the jacket. In this negative degree weather, this jacket sure would be working hard. Additionally the jacket is controlled with a smart assistant, such as Alexa or Google Assistant. Just like a car, the wearer can ask the smart assistant to warm up their jacket prior to going outside.

Shoveling snow is another weather condition we’ve been seeing a lot of in my neck of the woods. The Moretek Bluetooth beanie and gloves is a way to connect to your smartphone wirelessly without putting on headphones. The touch-screen friendly gloves help out when you don’t want to subject your hands to the freezing air.

Additionally, USB heating gloves are another tech-savvy product to help us battle the cold. There are also hand warmer “pebbles” that help keep our hands nice and toasty. They just slip right into our jacket pocket and provide extra warmth while waiting for the bus or train.

Lastly, the Outdoor Research’s Storm Tracker Gloves have a weatherproof shell and electric heat system that make them made for this type of weather. Rechargeable batteries power these smart gloves, while a three-setting system keeps the cold out for eight hours on low power.  

Hopefully we’ll be moving to warmer temperatures in the next few days, but these tech-savvy, warm wearables are just a reminder of the technology we can utilize during these freezing days.