Beavers inspire new wetsuit design
20/10/2016
The hair-lined wetsuit is designed to keep the wearer warm while surfing. The scientist created fur-like, rubbery pelts which mimics the way the animals are able to trap warm pockets in the fur when swimming.
“We are particularly interested in wetsuits for surfing, where the athlete moves frequently between air and water environments,” said Anette Hosoi, a professor of mechanical engineering and associate head of the department at MIT. “We can control the length, spacing, and arrangement of hairs, which allows us to design textures to match certain dive speeds and maximize the wetsuit's dry region.”
The research was inspired by a visit to Taiwan-based wetsuit manufacturer Sheico Group, which attended the recent Taipei Innovative Textile Application Show (October 17-19). When the group returned from Taiwan, they set about trying to find examples in nature on which to base their designs. They settled on beavers and sea otters due to their ability to trap air in their fur.
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