Project Description:

Cleanroom environments demand full-body protective suits to prevent product contamination, but this protection comes at a cost. Workers often experience significant heat and humidity buildup inside the suit, leading to thermal discomfort, decreased focus, and increased break frequency. Over time, these interruptions translate into lost productivity and potential health risks. Our project addresses this issue by embedding compact Peltier modules into cleanroom coveralls to provide active, user-adjustable cooling. These thermoelectric devices operate by dissipating internal heat through semiconductor-based heat transfer, with the hot side directed outward and the cold side facing the wearer. Six modules are embedded along the back to target areas of high thermal discomfort, and a custom-designed circuit enables up to seven hours of cooling per use. Compared to current solutions, which are bulky, short-term, or passive in nature, our design is lightweight, streamlined, and integrated directly into an existing coverall. Testing revealed that our prototype significantly reduced internal temperature (in 82% of trials) and humidity (in 62% of trials), both with p-values < 0.05 in the hands of our intended user in a clinical setting. This system demonstrates a cost-effective, scalable approach to enhancing worker comfort and safety in high-stakes environments, delivering thermal relief without compromising sterility or workflow.