Arizona State University expert directory

Konrad Rykaczewski, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, is all about sweating the details of extreme heat’s impact on human health.

Aided by ANDI, an indoor-outdoor breathing, sweating and walking thermal “manikin,” Rykaczewski investigates the early phases of sweating, focusing on the formation and evaporation of sweat droplets. ANDI’s design, which includes sensors and other technologies that measure effects of exposure to varied heat intensities, enables data collection in most human heat scenarios, both indoors and outdoors, with shade and without.

In addition to ANDI, Rykaczewski’s team developed a specialized, ventilated capsule with high-magnification video capabilities that enables the study droplet behavior on human foreheads, capturing details down to 20 microns – or less than the width of a strand of hair. applications.

Rykaczewski’s research also includes investigation of how exosuits, such as those designed to alleviate workers’ lower back stress, can be modified to be more user-friendly and prevent excessive sweating.

These innovative approaches to enhance understanding of sweat’s cooling mechanisms will enable development of tools that address extreme heat scenarios in fields from garments to medicine to industrial settings and urban spaces.