Crazy idea - Peltier helmet

[Serk]

I've had this idea in my head for years (Especially when stuck in traffic in 100+ degree heat). I did a little Googling on it, and found a few mentions of the concept, but nothing solid...

Just wondering if anyone's thought of putting a Peltier cooler in a motorcycle helmet...

Peltiers are small solid state devices that, when given power (Most run at 12VDC) move heat from one end to the other. One side of the device will get incredibly cold, the other side will get very hot.

The idea is to cut a hole in a helmet and put one of these in it, put a heat sink on the outside part to dissipate the heat, and let the device pull the heat out of the helmet, thus cooling the rider's head...

Example of a Peltier (And just how cheap they are!)

http://www.amazon.com/TEC1-12706-Thermoelectric-Peltier-Cooler-Volt/dp/tags-on-product/B002UQQ3Q2

I've got an old HJC Full Face that I don't use anymore, been toying with the idea of trying this out, but wanted to throw it out there and see if anyone had tried anything like this before, thoughts on it, anything else?

[Cliff]

Intrigued enough to be sure to keep an eue on this thread...

[x]

Methinks the chief issue would be helmet integrity... they are designed to absorb G forces by absorbing impact, then shattering... cutting holes would not be a good thing.
 
OTOH, I like the idea... could direct from under helmet to a variety of areas... and if it works... design a helmet with 'exhaust' through the helmet.
 
While your at it... a vest?  Brilliant idea, mate.

[Serk]

Methinks the chief issue would be helmet integrity... they are designed to absorb G forces by absorbing impact, then shattering... cutting holes would not be a good thing.

Yeah, that's been one of my prime concerns too... That, and the fact that there'd pretty much have to be a heatsink sticking out the top (Side?) of the helmet too... I'm pretty much over the funny looks thing, but would hate to think of a spill and having the heatsink shoved into my skull...
Also, would need to have some circulation inside the helmet. Having a small patch of your head ice cold but not having the air moved around inside the helmet wouldn't be much good either...

Still thinking things out, just brainstorming...

[tank_post142]

mount a separate unit on the bike, hoses running to the helmet with liquid cooled by the heat sink. small capillary hoses imbedded in the liner could be arranged to not have any extraordinary cool spots.

[R J]

Just wear a doo rag and keep it soaking wet.    Works great.

[Serk]

Well, seems someone's thought of it before, even if nothing ever came of it...

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/7296304/description.html

[iliveforcurves]

There was a helmet that had some kind of heat sink sticking out of the top, maybe back in the early '90's.  I remember they were quite expensive and I wondered about the helmet's integrity in a crash.  You can try a google search but I don't remember the manufacturer.

[michaelyoung254]

Just wear a doo rag and keep it soaking wet.    Works great.

If you ride in southern Texas, the doo rag will stay soaking wet, no problems there! 'Cept it'll be sweat that's keeping it soaked.

[Serk]

There was a helmet that had some kind of heat sink sticking out of the top, maybe back in the early '90's.  I remember they were quite expensive and I wondered about the helmet's integrity in a crash.  You can try a google search but I don't remember the manufacturer.

AGV Tech 7 from the late 1980's... Found that much, doing a little more research... Oh well, was an interesting idea...

[RainMaker]

It's not a Peltier, but it would keep you cool......

[Mr Steve]

They are 1.6 x 1.6 x 0.1 inches and 92 Watts each.  You're going to rapidly hit a limit.  I'm not so sure I'd want to be wearing hundreds of watts on my head either.   

[9Ball]

It's not a Peltier, but it would keep you cool......

and you look so "cool" wearing it......

[Bobbo]

A Peltier wouldn't be my first choice either.  It is terribly inefficient, and it has to dissipate those 92 watts as heat.  This one has a temperature delta of 66 C.  While one side would be a comfortable 20 C (68 F) the heatsink side would be a scorching 86 C (187 F).

Liquid cooling lines would also work, but would be very messy if pulled loose, or leaking.

I think a better solution would be to use a small compressor and tank.  The tank would need to have heat sinks and probably a fan to keep it as cool as possible.  A single insulated hose would connect the tank to the helmet, and maybe a liner with air passages inside.  The air would be released from the tank through an orifice into the tube. As the air expands past the orifice, the temperature drops and you would have a nice cool airflow into the helmet.  Might already be patented, as I didn't look.

[Hoser]

Nascar race cars have a small onboard ac unit that has a hose that plugs into the top of thier helmets, perhaps install one in your Interstate trunk?  Heavy duty alternator might handle it.  Hoser  

[Serk]

Yeah, it was just brainstorming really... The beauty of the peltier solution would be the lack of hoses and liquid, etc, just need a single cable with with + and - 12VDC to power it, no liquid lines, air lines, etc...

Still tossing the idea around in my head... I know it's got some problems, but I still think it COULD be made into a way to take some of the edge off wearing a full face helmet in 100+ degree heat.

[Bobbo]

It would work, but as suggested, you would have a cold spot where the device is mounted, and a hot helmet everywhere else.  Maybe you could attach it to a copper or aluminum liner with varying degrees of insulation so the heat absorption would be equal over the entire surface.  You would need heavier insulation near the device, and minimal insulation furthest from the device.

[Psychotic Bovine]

the agv tech 7 made quite a few years ago used a liquid filled bladder to conduct the cold from the Peltier to the head.  The agv was not a big seller, but was actually a good idea.
Now, another idea would be to route cold air via a tube from the cooler to the helmet's front vents.  That would seem to eliminate the "cold spots" and helmet integrity problems. 

[sandy]

I just got to Americade from AZ. Design one for my underwear. Now that's an idea.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

I think it's a great idea and have toyed with how to do it myself. I just don't "keep well" in the heat.

[Serk]

Reviving this old thread, looks like someone's actually moving forward with this idea, although it's not motorcycle-centric:

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/11/03/mit-students-wearable-cooling-device/

[fon1961]

Over the course of a few minutes, this process will cause you to perceive a whole-body cooling of a couple degrees Celsius.

interesting thread, i'm not sure that just "feeling" cooler when you're really not is a good thing.
other points of concern with previously mentioned concepts:

1) already mentioned, compromising the structural integrity of the shell by incorporating ventilation
2) already mentioned, heat from any embedded electronic devices must be efficiently dissipated, two edge sword
3) any added weight to the helmet increases the chances that your neck will be compromised as a result of an accident.
i'm guessing that's why the systems that are currently in use utilize a separate cooling source.

hope you figure something out that works 

[Moonshot_1]

This has likely been posted.
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/11/03/mit-students-wearable-cooling-device/

My thoughts would be to the device in the article evolve into a device that has physical properties like a patch of neoprene.

Flexible. It can be fitted to the neck area.

The problem with the helmet idea is can you maintain the integrity of the helmet?
And even more problematic, costs.