Developing and Testing RTX Hand Devices

AVAcore Technologies in conjunction with Stanford University has developed RTX Rapid Thermal eXchange technology for the purpose of enhancing heat transfer with the body core of a mammal. Application of an optimal thermal load and slight negative pressure to certain areas of a mammal containing arteriovenus anastemoses and venous plexus has been shown to increase heat exchange significantly. Previous versions of RTX required insertion of a hand or foot into a sealed rigid chamber. The current work funded by DARPA through ARO was to design and build RTX devices that incorporate maximum contact to the palmer surface of a hand at rest, provide topical vacuum no chamber and a thermal load for ease of use in field applications. Design criteria were established to accommodate the fifth through ninety fifth percentile hand, be rugged enough to withstand transport in military vehicles during combat operations, and operate regardless of their mounting orientation vertical or horizontal. Bench testing was performed using a simulated hand to compare heat exchange rates with previous versions of RTX. A 33 increase in heat exchange was observed with the new RTX design. Nine units were built for human testing by others.