Kjus has launched the first ski jacket featuring an electronic, user-controlled textile membrane, which is said to move sweat away ten times faster than a conventional membrane. The garment is a jacket from the brand's 7Sphere skiwear collection. The jacket integrates a technology called Hydro Bot, developed by Osmotex, which was first unveiled at Ispo in February 2017. The technology is incorporated in the jacket via two panels located on the back, known as a high-sweat zone. The technology consists of a membrane made up of trillions of pores per square meter, surrounded by conductive fabric. The active element of the membrane is operated via a control module concealed inside the jacket. When a small electrical pulse is applied, the pores of the membrane turn into micro-pumps that transfer moisture from the skin to the outside of the garment. Charging takes between 45 minutes and one hour, then the jacket can be used for between 16 and 20 hours, the company said. Kjus is the first brand to incorporate the technology into a product. The testing phase has been conducted in collaboration with Empa, a Swiss research institute. Kjus has also developed a smartphone application that allows monitoring of how much the wearer is sweating, recommending actions based on the data it has received. The jacket will only be available on Dec. 10, with orders taken from Nov. 22. The company is considering incorporating the technology into a wider range of products in the future.

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