Development of a Helmet Device Capable of Measuring Perspiration during Activity and the Possibility of New Index for the Early Detection of Heat Stroke

Abstract

Maintaining the water content in the human body is necessary to prevent heatstroke on construction sites in the hot sun. As such, determining levels of perspiration for the entire body is important. This study focused on helmets (or hard hats), which are mandatory on construction sites, to develop a wearable helmet device that can measure the amount of perspiration while completing various activities. The results of our experiments indicate the feasibility of measuring whole-body perspiration levels using this device. In addition, we show that the estimated perspiration rate can potentially be used as an index for the earlier identification of heatstroke occurrence compared with the traditional indicator, i.e., a rise in core body temperature.