“Sweating Robot” Built to Test High-Tech Athletic Gear

The best robots compete in RoboGames, just as the best athletes train for the Olympics. But anyone who plays sports in the winter knows that sometimes sweating underneath your clothes is unavoidable. Now, Swiss researchers are using a specially-designed robot to test out new humidity-resistant gear that will maintain body heat for athletes training in freezing weather, by preventing sweat from soaking their clothes. Called “Sam,” short for “Sweating Agile Mannequin,” the test robot can run, but more importantly, it can sweat. The robot, which took 5 years to construct, is built with 125 sweat nozzles from head to toe. The researchers heat Sam’s body by pumping warm water through his face, in order to mimic the rising temperature of skin during exercise. When the robot runs on a treadmill, water shoots out through the nozzles, raising his temperature. Bloggers are calling the sweating robot creepy, but we suggest you see for yourself. Related Content: DISCOVER: Robots Can Lie DISCOVER: 20 Things You Didn't Know About...RobotsImage: flickr/ MasonCartoon