Researchers create a robot that breathes and sweats, with 35 independent sensor zones on its body

Researchers in Arizona, the United States, recently launched a robot called "Andy" that can breathe, shiver, and sweat, to study the various changes in the human body when facing extreme environments. It is understood that thousands of people die from heat stroke and other heat-related diseases in the United States every year, and due to climate change in recent years, this number continues to rise. In Maricopa County, Arizona, 425 people died of extremely serious diseases related to medical problems in 2022.

There are currently 10 Andy mannequin robots in use around the world, many of which are owned by sportswear manufacturers and used for testing.

Andy was developed primarily to allow researchers to better understand the effects of high temperatures on the human body and what makes hot weather so deadly.

In addition, Andy can mimic the thermal functions of the human body and has 35 different surface areas, all of which are individually controlled by temperature sensors, heat flux sensors and sweating pores.

This summer, Andy will team up with MaRTy, a biometeorological thermal robot developed by scientists. MaRTy will reveal how changes in the built environment alter the amount of heat transferred to the human body, while Andy will reveal how the human body responds to heat.