I want to build a blanket or mattress pad that heats the head and feet areas and cools the rest of the body.
I want to achieve this with thermoelectrics: these are solid state components that use electric power to pump heat. One side becomes cold and the other side becomes hot.
Here are some thermoelectric components I ordered from Amazon:
I imagine that such a device would probably need three materials:
- A thermal conductor to distribute the temperature treatment throughout the blanket or pad. Ideally, I could find a fabric-like or at least flexible thermal conductor with reasonable conduction speed and efficiency.
- A thermal insulator to keep the hot and cold areas separate.
- A surface fabric to protect the user from extreme temperatures, but still allow the temperature treatment through. This should probably be in between the insulator and the conductor material.
Any ideas or suggestions on these? I feel like the basic premise is viable, I'm serious about putting effort into this, but I suspect some feedback from more experienced people would be extremely helpful at this stage.
This is a prototype for a product that could potentially be a consumer product. The prototype has to work, but simplicity is preferable.
Is there a better web site to ask this or is this site a good choice?