Applications

DEFENCE & MILITARY OPERATIONS

Body armour and personal protective equipment (PPE) create a sealed microclimate around the wearer, limiting escape of metabolic heat. In sustained operations above 30°C, core body temperature rises to dangerous levels within 60–90 minutes. This is what we call the thermal cage problem, which remains the single largest source of preventable non-battle casualties in modern deployed forces.

Current responses are largely passive: ice vests that provide only short-term relief, ventilation systems that degrade in humidity, and operational restrictions that limit mission endurance. Vectr’s platform addresses this thermal cage directly through active, adaptive regulation designed for integration with fielded equipment and operational infrastructure.

Vectr can support:

Sustained operations in extreme climates

Active thermoregulation for personnel in sustained heat or cold where passive cooling expires and mission endurance becomes a physiological problem.

Dismounted close combat

Coordinated thermal and impact protection that integrates with fielded body armour without adding prohibitive weight or restricting mobility. 

Prolonged field care

Autonomous wound monitoring and physiological intelligence for scenarios where conventional medical evacuation is delayed, and the equipment must bridge the gap.

Vehicle crew protection

Thermal management for enclosed crew compartments where ambient temperature, humidity, and sustained cognitive load compound into operational risk.  The platform can also be applied wherever thermal stress limits safety, performance, or endurance.

Motor Racing

In hot races, cockpit temperatures can exceed 50°C/122°F, exposing drivers to sustained heat stress. Drivers can lose up to 2-3 kg of body mass per race without aggressive hydration and cooling. Active thermoregulation and fluid management preserve cognitive performance, situational awareness and reaction time under these conditions.

Industrial & Occupational Safety

FR coveralls increase heat stress by trapping heat and moisture next to the skin. In high hazard zones, workers are required to stay in PPE, so they cannot vent or remove layers when they overheat. Heat-related incidents in these conditions expose employers to safety, compliance, and liability risk. Current PCM solutions expire within hours.

Medical & Surgical

Surgeons in full barrier PPE during multi-hour procedures are exposed to sustained heat strain, leading to a similar thermal cage problem as soldiers in body armour. Heat stress from this increases fatigue and cognitive workload, with implications for clinical decision-making.

CBRN & Hazmat

Fully encapsulating CBRN and HazMat equipment are gas- and vapour- tight, effectively eliminiating evaporative cooling and trapping metabolic heat. Safe operation times are limited to 30-120 minutes before core temperature and physiological strain approach accepted safety limits. This represents the most extreme thermal cage problem for operators.

Sport & Endurance

A modest reduction in core temperatures to a few tenths of a degree can produce measurable gains in endurance performance in the heat. Pre-cooling mainly delays the onset of heat strain, with diminishing returns as body temperature rises during the race. Active thermoregulation during competition is the key frontier in performance optimisation.

Construction & Mining

Outdoor crews often work 10-hour-plus shifts in mandatory PPE under direct sun. Conventional PCM vests provide only a few hours of cooling and then need up to 60 minutes in cold storage to recharge before reuse. Active cooling offers shift-length thermal management without constant pack recharging and handling.

Firefighting & First Response

Turnour gear is highly insulating, so metabolic heat accumulates quickly during interior firefighting. Core temperatures can easily reach ~39°C and often continue rising after exit. Heat is the leading cause of on-duty cardiac events.

Sailing & Offshore

Waterproof shells create a vapour-sealed microclimate that can trap heat and moisture around the body. In humid conditions, sweat evaporation is severely limited, so sailors can alternate between overheating during high-intensity manoeuvres and rapid cooling or hypothermia risk during inactivity. The thermal cage, at sea.

Space & Extreme Altitude

Sealed pressure suits operate in an environment with essentially no ambient convective heat loss. Metabolic heat can only be removed via the suit’s internal thermal-control systems. Thermal management is therefore a core life-support function.