COLIN HEARON
info

thermo-adapt

c. PRESENT
Thermo-Adapt is a cold weather mask designed for extreme activity. The project was born out of an internship with Priority Designs in 2013.

Almost a decade later, I revisited it to see how years of professional practice might improve the execution.
WIP
This project is a work-in-progress. Unfinished, but shown here to document some of my latest work.
role
Lead designer
deliverables
concept renderings
Prototype

Revisiting internship work

In 2012, I had a chance to complete a high school-level internship with Priority Designs in Columbus, Ohio. The goal of the program was to introduce students to potential career fields.
Working with the excellent designers and fabricators at PD, I conceptualized a ski and snowboarding mask aimed at solving the problem of having a soggy face covering.
The soft goods team helped me sew a prototype (above) which utilized hard panels that allow a user to fold the mask open or closed, increasing breathability and reducing dampness.
Almost a decade later, advancements in 3D knitting inspired me to reconsider the mask’s execution. I envisioned a base layer with open, breathable weaves over the mouth and nose.
When faced with wind or cold, a thermal wind shell magnetically attaches, allowing the user to adapt to environmental changes on the fly.

Updated prototype

I created a prototype to prove that the magnetic attachment system is feasible. This video shows how easy it is to remove the wind shell with a single hand.
Thermal wind shell with 3M reflective piping.