Ministry of Supply is a Boston-based startup that recently came out with a self-heating jacket. The jacket aims to solve the issue of dressing for transitional environments. Having many layers when you’re facing the winter outside is all fine until you need to spend the next few hours in a warm office.
The Mercury jacket uses carbon fiber pads and resistive heating technology to remove the need for many layers during the cold season. This isn’t the first heating jacket on the market. However, compared to other models, the Mercury doesn’t work with just a preset temperature.
Instead, it uses a multitude of thermometers and motion sensors to constantly adapt the amount of heat sent to the pads. Ministry of Supply names this system „personal microclimate”.
The Mercury smart jacket is also, well, smart. It is fully integrated with Amazon’s Alexa, letting you preheat the jacket before you take it on. Furthermore, an artificial intelligence system learns as the wearer uses the jacket, optimizing heat flux.
It takes the Mercury jacket about 90 seconds to warm up and is able to get as hot as a cup of coffee (57 degrees) and stay like that for up to 4 hours. Furthermore, there’s an integrated wireless charging system within the pockets, letting you charge your smartphone on the go.
Thankfully, the outer fabric of the jacket is waterproof, so you can stay warm and dry while you’re out. Ministry of Supply was founded by 3 MIT students. You can preorder the Mercury Heating Jacket on Kickstarter for $295.