I ran into this article http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/august/cooling-glove-research-082912.html describing a body cooling glove being developed at Stanford University to help increase the physical performance and recovery time of athletes.  After some further poking around it appears that several different groups have already created similar devices and are using similar methods to increase athletic abilities, so it’s nothing all that new.  However, one of the main differences of the Stanford device is their claim that it will produce results greater than those seen by the use of illegal steroids, at a much quicker rate and without any negative physical side affects.  The example the researches give is a 344% increase in performance over a 6 week period of time, that’s going from 180 pull-ups to 620 pull-ups in a single workout.

The overall theory is pretty simple, just like a computer, with the right cooling system you can perform at higher rates without overheating.  This has implications beyond the sporting world of course being that they can heat a body through the same method, which translates to relief for hypothermia victims.  Check out the article for a more in depth description of the physiology of the whole thing

I’m looking forward to the future iterations of this type of device, which will be as thin as a regular glove with an automatic regulation system that always keeps you the right temperature (says me).  You’ll never be too cold or too hot again!