By direct gravimetric measurement, this custom-built experimental apparatus is capable of evaluating the transport rate and resistance of dilute water vapor through porous barrier materials presenting a resistance of 30 s/m or greater at atmospheric pressure. Thus, water vapor mass transport rates through porous barrier materials with channels ranging from 1 micron to sub-nanometer can be accurately interrogated. Simultaneously, evaporative cooling efficacy (i.e., surface temperatures and heat flux rates) of porous barrier materials can be probed for input heat fluxes ranging from 50 W/m² up to 2000 W/m². This apparatus can also provide human thermal comfort data for textiles, fabrics, and membranes similar to ASTM F 1868, the sweating hot plate method. Porous bulk materials under scrutiny must be at least 45 mm in diameter.

The Kestrel 4000, manufactured by Neilsen-Kellerman, is an all-in-one portable weather station capable of real-time data reporting via PC interface or logging 2000 data points at up to 1 Hertz. This device can simultaneously monitor and report barometric pressure, altitude, relative humidity, heat stress index, dew-point, wet bulb temperature, density altitude, wind chill, ambient temperature, current wind speed, average wind speed, and maximum wind gust speed. The Kestrel 4000 can be used to anchor a remotely-located weather station, perform energy audits and assessments, and monitor real-time ecological conditions critical to human performance in extreme environments.

This closed-loop wind tunnel features a 15 cm X 15 cm working section that is 25 cm long made of clear polycarbonate, enabling real-time experimental visualization. Available working section speeds range from 7 m/s to 12 m/s. This tunnel can be adapted to run 2-dimensional flow experiments over a variety of shapes. It can also accommodate scaled models with wingspans up to 12 cm. Closed-loop wind tunnels like this one offer superior flow quality and low vorticity compared to open-loop tunnels, and measurements taken in closed-loop tunnels are better insulated from environmental variation than are open-loop tunnel measurements.