ASU scientists unveil MaRTy Weather Research Tool

MaRTy is a tool that ASU researchers are using to reduce heat exposure risk and climate impact.

The tool also measures humidity, temperature and wind speed. The machine is a biometeorological station and the team uses cost-effective ways to measure heat radiation at outdoor locations.

Konrad Rykaczewski, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and Senior Global Futures Scientist and Jennifer Vanos, an associate professor in the School of Sustainability at ASU College of Global Futures, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the details of the tool.

“MaRTy is a set of sensors that we use to measure different ways your body is exposed to the heat…MaRTy has a set of sensors that we put up on a mobile cart so we’re able to go in different spots and measure how different microclimates change the way you expose heat,” said Rykaczewski. 

The shape of these sensors are a cylindrical shape which is similar to the human body, and it’s reasonable in terms of price.  

“We have a set of instruments to quantify the heat exposures that range from a very expensive human shape robot…MaRTy might cost somewhat like a used car using…we created cheaper sensors that are a cylindrical shape and we found that a cylinder actually is a very good representation of a human body for different types of bodies and these sensors cost less than a cell phone…,” said Rykaczewski. 

The cylinders are beneficial because researchers are finding what happens to the human body in the heat from this method. 

“…The cylinders are really helpful in quantifying in a low cost way and a highly spacial resolved way what the radiative and convective loads are to the human body which are very important to then get to that question or the answer to that question what’s happening to the human body in the heat,” said Vanos.