A spacesuit for Earth
Active cooling for people who can't escape the heat
A self-contained, body-worn refrigeration system that
Prototype in development. Product figures are preliminary.
Heat Stress
Global heat stress is rising at an unprecedented rate
Across aviation, infrastructure, construction and mining, people work through heat the human body cannot safely regulate. The tools meant to protect them — rest breaks, ice vests, evaporative and fan cooling — were built for moderate conditions and break down where the workforce now needs them most.
As temperatures climb, the number of unsafe working hours grows every year. Lost productivity, heat illness and hard exposure limits are becoming a lasting, structural cost.
Sources: International Labour Organization, 2024; IPCC AR6 WG1, 2021; WMO / Copernicus C3S, 2024.
Groundsuit
A high-performance, wearable, personal cooling system
Groundsuit is a self-contained, battery-powered cooling system worn on the body. It uses active refrigeration to keep people cool while they work in extreme heat.
Its design draws on the thermal control used in spacesuits, adapted for work on the ground.
Groundsuit is a prototype in development. All product figures on this site are preliminary.
Several form factors. The cooling unit can be worn on the back, at the hip or on the legs, alongside existing workwear and PPE.
Comparison
Existing wearable solutions fall short in extreme environments
Most "cooling" gear is designed for comfort and does little to control core temperature. Above roughly 35 °C wet-bulb, other approaches often fail to deliver adequate worker safety.
| Approach | Cooling power | Sustained runtime | Works above 35 °C wet-bulb | Integrated & wearable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Groundsuit |
High, from active refrigeration | Designed for long shifts | Yes, by design | Yes |
| Peltier / thermoelectric | Low (comfort-class) | Battery-limited | No | Yes |
| PCM vests | Moderate, fades as it melts | 45–90 min | No | Partial; needs refreezing |
| Pumped ice-water | Moderate, steady while ice lasts | Limited by ice reservoir | No | Partial; bulky reservoir |
| Fans | Low — air movement only | Continuous | No — can't cool below ambient | Yes |
| Evaporative | Low — relies on water evaporating | Continuous while wet | No — fails in humidity | Yes |
| Rest breaks | None — removes the worker | n/a | No work gets done | n/a |
A general comparison of cooling approaches, without reference to specific products. Groundsuit figures are preliminary targets for a prototype in development.
Customers
Built for people who need protection where it's hottest
Groundsuit targets year-round, high-heat operations where exposure is concentrated and the work cannot move indoors.
Aviation ground operations
Ramp, baggage and turnaround crews working on hot tarmac.
Infrastructure maintenance
Utilities, telecoms, rail and wind operations and maintenance.
Construction
Mediterranean, US and Gulf sites under sustained heat.
Mining
Surface operations, supply and logistics; then deep underground heat.
Security & tactical
Base operations, ground support and logistics in high-heat environments.
Consumer & personal health
Heat relief for vulnerable people and hot-city living.
Platform
A connected workforce heat-safety platform
Each unit is connected, so supervisors can follow heat stress across a whole site or workforce.
About
Engineered like spaceflight hardware
Groundsuit applies aerospace engineering to climate change adaptation.
We are based in the UK and design for customers worldwide.
Early Access
Join the waitlist
Be the first to hear as Groundsuit moves towards early access. Tell us who you are and we'll keep you posted.