Episode 002

Summary:

In today’s episode, Thomas Hvitved, CEO, and Peter Trans, the founder of P.T. Teknik, join the Gamechangers Video Podcast to discuss how they use high-tech mannikins to analyse airflows in buildings, vehicles and other transportation systems. And we find out how, by doing so, they can help to significantly reduce energy consumption without sacrificing occupant or passenger comfort.

Key Take-aways:

Meet Holger:
Our third, somewhat shy guest is named Holger (it’s a quaint Scandinavian male name). At first glance, “he” resembles a normal fashion mannequin but he actually contains multiple computers and a host of other, integrated electronics linked to a skin-level wiring system that covers his entire body. Along with connection to intelligent software, Holger can perform detailed thermal analysis as he encounters a range of environments. And he, or one of his more specialised colleagues, can simulate breathing, sweating, coughing, and more.

Thermal comfort manikins to the rescue!
Manikins of this type can help to:
– Design electric vehicles with minimal energy use per kilometer/mile
– Develop zero-energy/low emission buildings
– Optimize HVAC systems for minimum energy spend
– Improve clothing and wearables for extreme environments
– Optimize PIR sensors and thermo-vision technology

Why manikins are better than people:
In interior testing contexts, using humans to assess comfort levels may seem intuitively best. But humans are more subjective in their experience of an environment – influenced from day to day, or moment to moment by aspects such as hunger, mood, tiredness and so on. Thermal comfort manikins, on the other hand, can deliver objective, easily quantifiable results 24 hours a day, day in, day out. Not to mention the ethical questionability of using humans in particularly harsh or hazardous environments.

Reducing EV energy consumption:
Few people know that around 30% of an electric vehicle’s energy is used to run the air conditioning alone (assuming, for example, an external temperature of approximately 0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit). And that translates almost directly to 30% less range. And it’s even worse if you use the car seat warmer! That’s because, unlike a fossil-fueled car, where waste heat from the engine is used to heat the cabin with little impact on efficiency, an EV’s heat or A/C draws directly from the battery. So, any energy used for comfort can’t be used for propulsion. 

By using thermal comfort manikins to analyse the thermal comfort and efficiency of HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) in electric vehicles, manufacturers can significantly reduce their energy use. At the same time, greater comfort for the driver also has safety implications. And the same principles can be applied to other transportation systems such as aircraft, busses or trains.

Lower-energy, greater-comfort buildings:
We spend something like 90% of our time indoors, and 40% of energy is related to buildings. So, a really important application of thermal comfort manikins is in the design of modern buildings – or in refurbishing existing buildings to achieve lower energy consumption.
You can make a building energy-efficient, but will it also be comfortable for humans? Doing so requires architects and others who design our living and working spaces to apply technologies like thermal comfort manikins to do a far better job of understanding the optimal energy/comfort balance.

Clothing that protects us from climate extremes:
As future climate conditions become more extreme, the task of designing comfortable and efficient environments, clothing and wearable accessories becomes increasingly challenging. Thermal comfort manikins can assist here, too – and they are already doing so in the textile, footwear and firefighting industries, where wearer comfort is paramount.