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Thermoregulation - Comfort and Performance in Thermal Environments
Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:14:00
Abstract
This course provides expert knowledge on thermal interactions between the human body and its environment. It covers thermoregulation, heat and mass transfer in sports clothing and indoor/outdoor settings, and evaluates their impact on health and performance. Numerical and physical models of the human body will be used to assess thermal comfort and heat stress.
Objective
This course targets the complex thermal interactions between the human body, the clothing and the indoor/outdoor environment. The thermoregulation mechanisms of the human body as well as the thermodynamics of heat and mass transfer to maintain a thermal balance are presented. An introduction to the measurement technology to assess body (core and skin) temperatures will be given. A key focus of this course is how functional clothing and smart textiles can support the body for an optimal performance in sports and professional activities and how human thermal environment (global and local) affects thermal sensation and comfort indoors and outdoors. Advanced models of the human body will be critically analysed and applied for the prediction of thermal comfort of the body in indoor/outdoor conditions. The use of these models for the prediction of heat/cold stress conditions will be discussed, as well as the limits of performance of the human body during sports in heat and cold conditions as well as in heterogenous thermal conditions related to personal comfort systems in buildings and automotive cabins. The learning objectives of this lecture are the following: - Expert knowledge of the thermoreguation (vasomotor response, sweating, shivering) and thermodynamics of heat and mass transfer (conduction, convection, radiation, evaporation). - Identify heat/cold mitigation measures with functional clothing and smart textiles as well as local adjustment of thermal conditions. - Assessment of the precision and validity of state-of-the-art physical and numerical models of the body-clothing-environment system
Content
The course is built up of interactive lectures and a visit to the Empa heat laboratories, where students will apply the acquired knowledge in a group project, conducting an expert assessment of a thermoregulation, comfort, or clothing-related challenge. This includes the analysis of the problem, the development of solution strategies, the reporting of their findings, which will be presented and discussed within this course. The content is as follows: 1. Introduction to the topic of thermoregulation, sports textiles and comfort 2. Basics in thermoregulation 3. Performance in extreme hot and cold conditions 4. Fundamentals of heat and mass transfer, functional textiles to support thermoregulation 5. Physical and numerical models of the human body / clothing models 6. Thermal comfort and thermal sensation in different applications 8. Clothing physiology 9. Development of sports clothing 10. Lab visit 11. Group project presentations of students The knowledge and skills imparted in this course enables students to analyse a specific problem in the thermal interactions of the body-clothing-environment system in the context of a group work: - Apply the learned analytical approaches to comprehensively understand and quantitatively analyse a simple thermoregulatory problem. - Identify and evaluate strategies and solutions to improve human performance and optimize thermal comfort, and explain the scientific principles driving these improvements. - Communicate findings effectively through a written report and oral presentation.
Resources
Lecture Notes
wird jeweils vor der Vorlesung elektronisch zur Verfügung gestellt.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- BSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture | Thermoregulation - Comfort and Performance in Thermal Environments |
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
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Electives (A list with possible electives will be published separately.)
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Electives (The list of electives is not exhaustive, also other courses can be chosen from the course catalogue: SiP-courses are only counted in the category "Science in Perspective". Practical sports courses are only counted in the sub-category Sports Practice (max. 6 ECTS).)
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