Thermal manikins are devices that simulate human heat exchange with the environment. They are divided according to anatomical segments such as head, chest, back, arms, hands, abdomen, legs, and feet, reflecting the heat dissipation characteristics of different body parts. Developed gradually since the 1940s, thermal manikins are widely used in clothing, occupational health, environmental studies, firefighting, petroleum, traffic safety, aerospace, and building engineering.
Purpose: Evaluation of helmets, headgear, gloves, and shoes; guidance for product development.
Features:
Head: Composed of skull, face, and neck; each part individually heated and controlled; includes 25 sweating holes for simulated perspiration, delivering up to 70 g/h.
Hands: Divided into eight segments (five fingers, palm, back, wrist); heating controlled via computer; airflow introduced to simulate realistic movement.
Feet: Eight segments (toes, sole, heel, mid-foot, ankle, lower leg, shank, protective segment); five sweat glands for moisture distribution; can simulate walking when connected to pneumatic pistons.
Operating Modes:
Constant Temperature: Each segment maintains a set temperature for stable thermal resistance measurement.
Variable Temperature: Simulates human thermoregulation in cold environments, approximating natural balance.
Constant Heat Flux: Observes heat dissipation differences across segments using preset heat input.
Includes static and dynamic manikins.
Simulates evaporative heat loss, overcoming the limitation of dry manikins.
Early versions: cotton or breathable fabric “skin” sprayed with water, then dressed; surface temperature and heat flux recorded every 5 minutes.
Limitations: quasi-steady process, short duration, and manual evaluation of evaporative resistance; less repeatable than modern sweating manikins.
Used for indoor environmental and air quality studies.
Features: human-sized, 25 heating zones, independently controlled, can change posture and move freely.
Breathing system: artificial lung with piston-cylinder, 10–12 breaths/min, tidal volume 6 L/min; oral or nasal pathways.
Applications: simulate human comfort, constant temperature (34°C), or constant heat mode; measure pollutant transport and indoor air quality.
Equipped with waterproofing, used to test diving suits and water survival clothing.
Measures skin temperature, segmental heating power, and total thermal resistance under constant water temperature.
Can predict time to hypothermia or thermal endurance in cold water environments.
Computer-based simulations to save cost and perform ergonomic research.
Uses CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) to calculate conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation.
Can predict local temperatures, heat transfer coefficients, and sweat distribution under specific environmental and clothing parameters.
Designed for newborn and low-birth-weight infant thermal environment evaluation.
Composed of 6 heating segments (head, left/right arms, torso, left/right legs), each individually controlled.
Placed in incubators for realistic testing; dry heat dissipation higher due to surface area to mass ratio; heat resistance evaluation comparable to adult manikins.
