Thermal Manikins – General Features and Applications

Thermal manikins are widely used nowadays for research in the field of indoor environment (buildings, vehicles, aircraft), for investigation of the thermal and respiratory interaction between the occupants and the indoor environment, as well as among the occupants of the indoor environment. Thermal manikins are also applied for assessment of the thermophysiological properties of clothing and textiles, thermal comfort in outdoor conditions and for obtaining reliable experimental data. Having a long history in design and production, modern thermal manikins are a highly sophisticated, realistic and complex representation of the human body. The paper presents a short history of thermal manikins. The possibilities for application in different research activities are summarized and examined. The differences in the type and control of thermal manikins are discussed. The features of the manikin "Adam" purchased at the Technical University of Sofia are presented.