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BIA-Brukerstyrt innovasjonsarena

Textiles and clothing for improved safety, performance, and comfort in the High North

Awarded: NOK 14.0 mill.

The harsh environment in the High North is a threat to work performance, comfort and health. Reduced work performance and comfort represents an increased risk of human errors that may have fatal environmental and health impacts. Today, the latest developm ent in nanotechnology, information technology, electronics and materials enables a revolutionary way of thinking of protection against the cold. Performance and comfort can be improved by new textile materials which can adapt thermal and moisture propert ies to changing environment and exercise levels. Safety and efficiency of operations can be improved by instrumentation in clothing for monitoring of vital physiological parameters of the wearer. ColdWear will address the fundamental mechanisms of how the interaction between environmental exposure, clothing, work load, and physiological regulatory system affect the working conditions. Performance, safety and health are affected when the environmental stress factors exceed the bodys ability to compensate f or disturbances in heat balance. ColdWear will gain knowledge on how to integrate sensors in clothing that improve user safety without reducing comfort and work performance. Existing protective clothing are unable to address the challenging situation that exists when the environmental exposure and/or the workload are changing significantly during a work session. ColdWear will develop fundamental understanding of how comfort and performance can be improved in this situation, by the use of stimuli-responsiv e textile materials that adapts properties to environmental changes. At the core of ColdWear is to develop sensors and materials that provide a significant increase in performance because they are utilized in accordance with the bodys own regulatory mecha nisms to provide optimal function. To reach this objective completely a truly multidisciplinary approach is taken in ColdWear including co-operation between work physiology, material science and sensor technology.

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BIA-Brukerstyrt innovasjonsarena