ThermRisk: Personal Digital Twin for Thermal Risk Assessment in Extreme Environments
People respond differently to extreme heat and cold due to variations in their physiology and body geometry. This research project is developing a personal digital twin of the human body that enables precise, real-time assessment of thermal stress and related health risks for each individual.
About the Project
Exposure to extreme temperatures can affect health, safety, and performance in a wide range of contexts, including healthcare, emergency response, industry, defence, and sports. Current safety guidelines and risk assessments are largely based on generalized models and only to a limited extent account for individual differences in physiology, body geometry, clothing, and environmental conditions.
The project will develop a computationally efficient digital twin of the human body for thermal risk assessment. The aim is to provide a more precise basis for evaluating how individuals respond to heat and cold exposure.
The project brings together researchers from the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences (FHS), the Faculty of Education, Arts and Sports (FLKI), and the Faculty of Engineering and Science (FTMS) in an interdisciplinary collaboration within digital health and innovation.
Scientific Approach and Methods
The project combines physiology, digital body geometry, thermophysiological modelling, and artificial intelligence to develop a digital twin of the human body. The model will be developed and validated using experimental data from controlled heat and cold exposure studies.
Scientific Approach
The digital twin project combines person-specific body geometry, thermophysiological modelling, experimental data, and artificial intelligence in a unified model for thermal risk assessment.
The model is developed and validated through a combination of laboratory studies, body scanning, and numerical modelling. Model performance will be evaluated by comparing predictions with experimental measurements and through cross-validation of LiDAR-based and CT-based body geometries.
Physiological Studies
The project includes controlled laboratory studies involving both heat and cold exposure. At least 100 participants will be included during the three-year project period.
Measurements include:
- Core and skin temperature
- Heart rate and blood pressure
- Subjective assessments of thermal comfort and perceived thermal strain
- Cardiovascular risk markers
The studies follow a randomized, controlled design in which participants are exposed to both heat and cold under different exposure sequences.
Thermal Modelling
Based on established principles of heat transfer and thermophysiology, a numerical model of human thermoregulation is developed. The model describes:
- Heat transport through blood perfusion
- Metabolic heat production
- Heat exchange between the body and the environment through convection, radiation, evaporation, and phase changes
The model is implemented in an open-source platform using finite element methods to calculate how heat is transported and distributed throughout the body. To represent complex tissue composition and directional heat transfer in biological tissues, the model applies an effective thermal conductivity approach.
Project Leader
Building on Previous Research at HVL
ThermRisk builds on several years of research at HVL in thermal physics, physiology, and artificial intelligence. The research team has worked on topics including heat transfer, physiological responses to heat and cold, medical modelling, and the development of advanced computational models. This expertise has been instrumental in shaping the project concept and therefore provides the foundation for ThermRisk.