User Discomfort Research Articles

A Thermal Discomfort Index for Demand Response Control in Residential Water Heaters

Demand-response techniques are crucial for providing a proper quality of service under the paradigm of smart electricity grids. However, control strategies may perturb and cause discomfort to clients. This article proposes a methodology for defining an index to estimate the discomfort associated with an active demand management consisting of the interruption of domestic electric water heaters. Methods are applied to build the index include pattern detection for estimating the water utilization using an Extra Trees ensemble learning method and a linear model for water temperature, both based on analysis of real data. In turn, Monte Carlo simulations are applied to calculate the defined index. The proposed approach is evaluated over one real scenario and two simulated scenarios to validate that the thermal discomfort index correctly models the impact on temperature. The simulated scenarios consider a number of households using water heaters to analyze and compare the thermal discomfort index for different interruptions and the effect of using different penalty terms for deviations of the comfort temperature. The obtained results allow designing a proper management strategy to fairly decide which water heaters should be interrupted to guarantee the lower discomfort of users.

Development and validation of the discomfort of cloth Masks-12 (DCM-12) scale

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of face masks by the public has helped to slow the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the community. Cloth masks have been recommended because of their effectiveness, availability, and reusability. Like other types of face masks, however, user discomfort while wearing cloth masks is thought to engender behaviors that limit the effectiveness of cloth masks as source control (e.g., adjusting or removing one's mask temporarily while in public). To design cloth masks that are more tolerable, a measurement instrument for assessing subjective user discomfort is needed. Across two studies, we identified and confirmed a two-dimensional factor structure underlying the discomfort of cloth masks – discomfort related to the breathability and discomfort related to the tightness of the mask against the face and head. Additionally, we provide replicable evidence that both factor-subscales predict the self-reported frequencies of problematic mask-wearing behaviors.

Applicability of Assessment Indices for Hanok-User Sensory Comfort Based on Visual and Tactile Comfort Evaluation Indicators

This study aimed to present an evaluation system to assess comfort that reflects the unique value of vernacular architecture. For this purpose, the background, purpose, evaluation items, and evaluation methods of Korean Standard-Basic Part: 6300-1, 2 (KS A 6300) were analyzed. As a result, the weakness was found in the KS system that there was no method to evaluate the user’s human sensory comfort. To overcome this problem, the contents of KS A 6300-1, 2 were analyzed, and evaluation indices were categorized to assess the comfort of human sensory experience. A comfort assessment index was then derived to evaluate the visual and tactile comfort of the Korean traditional house by analyzing previous research and systems. To assess the possibility of using the Hanok evaluation system for the derived comfort indices, the actual building environmental and user data were collected for one year. Based on the previous step, Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Daylight Glare Probability (DGP) were calculated, and at the same time, a comparative analysis was conducted with the collected user data. As a result, DGP showed a tendency of changing user comfort and an error of 7 to 8% regardless of region, while PMV showed a tendency similar to the change in user discomfort response rate. Accordingly, it was concluded that each evaluation index could be used for the comfort evaluation of Hanok.

Body-mediated energy loss conversion for personalized cell vitalization

Unlike chemotherapy, physical stimulation is body-friendly method which does not introduce foreign substances into the human body; however, since the use of the separate power source is dominant, there are forced restrictions. Herein, we report an innovative electrical stimulation method using the body-mediated energy loss conversion (BELC) system. The BELC system is a structure-concept-device that concentrates a local electric field in the desired area by utilizing energy loss from body movement as a power source; and the human body as an energy transfer medium. Concentrated electrical energy in the BELC system induces a low-frequency electric field that vitalizes the cell functions locally. Results from 3D simulation, designed cloth (patch, sleeve, athleisure) containing the BELC system and ex-vivo experiments demonstrate the electric field concentration through the human body without additional electrical components. Vitalization of cells and skins by the BELC system was inspected via in-vitro and in-vivo model; and insignificant side-effects of energy transfer pass-through mouse body were investigated. • New electrical stimulation method which can stimulate cells internally and personally via body-mediated was proposed. • This study clarified the mechanism of body-mediated energy loss conversion (BELC). • Design of cloth-wear with BELC system was proposed to avoid user discomfort. • BELC enhanced wound regeneration without damage to organs on its the pathway or immune response.

A User-Oriented Adaptive-Optimal Car Parking Management System Towards Smart Livings

Existing parking management approaches do not consider specific requirements, priorities, user comfort, or modes of use when allocating a parking spot in a large park. As a result, vehicles carrying multiple passengers but staying for a limited period often have to drive further, searching for a parking spot, which increases fuel consumption, emissions, waste of time, and discomfort of users due to extra walking distance. In this paper, we consider the need for both sustainability and comfortable livings in a future smart city and propose an adaptive-optimal scheme that takes advantage of parking efficiency based on the passenger information and flexibly provides the optimal parking spot to the individual. We presume that the management system has information about the number of users, user priority, and expected stay time when a car arrives or a parking request is made. The best parking slot is assigned based on the available parking slots and the given objectives, such as the shortest travel distance inside the parking zone for a low pollution, the shortest walking distance per user, or a combination of both with some trade-off. The decision process is fine-tuned using parking data obtained from a model of a large car park of a shopping complex, and the results of the proposed scheme are compared with other schemes. The findings indicate that overall time spent in the parking lot, as well as individual walking and travel distances, have significantly improved.

Design and validation of an e-textile-based wearable system for remote health monitoring

<p class="Abstract">The paper presents a new e-textile-based system, named SWEET Shirt, for the remote monitoring of biomedical signals. The system includes a textile sensing shirt, an electronic unit for data transmission, a custom-made Android application for real-time signal visualisation and a software desktop for advanced digital signal processing. The device allows for the acquisition of electrocardiographic, bicep electromyographic and trunk acceleration signals. The sensors, electrodes, and bus structures are all integrated within the textile garment, without any discomfort for users. A wide-ranging set of algorithms for signal processing were also developed for use within the system, allowing clinicians to rapidly obtain a complete and schematic overview of a patient’s clinical status. The aim of this work was to present the design and development of the device and to provide a validation analysis of the electrocardiographic measurement and digital processing. The results demonstrate that the information contained in the signals recorded by the novel system is comparable to that obtained via a standard medical device commonly used in clinical environments. Similarly encouraging results were obtained in the comparison of the variables derived from the signal processing.</p>

Experimental Verification of CFD Simulation When Evaluating the Operative Temperature and Mean Radiation Temperature for Radiator Heating and Floor Heating

The assessment of heating systems is not only interested in the efficiency of the heating system itself, but also in the quality of the environment that the heating system creates. The quality of the environment and the heat-humidity microclimate is closely related to thermal comfort. A suitable environment has a positive effect, for example, on the efficiency of work at the workplace. The range of temperatures, humidity and operating temperatures in workplaces is often also legally prescribed in such a way that there is no thermal discomfort for users in the heated space. In terms of savings, it is therefore best to use heating systems that can create a comfortable environment with the lowest possible energy costs. During their development, variations are possible with temperature gradients, the size of the heat exchange area, or the ratio of the radiant and convective components of heat transfer. When developing such systems, it is appropriate to consider CFD simulations. The comparison of the results of CFD simulation and experimental measurement is also in the following article, where the comparison of the operating temperature and the mean radiation temperature of two different heating systems in the model office is monitored.

Deep ConvLSTM Network with Dataset Resampling for Upper Body Activity Recognition Using Minimal Number of IMU Sensors

Human activity recognition (HAR) is the study of the identification of specific human movement and action based on images, accelerometer data and inertia measurement unit (IMU) sensors. In the sensor based HAR application, most of the researchers used many IMU sensors to get an accurate HAR classification. The use of many IMU sensors not only limits the deployment phase but also increase the difficulty and discomfort for users. As reported in the literature, the original model used 19 sensor data consisting of accelerometers and IMU sensors. The imbalanced class distribution is another challenge to the recognition of human activity in real-life. This is a real-life scenario, and the classifier may predict some of the imbalanced classes with very high accuracy. When a model is trained using an imbalanced dataset, it can degrade model’s performance. In this paper, two approaches, namely resampling and multiclass focal loss, were used to address the imbalanced dataset. The resampling method was used to reconstruct the imbalanced class distribution of the IMU sensor dataset prior to model development and learning using the cross-entropy loss function. A deep ConvLSTM network with a minimal number of IMU sensor data was used to develop the upper-body HAR model. On the other hand, the multiclass focal loss function was used in the HAR model and classified minority classes without the need to resample the imbalanced dataset. Based on the experiments results, the developed HAR model using a cross-entropy loss function and reconstructed dataset achieved a good performance of 0.91 in the model accuracy and F1-score. The HAR model with a multiclass focal loss function and imbalanced dataset has a slightly lower model accuracy and F1-score in both 1% difference from the resampling method. In conclusion, the upper body HAR model using a minimal number of IMU sensors and proper handling of imbalanced class distribution by the resampling method is useful for the assessment of home-based rehabilitation involving activities of daily living.

Floor-vibration VR: Mitigating Cybersickness Using Whole-body Tactile Stimuli in Highly Realistic Vehicle Driving Experiences

This work addresses cybersickness, a major barrier to successful long-exposure immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences since user discomfort frequently leads to prematurely ending such experiences. Starting from sensory conflict theory, we posit that if a vibrating floor delivers vestibular stimuli that minimally match the vibration characteristics of a scenario, the size of the conflict between the visual and vestibular senses will be reduced and, thus, the incidence and/or severity of cybersickness will also be reduced. We integrated a custom-built, computer-controlled vibrating floor in our VR system. To evaluate the system, we implemented a realistic off-road vehicle driving simulator in which participants rode multiple laps as passengers on an off-road course. We programmed the floor to generate vertical vibrations similar to those experienced in real off-road vehicle travel. The scenario and driving conditions were designed to be cybersickness-inducing for users in both the Vibration and No-vibration conditions. We collected subjective and objective data for variables previously shown to be related to levels of cybersickness or presence. These included presence and simulator sickness questionnaires (SSQ), self-rated discomfort levels, and the physiological signals of heart rate, galvanic skin response (GSR), and pupil size. Comparing data between participants in the Vibration group (N=11) to the No-Vibration group (N=11), we found that Delta-SSQ Oculomotor response and the GSR physiological signal, both known to be positively correlated with cybersickness, were significantly lower (with large effect sizes) for the Vibration group. Other variables differed between groups in the same direction, but with trivial or small effect sizes. The results indicate that the floor vibration significantly reduced some measures of cybersickness.

Brain Oscillation Entrainment by Perceptible and Non-perceptible Rhythmic Light Stimulation.

Objective and Background: Decades of research in the field of steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) have revealed great potential of rhythmic light stimulation for brain-computer interfaces. Additionally, rhythmic light stimulation provides a non-invasive method for entrainment of oscillatory activity in the brain. Especially effective protocols enabling non-perceptible rhythmic stimulation and, thereby, reducing eye fatigue and user discomfort are favorable. Here, we investigate effects of (1) perceptible and (2) non-perceptible rhythmic light stimulation as well as attention-based effects of the stimulation by asking participants to focus (a) on the stimulation source directly in an overt attention condition or (b) on a cross-hair below the stimulation source in a covert attention condition. Method: SSVEPs at 10 Hz were evoked with a light-emitting diode (LED) driven by frequency-modulated signals and amplitudes of the current intensity either below or above a previously estimated individual threshold. Furthermore, we explored the effect of attention by asking participants to fixate on the LED directly in the overt attention condition and indirectly attend it in the covert attention condition. By measuring electroencephalography, we analyzed differences between conditions regarding the detection of reliable SSVEPs via the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and functional connectivity in occipito-frontal(-central) regions. Results: We could observe SSVEPs at 10 Hz for the perceptible and non-perceptible rhythmic light stimulation not only in the overt but also in the covert attention condition. The SNR and SSVEP amplitudes did not differ between the conditions and SNR values were in all except one participant above significance thresholds suggested by previous literature indicating reliable SSVEP responses. No difference between the conditions could be observed in the functional connectivity in occipito-frontal(-central) regions. Conclusion: The finding of robust SSVEPs even for non-intrusive rhythmic stimulation protocols below an individual perceptibility threshold and without direct fixation on the stimulation source reveals strong potential as a safe stimulation method for oscillatory entrainment in naturalistic applications.

User discomfort while using a virtual reality headset as a personal viewing system for text-intensive office tasks

Ergonomics issues while using virtual reality (VR) headsets for text-intensive applications have not been studied. Measures of neck and shoulder discomfort and simulator sickness symptoms were quantified while participants were performing a document creation task for 60 min using a VR headset and a desktop monitor. During the task with the headset, participants rotated the head 2.7 times more frequently and used the neck extensor muscles 25.9% more, in average. They also rated the neck and shoulder discomfort 60% and 17.5% higher after the task. The simulator sickness symptoms were also rated significantly higher (p < .05) for the headset condition, with more pronounced differences in the symptoms related to visual discomfort. Results indicate that the physical discomforts due to the frequent head rotations and the headset weight, and visual discomforts due to difficulty in reading texts were the main issues of the VR headset for common office tasks. Practitioner summary: Ergonomics issues associated with the use of a VR headset for conducting office productivity work tasks have been evaluated in an experiment. Study results indicate that the development in the neck physical discomfort and visual discomfort may be the main barriers to the use of current VR headsets for office works. Abbreviations: VR: virtual reality; VDT: video display terminal; EMG: electromyography; MVC: maximum voluntary contraction; SSQ: simulator sickness questionnaire; ECG: electrocardiogram; NEMG: normalised electromyography

Association between Smartphone Users and Musculoskeletal Discomfort in neck and upper extremity among the university students. A cross sectional survey based study

Association between Smartphone Users and Musculoskeletal Discomfort in neck and upper extremity among the university students. A cross sectional survey based study

User Placement and Optimal Cooling Energy for Co-working Building Spaces

Increasing real estate and other infrastructure costs have resulted in the trend of co-working offices where users pay as they use for individual desks. Co-working offices that provide personalized comfort need to address users with potentially widely varying thermal comfort preferences. Providing personalized comfort in cabins separated by physical partitions with neighboring thermal zones or open-plan offices with a single actuator has received attention in the literature. In this article, the problem of minimizing user discomfort in open-plan co-working offices with multiple actuators while being cognizant of the energy consumed is considered. Specifically, the decision problems of assigning users to desks based on their thermal preferences and jointly controlling the multiple actuators are addressed. The non-linearities in the underlying thermodynamic constraints and the seating decision together make the problem computationally hard. A two-step heuristic that addresses these issues is presented. First, using a model that accounts for spatio-temporal thermodynamics, a one-time assignment of users to desks is performed that reduces the thermal resistance faced by the HVAC systems to provide the preferred comfort levels. Next, the setpoints are decided for all actuators to jointly minimize user discomfort by optimization and model-predictive control. Further, scalability is addressed by clustering user preferences and the associated HVAC actuators’ setpoints for the cases where a large number of actuators may be present in the room.

Arbitrary Verification of Ontology Increments using Natural Language

Parallel to the advancement of practical use cases in computers, the trend toward collaborative ontology engineering is accelerating. Both domain experts and ontologists must collaborate in collaborative ontology engineering processes. However, the bulk of domain experts are not computer experts (i.e. lawyers, medical doctors, bankers, etc.). Question and Answer on Linked Data (QALD) is a suggested method for non-computer domain experts to engage with the ontology increments as they evolve. Existing QALD methods and systems, on the other hand, have a number of drawbacks, including significant setup requirements, domain dependence, and user discomfort. As a result, a new QALD algorithm and QALD system designed with the usage of First Order Logic (FOL) are presented in order to address the shortcomings of current QALD mechanisms. The suggested FOL based, QALD mechanism was tested quantitatively and qualitatively over three distinct ontology increments. This experiment had an overall acceptance rate of 79 percent from all stakeholders.

Standing, Walking, and Sitting Support Robot Based on User State Estimation Using a Small Number of Sensors

With the aging of the population and the consequent severe shortage of caregivers, the demand for care robots to assist the elderly is increasing. However, care robots have yet to be widely adopted owing to cost constraints and anxiety issues due to several factors. For instance, care robots are required to have higher functionality than general care devices. It is important to provide both massive power and the appropriate support for the user’s state. However, this requires more sensors to obtain detailed information for user-state estimation and more actuators for physical support, increasing the cost and risk of failure. In a system that has many sensors and operates based on detailed data, the problem of user privacy also emerges. The risk of personal information leakage and the feeling of being monitored increase user discomfort. To support standing up and prevent falling during walking, care robots are required to apply power to the user according to the user state. The position of the center of gravity (CoG) has been used for such state estimation; however, many sensors are required to determine the accurate CoG position. To reduce the number of sensors required for user state estimation, we proposed a method for calculating CoG candidates, and validated the proposed method via experiments. Previous studies have focused solely on normal standing-up motion. However, in daily activities, standing up, walking, and sitting down are a set of motions. In addition, it is not always true that the care robot user can move normally; hence, anomaly detection is beneficial in care robots. Therefore, it is important to estimate the user state considering not only standing-up motion, but also walking and sitting down, as well as any anomaly that may occur during these motions. In this study, we develop an elderly support system that can assist in standing, walking, and sitting based on user state estimation. The CoG candidate calculation method is improved for walking and stand-to-sit movements, and an anomaly detection method using CoG candidates is also proposed. The care robot is designed to be user-driven and provide support for persons with insufficient strength based on state estimation. The experiments verify that the developed system can constantly monitor the user’s state and support a series of movements, such as standing up, walking, and sitting down, with a single robot.

Intelligent Optimization Framework for Efficient Demand-Side Management in Renewable Energy Integrated Smart Grid

The implementation of real-time price-based demand response program and integration of renewable energy resources (RESs) improves efficiency and ensure stability of electric grid. This paper proposes a novel intelligent optimization based demand-side management (DSM) framework for smart grid integrated with RESs. In the intelligent DSM framework the artificial neural network (ANN) forecasts energy usage behavior of consumers and real-time price-based demand response program (RTPDRP) of electric utility company (EUC). The smart energy management controller of the proposed intelligent DSM framework adapts forecasted energy usage behavior of consumers using forecasted RTPDRP to create operation schedule. The consumers implement the created schedule to minimize energy cost, peak load, carbon emission subjected to improving user comfort and avoiding rebound peaks. Simulations are conducted using our proposed hybrid genetic ant colony (HGAC) optimization algorithm to create schedule for three cases: EUC without RESs, EUC with RESs, and EUC with both RESs and storage technologies. To endorse the applicability and productivity of the proposed DSM framework based on HGAC optimization algorithm with five existing algorithms based frameworks. Simulation results show that the proposed DSM framework is superior compared with the existing frameworks in terms of energy cost minimization, peak load mitigation, carbon emission alleviation, and user discomfort minimization. The proposed HGAC optimization algorithm reduced electricity cost, carbon emission, and peak load by 12.16%, 4.00%, and 19.44% in case I; by 26.8%, 20.71%, and 33.3% in case II; and by 24.4%, 16.44%, and 37.08% in case III, respectively, compared to without scheduling.

우리나라 고속국도 휴게소(SA)의 분포 및 명칭 특성

The expressways in South Korea has been used since 50 years ago. However, there was no research has been conducted on the expressway’s own major facilities. So, writer analyzed the distribution and name characteristics of the service area (SA) after the same research of the expressway junction. The analysis results of 231 SAs’ distibution are as follows. Both simple total number of SAs for each route and the number of SAs per unit distance were high for the main trunk lines. By region, the number of SAs was higher in provincial areas than in metropolitan areas and nearby areas, and it showed a characteristic of scattering unlike junctions. The number of SAs per area is high along the Gyeongbu axis, and the number of SAs per population is high in the provincial areas. The analysis results of 136 SAs’ name are as follows. In word type analysis, ‘Sino-Korea’ word was 89.7%. In syllable analysis, mean number of syllable was 2.75 and syllable of SA names has exponential distribution. In name source analysis, SA name related to administrative district name was outstanding with 66.9% and combined name of SA was followed by 19.1%. Many of recently established or changed names of SAs are combined names, so it is important to minimize discomfort for users.

재활 로봇의 실시간 보행 능력 평가를 위한 FSR-크러치 모듈의 개발과 활용방안

In recent years, a myriad of rehabilitative robots, such as powered exoskeletons for people with paraplegia or cerebral palsy, have been introduced. Such rehabilitative technologies are essential for enhancing quality of life for people with disabilities by giving them back the most basic but most crucial motion of our daily lives: walking. Along with the advancement of assistive methods and mechanical systems, there has been much effort in developing devices to quantitatively evaluate walking performance, i.e. effective walking assistance without user discomfort. However, there still exist some obstacles to directly applying assistive devices to daily usage. In order for their application to be practical, the devices must not hinder the walking motion itself or induce annoyance of the user, but must have high durability and repeatability, as well as provide sufficient information about the user’s body. In this paper, a simple, practical, and easy-to-implement force sensing module utilizing FSR sensors with a crutch is proposed. The FSR sensors are attached to specific locations in consideration of the human’s physical characteristics. By using data from the module, the status of the assisted user can be detected in real time. In addition, objective criteria are proposed in order to quantify and assess the performance of the assistive method. Verification of the criteria was performed in human walking experiments.

Development of a Knowledge Discovery Computing based wearable ECG monitoring system

ECG signals contain a lot of information related to cardiac activity and play a critical role in diagnosing of heart disease. However, relying on health information monitoring with simple ECG measurement can lead to errors in health information analysis. Therefore, for accurate diagnosis and analysis, an algorithm that can efficiently process user’s measurement environment and activity information is required. In this paper, we propose a wearable ECG monitoring system based on Knowledge Discovery Computing using 3-axis acceleration sensor. The proposed system measures real-time cardiac information and activity information simultaneously to minimize errors in health information analysis through Knowledge Discovery Computing between the user’s environment information and abnormal ECG according to the measurement environment in everyday life. In addition, we implemented a packet transmission protocol to effectively transmit large amounts of data analyzed through Knowledge Discovery Computing to the base station. First, arrhythmia detection was performed using R-peak detection preprocessing and pattern matching algorithm. Also, a classification algorithm was implemented to classify activity types by utilizing an accelerometer in order to recognize the context surrounding the user. Information on the user’s vital signs and activity information can be used for more accurately determine arrhythmia in daily life. Also, variable packet generation protocol was designed for an effective transmission of data packets increased exponentially by long-term measurements and wireless data transfer. The variable packet generation protocol is efficient in limited wireless network environments, because it generate packets of the entire data only with case of abnormal cardiac rhythm and transmits minimal information for normal cardiac rhythm. In order to evaluate the performance of ECG monitoring system based on Knowledge Discovery Computing, we designed a 2-lead ECG measurement belt manufactured with conductive fiber to minimize user discomfort, and assessed the system performance in data packet transmission, data recovery, and arrhythmia detection in dynamic states in daily life. In static states, the posture detection was 100%, heart rate detection 99.8%, and CR (Compression Ratio) was 193.99 and correlation coefficient of 0.95 with commercial systems. In dynamic states, 96% detection rate and 59.14 of CR is identified. If arrhythmia is determined based only on ECG signals, it is difficult to differentiate an actual abnormal cardiac rhythm from an ECG signal altered due to motion. The experiments conducted in this study confirmed that Knowledge Discovery is possible in the dynamic state through the proposed system in daily life.

A personalised prosthetic liner with embedded sensor technology: a case study

BackgroundNumerous sensing techniques have been investigated in an effort to monitor the main parameters influencing the residual limb/prosthesis interface, fundamental to the optimum design of prosthetic socket solutions. Sensing integration within sockets is notoriously complex and can cause user discomfort. A personalised prosthetic liner with embedded sensors could offer a solution. However, to allow for a functional and comfortable instrumented liner, highly customised designs are needed. The aim of this paper is to presents a novel approach to manufacture fully personalised liners using scanned three-dimensional image data of the patient’s residual limb, combined with designs that allow for sensor integration. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach, a personalised liner with embedded temperature and humidity sensors was realised and tested on a transtibial amputee, presented here as a case study.MethodsThe residual limb of a below knee amputee was first scanned and a three-dimensional digital image created. The output was used to produce a personalised prosthesis. The liner was manufactured using a cryogenic Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machining approach. This method enables fast, direct and precise manufacture of soft elastomer products. Twelve Hygrochron Data Loggers, able to measure both temperature and humidity, were embedded in specific liner locations, ensuring direct sensor-skin contact. The sensor locations were machined directly into the liner, during the manufacturing process. The sensors outputs were assessed on the below amputee who took part in the study, during resting (50 min) and walking activities (30 min). To better describe the relative thermal properties of new liner, the same tests were repeated with the amputee wearing his existing liner. Quantitative comparisons of the thermal properties of the new liner solution with that currently used in clinical practice are, therefore, reported.ResultsThe liner machining process took approximately 4 h. Fifteen minutes after donning the prosthesis, the skin temperature reached a plateau. Physical activity rapidly increased residuum skin temperatures, while cessation of activity caused a moderate decrease. Humidity increased throughout the observation period. In addition, the new liner showed better thermal properties with respect to the current liner solution (4% reduction in skin temperature).ConclusionsThis work describes a personalised liner solution, with embedded temperature and humidity sensors, developed through an innovative approach. This new method allows for a range of sensors to be smoothly embedded into a liner, which is capable of measuring changes in intra-socket microclimate conditions, resulting in the design of advanced socket solutions personalised specifically for individual requirements. In future, this method will not only provide a personalised liner but will also enable dynamic assessment of how a residual limb behaves within the socket during daily activities.