Cluster of Research Excellence in Comfort-Enhancing Technologies | Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute

Funded through UBC Eminence Program

This diverse team of researchers is working collaboratively with industrial partners to enhance human comfort in extreme and high-risk environments. The cluster combines multidisciplinary expertise in textile, biomedical, electrical, and materials engineering, as well as big data and machine learning to understand and maximize personal comfort. The team will define and quantify comfort using thermal, physiological, psychological, fluid-mechanical, and environmental assessment tools and technologies. Applications include developing heat-resistent base layers for female firefighters, next-generation, breathable helmets, and evaluating comfort-enhancing technologies for preterm infants.

Research Highlights:

New research improves the coolness factor for athletes

Weekend joggers, competitive athletes and people keeping fit in the gym can say goodbye to sweaty armpits and clingy damp garments after a tough workout.

Thanks to a new collaboration with Lululemon, UBC Okanagan researchers and their partners are working to develop a next-generation fabric that will keep a person warm, dry and comfortable regardless of temperature and level of exertion.

Cluster Lead