COMFort in the cabin DEMOnstrator

Informations projet

ComfDemo

N° de convention de subvention: 831992

DOI

10.3030/831992

Projet clôturé

Date de signature de la CE 14 Mars 2019

Date de début 1 Août 2019

Date de fin 31 Decembre 2022

Financé au titre de

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Coût total

€ 1 191 738,75

Contribution de l’UE

€ 1 191 738,75

Coordonné par

VHP HUMAN PERFORMANCE BV
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ComfDemo (COMFort in the cabin DEMOnstrator)

Période du rapport: 2021-02-01 au 2022-12-31

Résumé du contexte et des objectifs généraux du projet

In ComfDemo, a system is built to record and predict comfort in a demonstrator of an interior of an airplane. In the beginning of the ComfDemo project preparations are taken to record comfort in a demonstrator of an aircraft interior. The recordings are made by experiments with real humans to understand and optimize air passengers’ comfort perception.

The demonstrator will be able to simulate turboprop airplanes, which produce much less CO2 emissions and are more efficient than jet aircraft. However, cabin noise and vibration is relatively higher in turboprops.

the overall objectives of ComfDemo are:
Objective 1: Specifying the requirements of a comfort cabin demonstrator
Objective 2: Identifying passenger target groups and comfort study test design
Objective 3: Defining and modelling human comfort for regional aircraft
Objective 4: Building a cabin demonstrator which reproduces the passenger experience
Objective 5: Demonstrating the effectiveness of the model in the cabin demonstrator

Travail effectué depuis le début du projet jusqu’à la fin de la période considérée dans le rapport et principaux résultats atteints jusqu’à présent

During the ComfDemo project preparations were taken to record comfort in a demonstrator of an aircraft interior. Additionally, a comfort model has been developed and simulated and real flights were conducted. The recordings were made using experiments with real humans to understand and optimize air passengers’ comfort perception. The demonstrator will be able to simulate turboprop airplanes, which produce much less CO2 emissions and are more efficient than jet aircrafts. However, cabin noise and vibration are relatively higher in turboprops. To reduce the input or compensate with other factors a comfort model has been made.
An initial comfort model has been developed and during the project optimized based on data that were gathered in three test flights using an ATR72 on November 3rd in 2021. The first half of 2021 was the preparation of the recordings in the test flight, like preparing the equipment, the questionnaires, the protocol and developing the jacket. A pilot test was done on June 22nd 2021 with 33 participants to check if the protocol needs improvement. During the flight sound and vibration and other environmental factors were recorded with high quality recording systems. These data on sound, vibration and other environmental factors in different phases of the flight can be used in the Demonstrator to simulate flights. Additionally, data were gathered for the comfort model in these three flights. In the first two flights we had approximately 50 passengers per flight. Twenty out of these 50 passengers wore research jackets.
Compared with the grant agreement a new planning was made as the Demonstrator will now be installed at Fraunhofer after the ComfDemo project (which originally was planned for December 2021, M29). To reach the goals stated in the grant agreement the project ComfDemo ended now in M41 (December 2022). However, ending month 41 means that the test in the Demonstrator could not be done. ComfDemo has now delivered all information to start a test at the Demonstrator.
Regarding communication and exploitation, videos were made and have been placed on the www.comfdemo.com website. For instance, the youtube movie “ComfDemo experiment June 22, 2021’ had 944 views at Febr 1st, 2022, the NPO2 television broadcast had 114000 views and the webinar on the final results on November 23rd, 2022 had 70 participants from industry and academia. Airlines have shown interest in the research jacket, which is promising for further exploitation. Several presentations were given on ComfDemo (e.g. at Airbus, at TSAS, at the Netherlands Aerospace Group)
ComfDemo videos can be found at youtube as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvfXQnTAotA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OFYz-Bcpwc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFLnN3gybBY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3Yn6AqmprA
In ComfDemo 11 scientific papers are published (8 conference papers and 3 double reviewed journal papers) and at least still 4 papers are in the pipeline.

Progrès au-delà de l’état des connaissances et impact potentiel prévu (y compris l’impact socio-économique et les conséquences sociétales plus larges du projet jusqu’à présent)

For the first time ever a first version of a jacket has been made that records temperature, noise, vibration, movement (fidgeting), air quality (CO2) and humidity and can pass security as well and has been tested in a real flight.
For the first time an overview of all comfort questionnaires has been made, which is published in a double reviewed scientific journal.
For the first time a holistic model of comfort in a turboprop aircraft has been made, where all factors influencing comfort and discomfort are listed in order of priority.
November 3rd 2021 three flights with an ATR72 were made to record vibration, noise, temperature, seat dimensions and experienced comfort by questionnaires, which generated input for the model and unique data to be used in the demonstrator.
A protocol has been made, tested and evaluated and based on the evaluation a protocol description to test (dis)comfort with humans in the demonstrator has been delivered
Measurement equipment to record factors related to (dis)comfort (noise, vibration, jacket recording various factors) are developed and tested and a ready-to-install instruction for the equipment has been made for the demonstrator
This was done for passengers, but also for flight attendants.
This knowledge is and will be used in the aircraft interior industry to develop comfortable interiors in turboprops and new electric propeller driven airplanes.

flight 3 nov 2021 the bus bringing 50 participants to the airplane (ATR72)

At the ICC2019 conference it was shown that it is sponsored by the EU august 2019

flight 3 nov 2021 flight attendant preparing service

pilot test 22 jun 2021 with participants seated in the 737

flight 3 nov 2021 ATR72 take-off

flight 3 nov 2021 test passengers boarding the ATR72

2022 march 16 ComfDemo presentation at Netherlands Aerospace Group

screenshot of the ComfDemo television broadcast march 23rd 2022

2022 nov 10 results presented at the webinar

pilot test 22 jun 2021 completing questionnaires

pilot test 22 jun 2021 equipment recording

flight 3 nov 2021 passengers completing the questionnaires

At the ICC2019 the banners were placed showing ComfDemo

flight 3 nov 2021 equipment in the empty flight

The first version of the ComfDemo jacket was studied by airport security