{
    "title": "Polarmond Sleeping System",
    "inventor_name": "Walter Krummenacher",
    "publication_year": null,
    "device_name": "All-in-one Sleeping System (Polarmond)",
    "goal": "Provide a lightweight, portable bivouac shelter that keeps occupants comfortable in extreme cold using only body heat, while managing moisture.",
    "problem_addressed": "Need for a compact, lightweight shelter that offers high thermal insulation and effective humidity control for mountaineers, trekkers, homeless, and emergency responders.",
    "concept_summary": "The Polarmond Sleeping System combines a sleeping bag, mat and bivouac into a single \"magic tent\". It uses a sandwich construction of fluffy synthetic filling and reflective layers, a permeable inner liner that lets vapor escape, a non-permeable coating on the insulation side, and air-filled hollow chambers between multi-walled insulating bodies. Moisture is collected in the liner and removed by shaking, allowing the insulation to stay dry and maintain a constant interior temperature down to -30  deg C using only the occupant's body heat.",
    "detailed_description": null,
    "category": "Mechanical Engineering",
    "principles": [
        "Passive heating using body heat",
        "Thermal insulation via sandwich construction",
        "Reflective radiative shielding",
        "Moisture management with permeable membranes",
        "Air-filled hollow chambers for convective insulation"
    ],
    "scientific_domains": [
        "Materials Science",
        "Thermal Engineering",
        "Mechanical Engineering"
    ],
    "mechanisms_of_action": [
        "Reflective layers reduce radiative heat loss",
        "Air-filled chambers trap still air, lowering conductive loss",
        "Permeable liner allows water vapor to exit while keeping insulation dry",
        "Non-permeable coating prevents moisture ingress from the interior",
        "Body heat warms the interior air, maintaining temperature"
    ],
    "materials": [
        "Synthetic fluffy insulation material",
        "Reflective foil or metallized film",
        "Permeable membrane (e.g., microporous fabric)",
        "Non-permeable coating (e.g., waterproof polymer)",
        "Multi-walled fabric shell",
        "Air-filled hollow chambers (e.g., sealed fabric bladders)"
    ],
    "energy_sources": [
        "Human body heat"
    ],
    "inputs": [
        "Occupant body heat",
        "Ambient air",
        "Water vapor from respiration"
    ],
    "outputs": [
        "Warm interior temperature",
        "Condensed water droplets/ice crystals that can be removed",
        "Dry insulation layer"
    ],
    "claimed_performance": "Maintains a comfortable interior temperature at outdoor temperatures down to -30  deg C using only the occupant's body heat; lightweight and portable for mountaineering use.",
    "experimental_evidence": "Prototype demonstrated at the Outdoor 2015 fair in Germany, receiving a Gold Industry Award; the system was shown to keep the interior warm at -30  deg C with only body heat and to remove moisture by shaking the liner.",
    "replication_status": null,
    "keywords": [
        "bivouac shelter",
        "thermal insulation",
        "moisture management",
        "passive heating",
        "lightweight outdoor gear",
        "reflective layers",
        "sandwich construction"
    ],
    "related_technologies": [
        "Space-suit insulation",
        "Reflective emergency blankets",
        "Moisture-wicking fabrics",
        "Multi-wall insulated blankets"
    ],
    "controversy_level": "low",
    "confidence_score": 0.8,
    "practicability_score": 0.7,
    "fringe_score": 0.2,
    "evidence_strength": 0.4,
    "risk_score": 0.2,
    "trl_estimate": 5,
    "source_urls": [
        "http://www.empa.ch/plugin/template/empa/3/161435/---/l=2"
    ],
    "organizations": [
        "Polarmond",
        "Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology)"
    ],
    "applications": [
        "Mountaineering and high-altitude trekking",
        "Outdoor camping and backpacking",
        "Emergency shelter for military and rescue teams",
        "Temporary housing for homeless populations"
    ],
    "limitations": [
        "Weight must remain low; added insulation may increase bulk",
        "Moisture removal relies on manual shaking of the liner",
        "Air-tightness may be compromised by necessary ventilation openings",
        "Performance data are limited to prototype demonstrations"
    ],
    "open_questions": [
        "Long-term durability of the multi-wall and reflective layers",
        "Effectiveness of moisture management in high-humidity environments",
        "Scalability of manufacturing and cost for mass production",
        "Quantitative thermal performance across a range of temperatures"
    ],
    "red_flags": [],
    "evidence_quotes": [
        "The spacious inner room allows the user to sleep comfortably ... at temperatures down to -30  deg C, and yet it is heated by nothing more than the occupant's body heat.",
        "The Empa researchers combined approaches, materials and techniques from very varied fields in an innovative way.",
        "A special kind of liner ... partially solves this problem. The side facing the body is covered in a permeable layer which allows water vapour to pass through it.",
        "The insulation layer is given a coating which is non-permeable to water vapour on the side facing into the sleeping room.",
        "Gold Award at \"Outdoor 2015\" fair in Germany."
    ]
}