A Dual-Use Solution for Predicting the Thermal Effects of Radio-Frequency Heating on the Human Body

Twenty years ago, the Air Force (AF), through a SBIR contract with ThermoAnalytics, Inc. (TAI), commenced the development of a human thermal model (ThermoReg) that predicts the thermal effects caused by radiofrequency energy, e.g., due to a nearby large, transmitting antenna. Although this software eventually reached Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 9, it is, by current computer science standards, ancient software that out of necessity had to work around a many limitations that are no longer limitations today (e.g., 32-bit computers). A derivative of the AF software (the TAITherm Human Thermal Model (HTM)) that predicts human thermal response for non-defense applications, was successfully developed and is now sold throughout the world. As a commercial product, the HTM has kept up with advances in computer software and hardware as well as the evolving state-of-the-art in human thermal modeling. The work described in this proposal will update the commercial HTM to the next level of the state-of-the-art in human thermal modeling – by supporting solid element-based models –  which will not only broad commercial applicability but also will support Air Force simulation requirements.