In order to enable Dutch soldiers to sleep in the field under a range of environmental conditions his standard equipment contains a complete sleeping system. This system consists of a bivy bag, a sleeping bag and a mattress. This complete system should enable the soldier to rest effectively. It is important that during his rest the soldier experiences no discomfort such as cold or pain due to lying on a hard surface. Also parameters as weight, packing volume, heat resistance, vulnerability and durability are of importance to the soldier. The aim of this project was to design a mattress in which these variables are optimized for use by soldiers in the field. This design is based on the complaints, wishes and demands of military users of sleeping mattresses combined with data from objective measurements. In theory the designed concept will provide more comfort and durability in combination with less weight than the current mattresses. However, the producibility of the design has not been assessed and the performance of the mattress has not been validated. This concept can be used as guidance during the procurement or the stimulation of the developments with the manufacturers of mattresses.
展开▼
