Among the factors that influence the resilience and sustainability of cities in general, and of inhabited spaces in particular, there are extreme temperatures and, in particular, for people, thermal comfort is something that should be considered. This problem includes all aspects of comfort for users of inhabited spaces in both buildings and vehicles. The purpose of this paper is to present the details of a recently designed and created thermal manikin that comprises 79 superficial zones with independent neuro-fuzzy temperature regulation. Both the component parts of the manikin and the acceptance strategy are described. Flexible heating elements were used to control the temperature, on which five digital sensors are positioned. In order to establish the relationship between heat loss and ambient temperature, the thermal manikin was calibrated in a climatic chamber. The thermal manikin was able to predict local sensations through the equivalent temperature concept of the so-called Predicted Mean Vote.

This work presents the development, modelling, integration, and validation of a flight control system (FCS) designed to convert a piloted ultra-light aircraft (ULM) into a fully autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), while maintaining Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) capability. Unlike conventional ULM autopilots focused mainly on stabilization or pilot assistance, the proposed architecture enables full mission-phase autonomy, including take-off, hover, transition, cruise, approach, and landing, and ensures safe coexistence between autonomous and manual control pathways. A high-fidelity simulation framework was developed in MATLAB/Simulink and Simscape, integrating aerodynamic models derived from XFLR5 and VSPAERO, structural and inertia modelling, propulsion and energy-storage dynamics, and the complete cascaded control structure. Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) experiments were conducted using a modular test bench featuring a six-degree-of-freedom force–moment balance and an internal-combustion propulsion unit, allowing the injection of realistic vibration signatures into the control loop. Results demonstrate robust tracking of attitude and angular-rate commands under significant perturbations and AHRS measurement noise, indicating the system’s readiness for initial VTOL flight tests and subsequent transition-mode refinement. Overall, the paper details the control architecture, modelling methodology, simulation environment, and preliminary ground-testing efforts supporting advancement toward Technology Readiness Level 6.