A protective suit development system and method

Abstract

A method (200) comprising: receiving design input data; generating at least one protective suit design based on the design input data; storing the protective suit design as a detailed model in a memory; retrieving a simplified version of at least a portion of the protective suit design; performing a preliminary simulation using the simplified version; comparing a result of the preliminary simulation to a performance criterion; in response to the preliminary simulation failing to meet the performance criterion: performing a comprehensive simulation using at least a portion of the detailed model; in response to the comprehensive simulation failing to meet the performance criterion, iteratively: updating the protective suit design; and repeating the storing, retrieving, performing, and comparing steps using at least a portion of the updated protective suit design; and in response to the result of the preliminary simulation or comprehensive simulation meeting the performance criterion, generating output data.

Description

[0001] A PROTECTIVE SUIT DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a protective suit development system (platform) and method. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a system and method of generating a protective suit output based on input data and the execution of one or more steps of a suit design phase and / or a suit manufacturing phase.

[0004] Background

[0005] Protective systems are used to enable humans to operate in increasingly hostile environments, such as those on land and in space for contested chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threat environments. When an individual needs to operate in these CBRN environments, a protective suit is employed to protect the occupant.

[0006] The type of environment and the tasks that need to be performed in these environments can determine the type of suit. For physically demanding tasks, it is often the case that the ability of the occupant to perform these tasks is limited by the suit. For example, a suit that allows great occupant mobility tends to be large and cumbersome or may only provide limited protection. This is not ideal.

[0007] The requirements of space suits often present specialised problems. The environment in outer space requires a life support system, plus protection from extreme temperatures and radiation. These factors tend to result in a suit that is large and bulky, requiring excess energy expenditure by the occupant in use. This energy expenditure limits the use of these suits to shorter operations.

[0008] Further, to date, space suits have been custom-made to accommodate occupant requirements and are designed based on feedback from the occupant on the overall fit and feel. The supply chains for existing suits are also fragmented, significantly increasing the cost of suit production. This process limits the mass production of space suits and produces space suits that are not always correctly fitted. As the number of people travelling to space and requiring space suits is set to dramatically increase over the next decade, developing space suits requires a new approach. ft is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

[0009] Summary

[0010] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a method. The method may comprise receiving design input data indicating a protective suit design requirement. The method may comprise generating at least one protective suit design based on the design input data. The protective suit design may comprise a three-dimensional model of a protective suit. The method may comprise storing the protective suit design as a detailed model in a memory. The method may comprise retrieving a simplified version of at least a portion of the protective suit design from the memory. The method may comprise performing a preliminary simulation using the simplified version to evaluate performance of the protective suit design. The method may comprise comparing a result of the preliminary simulation to a performance criterion. The method may comprise, in response to the preliminary simulation failing to meet the performance criterion: performing a comprehensive simulation using at least a portion of the detailed model; and comparing a result of the comprehensive simulation to the performance criterion. The method may comprise, in response to the comprehensive simulation failing to meet the performance criterion, iteratively: updating the protective suit design; and repeating the storing, retrieving, performing, and comparing steps using at least a portion of the updated protective suit design. The method may comprise, in response to the result of the preliminary simulation or comprehensive simulation meeting the performance criterion, generating output data that is configured to initiate fabrication of at least a portion of a protective suit corresponding to the portion of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design.

[0011] Each protective suit design may specify characteristics of a protective suit, the characteristics comprising at least one of dimensions, weight, material, and material properties, for at least one component of the protective suit.

[0012] The method may further comprise generating the simplified version of the protective suit design. The method may further comprise storing the simplified version of the protective suit design in the memory.

[0013] The method may further comprise generating the simplified version of the protective suit design; and storing the simplified version of the protective suit design in the memory.

[0014] The simplified version of the protective suit design may be generated using the detailed model. The simplified version of the protective suit design may be generated based on the design input data.

[0015] Retrieving the simplified model may comprise generating the simplified model based on the design input data. Retrieving the simplified model may comprise generating the simplified model from the detailed model.

[0016] Retrieving the simplified model may comprise generating the simplified model: based on the design input data; or from the detailed model. The simplified version of the at least a portion of the protective suit design may comprise a representation of the at least a portion of the protective suit design with reduced geometric complexity relative to the detailed model.

[0017] Performing the preliminary simulation may comprise modelling performance of the at least a portion of the protective suit design under at least one environmental condition; and / or at least one intended operational circumstance.

[0018] The result of the preliminary simulation may comprise at least one of: a simulated stress distribution, a simulated strain distribution, an estimated thermal transfer characteristic, a predicted range of motion limitation, an estimated weight, and a calculated centre of gravity of the simplified version of the at least a portion of the protective suit design. The performance criterion may comprise at least one of: a maximum allowable stress threshold, a maximum allowable strain threshold, a required thermal insulation value, a minimum required range of motion, a maximum allowable weight, and an acceptable centre of gravity range for the simplified version of the at least a portion of the protective suit design.

[0019] The performance criterion may be associated with the at least one environmental condition and / or the at least one intended operational circumstance.

[0020] The performance criterion may comprise a threshold value, such that if a corresponding simulation result exceeds this threshold value, the protective suit is determined to fail under at least one environmental condition and / or at least one intended operational circumstance.

[0021] The performance criterion may be represented by a set of allowable values bounded by a lower limit and an upper limit, and the protective suit design is determined to fail under at least one environmental condition and / or at least one intended operational circumstance if the simulation result falls outside this set of allowable values.

[0022] The method may further comprise retrieving at least a portion of the detailed model from the memory in response to the preliminary simulation failing to meet the performance criterion, the comprehensive simulation being performed using the at least a portion of the detailed model.

[0023] The result of the comprehensive simulation may comprise at least one of: a simulated stress distribution, a simulated strain distribution, an estimated thermal transfer characteristic, a predicted range of motion limitation, an estimated weight, and a calculated centre of gravity of the at least a portion of the detailed model of the protective suit design. The performance criterion may comprise at least one of: a maximum allowable stress threshold, a maximum allowable strain threshold, a required thermal insulation value, a minimum required range of motion, a maximum allowable weight, and an acceptable centre of gravity range for the at least a portion of the detailed model of the protective suit design.

[0024] Updating the protective suit design may comprise changing a value of at least one parameter of the protective suit design.

[0025] The at least one parameter may comprise at least one of: a geometric dimension of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a material property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a thickness of a layer or component of the protective suit design; a configuration or arrangement of layers of components of the protective suit design; a weight distribution characteristic of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a joint angle or range of motion limit of an articulated component of the protective suit design; a thermal insulation property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a pressure resistance characteristic of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a flexibility or rigidity property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a sealing or interface property between components of the protective suit design; a ventilation or air circulation parameter of the protective suit design; an electromagnetic shielding property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a chemical resistance property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; an abrasion resistance characteristic of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a visibility or camouflage property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; and a buoyancy characteristic of the protective suit design or a component thereof.

[0026] The parameter may be a parameter of the at least a portion of the protective suit design. The parameter may be a parameter of the at least a portion of the updated protective suit design. The parameter may be a parameter of a component of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design that influences, or is influenced by, components of the at least a portion of the protective suit design or at least a portion of the updated protective suit design.

[0027] The parameter may be: a parameter of the at least a portion of the protective suit design; a parameter of the at least a portion of the updated protective suit design; and / or a parameter of a component of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design that influences, or is influenced by, components of the at least a portion of the protective suit design or at least a portion of the updated protective suit design. The output data may comprise a control signal configured to initiate fabrication of the at least a portion of the protective suit corresponding to the portion of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design by a protective suit manufacture system.

[0028] The method may further comprise transmitting the control signal to an apparatus of the protective suit manufacture system.

[0029] The output data may comprise at least one of: a notification signal indicating that the protective suit design or updated protective suit design is ready for prototyping; a data package containing specifications for the protective suit design or updated protective suit design, configured for transmission to a prototyping facility; a set of computer-aided design (CAD) files representing the protective suit design or updated protective suit design, formatted for input into a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system; a bill of materials listing components and materials required for manufacturing a protective suit in accordance with the protective suit design or updated protective suit design; a series of manufacturing instructions detailing the assembly process for a protective suit corresponding to the protective suit design or updated protective suit design; a quality control checklist based on the performance criteria met by the protective suit design or updated protective suit design; a visualisation data set configured to generate a three-dimensional rendering of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design; and a simulation results report summarising the performance of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design under the modelled conditions.

[0030] The design input data may comprise prototype test results, or manufactured suit test results, generated from testing or use of a prototype protective suit or manufactured protective suit fabricated in accordance with a previously generated protective suit design or updated protective suit design.

[0031] In some embodiments, there is provided a system. The system may comprise: at least one processor; and memory storing program instructions accessible by the at least one processor, the program instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor to perform the method described herein. In some embodiments, there is provided a system. The system may comprise: at least one processor; and memory storing program instructions accessible by the at least one processor, the program instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor to: receive design input data indicating a protective suit design requirement; generating at least one protective suit design based on the design input data, the protective suit design comprising a three-dimensional model of a protective suit; store the protective suit design as a detailed model in the memory; retrieve a simplified version of at least a portion of the protective suit design from the memory; perform a preliminary simulation using the simplified version to evaluate performance of the protective suit design; compare a result of the preliminary simulation to a performance criterion; in response to the preliminary simulation failing to meet the performance criterion: perform a comprehensive simulation using at least a portion of the detailed model; and compare a result of the comprehensive simulation to the performance criterion; in response to the comprehensive simulation failing to meet the performance criterion, iteratively: update the protective suit design; and repeat the storing, retrieving, performing, and comparing steps using at least a portion of the updated protective suit design; and in response to the result of the preliminary simulation or comprehensive simulation meeting the performance criterion, generate output data that is configured to initiate fabrication of at least a portion of a protective suit corresponding to the portion of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design.

[0032] Each protective suit design may specify characteristics of a protective suit, the characteristics comprising at least one of dimensions, weight, material, and material properties, for at least one component of the protective suit.

[0033] The program instructions may further be configured to cause the at least one processor to store the simplified version of the protective suit design in the memory.

[0034] The program instructions may further be configured to cause the at least one processor to generate the simplified version of the protective suit design; and store the simplified version of the protective suit design in the memory. The simplified version of the protective suit design may be generated using the detailed model. The simplified version of the protective suit design may be generated based on the design input data.

[0035] Retrieving the simplified model may comprise generating the simplified model based on the design input data. Retrieving the simplified model may comprise generating the simplified model from the detailed model.

[0036] Retrieving the simplified model may comprise generating the simplified model: based on the design input data; or from the detailed model.

[0037] The simplified version of the at least a portion of the protective suit design may comprise a representation of the at least a portion of the protective suit design with reduced geometric complexity relative to the detailed model.

[0038] Performing the preliminary simulation may comprise modelling performance of the at least a portion of the protective suit design under at least one environmental condition; and / or at least one intended operational circumstance.

[0039] The result of the preliminary simulation may comprise at least one of: a simulated stress distribution, a simulated strain distribution, an estimated thermal transfer characteristic, a predicted range of motion limitation, an estimated weight, and a calculated centre of gravity of the simplified version of the at least a portion of the protective suit design. The performance criterion may comprise at least one of: a maximum allowable stress threshold, a maximum allowable strain threshold, a required thermal insulation value, a minimum required range of motion, a maximum allowable weight, and an acceptable centre of gravity range for the simplified version of the at least a portion of the protective suit design.

[0040] The performance criterion may be associated with the at least one environmental condition and / or the at least one intended operational circumstance.

[0041] The performance criterion may comprise a threshold value, such that if a corresponding simulation result exceeds this threshold value, the protective suit is determined to fail under at least one environmental condition and / or at least one intended operational circumstance.

[0042] The performance criterion may be represented by a set of allowable values bounded by a lower limit and an upper limit, and the protective suit design is determined to fail under at least one environmental condition and / or at least one intended operational circumstance if the simulation result falls outside this set of allowable values.

[0043] The program instructions may further be configured to cause the at least one processor to retrieve at least a portion of the detailed model from the memory in response to the preliminary simulation failing to meet the performance criterion, the comprehensive simulation being performed using the at least a portion of the detailed model.

[0044] The result of the comprehensive simulation may comprise at least one of: a simulated stress distribution, a simulated strain distribution, an estimated thermal transfer characteristic, a predicted range of motion limitation, an estimated weight, and a calculated centre of gravity of the at least a portion of the detailed model of the protective suit design. The performance criterion may comprise at least one of: a maximum allowable stress threshold, a maximum allowable strain threshold, a required thermal insulation value, a minimum required range of motion, a maximum allowable weight, and an acceptable centre of gravity range for the at least a portion of the detailed model of the protective suit design.

[0045] Updating the protective suit design may comprise changing a value of at least one parameter of the protective suit design.

[0046] The at least one parameter may comprise at least one of: a geometric dimension of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a material property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a thickness of a layer or component of the protective suit design; a configuration or arrangement of layers of components of the protective suit design; a weight distribution characteristic of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a joint angle or range of motion limit of an articulated component of the protective suit design; a thermal insulation property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a pressure resistance characteristic of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a flexibility or rigidity property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a sealing or interface property between components of the protective suit design; a ventilation or air circulation parameter of the protective suit design; an electromagnetic shielding property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a chemical resistance property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; an abrasion resistance characteristic of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a visibility or camouflage property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; and a buoyancy characteristic of the protective suit design or a component thereof.

[0047] The parameter may be a parameter of the at least a portion of the protective suit design. The parameter may be a parameter of the at least a portion of the updated protective suit design. The parameter may be a parameter of a component of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design that influences, or is influenced by, components of the at least a portion of the protective suit design or at least a portion of the updated protective suit design.

[0048] The parameter may be: a parameter of the at least a portion of the protective suit design; a parameter of the at least a portion of the updated protective suit design; and / or a parameter of a component of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design that influences, or is influenced by, components of the at least a portion of the protective suit design or at least a portion of the updated protective suit design.

[0049] The output data may comprise a control signal configured to initiate fabrication of the at least a portion of the protective suit corresponding to the portion of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design by a protective suit manufacture system.

[0050] The program instructions may further be configured to cause the at least one processor to transmit the control signal to an apparatus of the protective suit manufacture system.

[0051] The output data may comprise at least one of: a notification signal indicating that the protective suit design or updated protective suit design is ready for prototyping; a data package containing specifications for the protective suit design or updated protective suit design, configured for transmission to a prototyping facility; a set of computer-aided design (CAD) files representing the protective suit design or updated protective suit design, formatted for input into a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system; a bill of materials listing components and materials required for manufacturing a protective suit in accordance with the protective suit design or updated protective suit design; a series of manufacturing instructions detailing the assembly process for a protective suit corresponding to the protective suit design or updated protective suit design; a quality control checklist based on the performance criteria met by the protective suit design or updated protective suit design; a visualisation data set configured to generate a three-dimensional rendering of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design; and a simulation results report summarising the performance of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design under the modelled conditions. The design input data may comprise prototype test results, or manufactured suit test results, generated from testing or use of a prototype protective suit or manufactured protective suit fabricated in accordance with a previously generated protective suit design or updated protective suit design.

[0052] In some embodiments there is provided a method comprising: receiving design input data indicating a protective suit design requirement; generating at least one protective suit design based on the design input data, the protective suit design comprising a three-dimensional model of a protective suit; storing the protective suit design as a detailed model in a memory; retrieving a simplified version of at least a portion of the protective suit design from the memory; performing a preliminary simulation using the simplified version to evaluate performance of the protective suit design; comparing a result of the preliminary simulation to a performance criterion; in response to the preliminary simulation failing to meet the performance criterion: performing a comprehensive simulation using at least a portion of the detailed model; and comparing a result of the comprehensive simulation to the performance criterion; in response to the comprehensive simulation failing to meet the performance criterion, iteratively: updating the protective suit design; and repeating the storing, retrieving, performing, and comparing steps using at least a portion of the updated protective suit design; and in response to the result of the preliminary simulation or comprehensive simulation meeting the performance criterion, generating output data that is configured to initiate fabrication of at least a portion of a protective suit corresponding to the portion of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design.

[0053] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for designing and manufacturing a protective suit. The method may comprise performing a design phase. The method may comprise performing a prototyping step. The method may comprise performing a testing step. The method may comprise performing a production step. At least part of the design phase, and at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, may be performed at least in part using a protective suit design and manufacture system. An output, comprising output data, of at least one step or phase may comprise an input. The input may comprise input data. The input may be an input into at least one subsequent step or phase. That is, the output of at least one of the steps or the design phase comprises input data that is used as an input to at least one subsequently performed step or phase of the method. At least some data from each of the steps and the design phase may be stored in a memory of the protective suit design and manufacture system.

[0054] The output data from the preceding step or phase may be converted or rendered into a format suitable for inputting as input data into the subsequent step or phase.

[0055] Suitable formats for each of the steps and the design phase may be either: preprogrammed; or inputted by a user.

[0056] The design phase and / or at least one of the steps may comprise generating user-viewable output data for viewing by a user on a user device.

[0057] The user device may be configured to receive a user input from the user, the user input being incorporated into the method.

[0058] Each of the steps and the design phase may be performed at least in part using the protective suit design and manufacturing system.

[0059] The design phase may comprise a design step and an engineering step.

[0060] The method may further comprise performing a diagnostics, support and / or maintenance step after the production step.

[0061] Performing one or more of the steps and / or the design phase may utilise artificial intelligence.

[0062] A first number of candidate protective suit designs may be outputted as an output of the design phase. This output may be referred to as a first output. A second number of protective suit designs, for production as one or more protective suits, may be outputted as an output of the testing step. This output may be referred to as a second output. The first number may be greater than the second number. The second number may be 1.

[0063] A third number of protective suit designs, to be tested, may be outputted as an output of the prototyping step. This output may be referred to as a third output. The third number may be lesser than the first number and greater than the second number. A fourth number of protective suit designs may be outputted as an output of the design step. This output may be referred to as a fourth output. The fourth number may be greater than the first number. One or more protective suit designs may be eliminated at successive steps as a consequence of not meeting at least one suitability criterion of at least one of the successive steps.

[0064] The second number may be a number being 2 or greater. Each of the second number of protective suit designs may be displayed to the user on the user device. The user may select one or more of the protective suit designs to be produced as one or more protective suits at the production step. Where the user makes a selection herein, this may be considered to be the provision of an input. Therefore, a processor of the system may receive an input in response to a selection made by a user.

[0065] The at least one subsequent step may comprise a step which has already occurred previously prior to the at least one preceding step occurring.

[0066] The design step may comprise receiving a design input. The design step may comprise receiving a design input from the user. The design input may pertain to design requirements, specifications and / or constraints. The design input may be associated with design requirements, specifications and / or constraints. The design input may indicate design requirements, specifications and / or constraints of the user.

[0067] The design input may comprise one or more of: at least one required type of protective suit; at least one required protective suit characteristic and / or protective suit component characteristic; at least one intended environmental condition; at least one intended circumstance; a selection of at least one protective suit design from one or more preprogrammed protective suit designs.

[0068] The design input may comprise an initial design input. The design input may comprise an initial design input inputted by the user. Based on the initial design input, one or more preprogrammed protective suit designs may be displayed to the user on the user device. A further design input may comprise a selection, made by the user via the user device, of at least one protective suit design from the one or more preprogrammed protective suit designs.

[0069] Based on the design input, protective suit design data may be generated. In other words, the method may comprise generating protective suit design data based on the design input.

[0070] The protective suit design data may comprise data pertaining to protective suit characteristics of at least one protective suit design. The protective suit characteristics may comprise one or more of: dimensions, weight, material, material characteristics and material properties. The protective suit design data may comprise a two-dimensional virtual model of at least one protective suit design. The protective suit design data may comprise a three-dimensional virtual model of at least one protective suit design.

[0071] The design step may utilise a design technique comprising at least one of: boundary representation (B- rep) non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) techniques; mesh modelling; parametric modelling; mesh parametric beams; techniques involving implicit voxels; cellular automata; genetic algorithms; shape grammar; L-systems; agent-based modelling; model based systems engineering (MBSE); systems model based development modelling; automatic design optimisation.

[0072] The engineering step may comprise one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes. The engineering step may comprise a simulated modelling processes. The engineering step may comprise a simulated analysis processes.

[0073] The one or more simulated modelling processes may comprise modelling of the at least one intended environmental condition. The one or more simulated modelling processes may comprise modelling of the at least one intended circumstance. The one or more simulated modelling processes may comprise modelling of at least one of: the at least one intended environmental condition; the at least one intended circumstance. The one or more simulated analysis processes may comprise analysis of the at least one intended environmental condition. The one or more simulated analysis processes may comprise analysis of the at least one intended circumstance.

[0074] The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may comprise modelling of the at least one intended environmental condition. The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may comprise modelling of the at least one intended circumstance. The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may comprise modelling of at least one of: the at least one intended environmental condition; the at least one intended circumstance. The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may comprise analysis of at least one of: the at least one intended environmental condition; the at least one intended circumstance. The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may comprise analysis of the at least one intended environmental condition. The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may comprise analysis of the at least one intended circumstance.

[0075] The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may be based on protective suit design data; and suit user data; and data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance. The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may be based on protective suit design data. The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may be based on suit user data. The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may be based on data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition. The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may be based on data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance.

[0076] The protective suit design data, the suit user data, and the data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance are virtual. The protective suit design data may be virtual. The data associated with the protective suit may be associated with a virtual model of the protective suit. The suit user data may be virtual. The data associated with the suit user may be associated with a virtual model of the suit user. The data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition may be virtual. The data associated with the environmental condition may be associated with a virtual model of the environmental condition. The data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance may be virtual. The at least one intended circumstance may be a virtual intended circumstance. Something being virtual may mean that it is simulated using a computing device. Alternatively, the real object or environment may be virtually represented using a computer.

[0077] The protective suit design data and the data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance may be virtual. At least some of the suit user data may obtained by sensors associated with the suit user.

[0078] The engineering step may utilise one or more engineering techniques comprising at least one of: multiphysics simulation techniques; high-performance modelling techniques; stress analysis; finite element analysis (FEA); fatigue life estimation (FLE); computational fluid dynamics; surface analysis; tribology; additive manufacturing (DFAM); lattice and geometry estimation.

[0079] The engineering step may comprise one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes for modelling or analysis of one or more manufacturing steps or processes for one or more protective suit design. The engineering step may comprise one or more simulated modelling processes for modelling one or more manufacturing steps or processes for one or more protective suit design. The engineering step may comprise one or more simulated analysis processes for analysis of one or more manufacturing steps or processes for one or more protective suit design.

[0080] The engineering step may be the preceding step and the design step may be the subsequent step. The output data from the engineering step may comprise data as to one or more protective suit designs that have failed at least one aspect of the modelling or analysis. The data may be inputted as input data to the design step for further design. The prototyping step may comprise creating at least one prototype of one or more candidate protective suit design from the design phase.

[0081] Creating the at least one prototype may comprise using additive manufacturing.

[0082] Creating the at least one prototype may comprise creating components of the one or more candidate protective suit designs. Creating the at least one prototype may comprise assembling the components. Creating the at least one prototype may comprise performing one or more post-processing steps.

[0083] The prototyping step may utilise techniques comprising at least one of: fused deposition modelling (FDM); selective laser sintering (SLS); stereo lithography (SLA); direct light process (DLP); direct metal laser sintering (DMLS); multi jet fusion (MJF); electron beam melting (EBM); laser cutting.

[0084] The testing step may comprise performing one or more physical tests in relation to the at least one prototype, to determine performance.

[0085] One or more of the physical tests may correspond to the one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes of the engineering step.

[0086] The one or more physical tests may comprise one or more of, for each prototype: testing in relation to the entire prototype; testing in relation to one or more components of the prototype; testing in relation to materials of the prototype; testing in relation to electronics of the prototype.

[0087] One or more of the physical tests may be performed on one or more scale models of one or more of the prototypes.

[0088] The testing step may utilise techniques comprising at least one of: advanced pressure regulation; high pressure; off gas; wrist bearings; vent tubings; oxygen compatibility tests; tensile tests; water ingress / egress; radiation shielding; heat transfer testing; emissivity; optical thermal testing; heat leaks vacuum chamber testing; touch testing.

[0089] The testing step may comprise one or more of: multi-material testing segregation; certification / standard alignment; quality check / compliance; inspection.

[0090] The production step may comprise production of one or more protective suits in accordance with one or more candidate protective suit design. The production step may comprise using additive manufacturing.

[0091] The production step may comprise production of one or more rigid or hard components of the one or more protective suits. The production step may comprise production of one or more semi-rigid components of the one or more protective suits. The production step may comprise production of one or more textile or fabric components of the one or more protective suits. The production step may comprise assembling the respective components.

[0092] The production step may utilise techniques comprising at least one of: fused deposition modelling (FDM); selective laser sintering (SLS); stereo lithography (SLA); direct light process (DLP); direct metal laser sintering (DMLS); multi jet fusion (MJF); electron beam melting (EBM); laser cutting.

[0093] The production step may comprise at least one of: production routing; batch production; assembly; shipping; maintenance; step(s) relating to managing stock; and step(s) relating to preparation of a bill of materials (BOM).

[0094] The diagnostics, support and / or maintenance step may comprise determining when a protective suit or protective suit component requires maintenance or replacement.

[0095] The diagnostics, support and / or maintenance step further may comprise diagnosing an issue, problem or malfunction of the protective suit or protective suit component.

[0096] Diagnosing the issue, problem or malfunction of the protective suit or protective suit component may be based on suit sensor data received from one or more sensors of the protective suit or suit component. The suit sensor data may be cross-referenced against stored data pertaining to the protective suit or suit component to diagnose the issue, problem or malfunction.

[0097] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a system. The system may comprise at least one processor. The system may comprise memory. The memory may store program instructions. The program instructions may be accessible by the at least one processor. The program instructions may be configured to cause the at least one processor to perform a method for designing and manufacturing a protective suit. The method may comprise performing a design phase. The method may comprise performing a prototyping step. The method may comprise performing a testing step. The method may comprise performing a production step. Therefore, the program instructions may be configured to cause the at least one processor to perform a design phase. The program instructions may be configured to cause the at least one processor to perform at least part of the design phase. The program instructions may be configured to cause the at least one processor to perform a prototyping step. The program instructions may be configured to cause the at least one processor to perform at least part of the prototyping step. The program instructions may be configured to cause the at least one processor to perform the testing step. The program instructions may be configured to cause the at least one processor to perform at least part of the testing step. The program instructions may be configured to cause the at least one processor to perform the production step. The program instructions may be configured to cause the at least one processor to perform at least part of the production step.

[0098] An output, comprising output data, of at least one preceding step or phase of the method may comprise an input, comprising input data, into at least one subsequent step or phase.

[0099] The system may be configured to perform the method described herein.

[0100] In some embodiments, there is provided a method. The method may be a method for designing a protective suit. The method may comprise performing a design phase based on at least one suit design input. The method may comprise generating an output based on the design phase. The output may comprise at least one candidate protective suit design. The method may comprise conveying the output as an input for one or more modules. In other words, the method may comprise using the output as an input for the one or more modules. The one or more modules may be configured to perform one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; and a production step. At least a portion of the design phase may be performed using a protective suit design system. At least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, may be conveyed to the protective suit design system. In other words, at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, may be provided to the protective suit design system.

[0101] At least some data from the prototyping step may be conveyed to the protective suit design system. At least some data from the testing step may be conveyed to the protective suit design system. At least some data from the production step may be conveyed to the protective suit design system. At least some data from each of the prototyping, testing and production steps may be conveyed to the protective suit design system. The at least some data may be stored in a memory of the protective suit design system.

[0102] The output generated at the design phase may be converted or rendered into at least one format suitable for inputting into the one or more modules. The output generated at the design phase, being the at least one candidate protective suit design, may be converted or rendered into at least one format suitable for inputting into the one or more modules.

[0103] Suitable formats for each of the one or more modules are either: preprogrammed; or inputted by a user.

[0104] The design phase may comprise generating user-viewable output data for viewing by a user on a user device.

[0105] The user device may be configured to receive user input from the user, the user input being incorporated into the method.

[0106] The one or more modules configured to perform one or more of the prototyping, testing or production steps may be hosted on a protective suit manufacture system.

[0107] The one or more modules may be further configured to perform a diagnostics, support and / or maintenance step after the production step.

[0108] The design phase may comprise a design step and an engineering step. The design phase may utilise artificial intelligence.

[0109] At the design step an initial number of protective suit designs may outputted. At the engineering step a subsequent number of protective suit designs may outputted, this being the at least one candidate protective suit design that is conveyed for input into the one or more modules. The initial number may be greater than the subsequent number.

[0110] As between at least the design step and the engineering step, one or more protective suit designs may be eliminated as a consequence of not meeting at least one suitability criterion. In other words, one or more of the protective suit designs that are generated by the design step may be eliminated as a consequence of not meeting at least one suitability criterion.

[0111] One or more candidate protective suit designs may be further eliminated as between the design phase and one or more of the prototyping, testing and production steps, as a consequence of not meeting at least one suitability criterion. One or more candidate protective suit designs may be further eliminated between the design phase and one or more of the prototyping, testing and production steps, as a consequence of not meeting at least one suitability criterion. The design step may comprise receiving the design input from the user. The design input may pertain to design requirements, specifications and / or constraints. The design input may comprise design requirements, specifications and / or constraints. The design input may be associated with design requirements, specifications and / or constraints.

[0112] The design input may comprise one or more of: at least one required type of protective suit; at least one required protective suit characteristic and / or protective suit component characteristic; at least one intended environmental condition; at least one intended circumstance; a selection of at least one protective suit design from one or more preprogrammed protective suit designs.

[0113] The design input may comprise an initial design input. The initial design input may be inputted by the user. Based on the initial design input, one or more preprogrammed protective suit designs may be displayed to the user on the user device. A further design input may comprise a selection, by the user via the user device, of at least one protective suit design from the one or more preprogrammed protective suit designs.

[0114] Based on the design input, protective suit design data may be generated.

[0115] The protective suit design data may comprise at least one of: data pertaining to protective suit characteristics of at least one protective suit design, the protective suit characteristics being one or more of: weight, material, material characteristics, dimensions; a two-dimensional or three-dimensional virtual model of at least one protective suit design.

[0116] The design step may utilise design techniques comprising at least one of: boundary representation (B-rep) non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) techniques; mesh modelling; parametric modelling; mesh parametric beams; techniques involving implicit voxels; cellular automata; genetic algorithms; shape grammar; L-systems; agent-based modelling; model based systems engineering (MBSE); systems model based development modelling; automatic design optimisation.

[0117] The engineering step may comprise a simulated modelling processes. The engineering step may comprise a simulated analysis processes. The engineering step may comprise one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes.

[0118] The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may comprise modelling or analysis of at least one of: the at least one intended environmental condition; the at least one intended circumstance. The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may be based on: protective suit design data; and suit user data; and data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance.

[0119] The protective suit design data, the suit user data, and the data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance may be virtual.

[0120] The protective suit design data and the data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance may be virtual. At least some of the suit user data may be obtained by sensors associated with the suit user.

[0121] The engineering step may utilise engineering techniques comprising at least one of: multiphysics simulation techniques; high-performance modelling techniques; stress analysis; finite element analysis (FEA); fatigue life estimation (FLE); computational fluid dynamics; surface analysis; tribology; additive manufacturing (DFAM); lattice and geometry estimation.

[0122] The engineering step may comprise one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes for modelling or analysis of one or more manufacturing steps or processes for one or more protective suit designs.

[0123] Output data from the engineering step may comprise data as to one or more candidate protective suit designs that have failed at least one aspect of the modelling or analysis. The data may be inputted as input data to the design step for further design.

[0124] Output data from one or more of the prototyping, testing and production steps may comprise data as to one or more candidate protective suit designs that have failed to meet at least one suitability criterion; wherein said data is inputted as input data to the design phase.

[0125] The prototyping step may comprises creating at least one prototype of one or more candidate protective suit designs from the design phase, using additive manufacturing, wherein creating the at least one prototype comprises: creating components of the one or more candidate protective suit designs; assembling the components; and performing one or more post-processing steps.

[0126] The prototyping step may utilise techniques comprising at least one of: fused deposition modelling (FDM); selective laser sintering (SLS); stereo lithography (SLA); direct light process (DLP); direct metal laser sintering (DMLS); multi jet fusion (MJF); electron beam melting (EBM); laser cutting. The testing step may comprise performing one or more physical tests in relation to the prototypes, to determine performance.

[0127] One or more of the physical tests may correspond to the one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes of the engineering step.

[0128] The one or more physical tests may comprise one or more of, for each of the prototypes: testing in relation to the entire prototype; testing in relation to one or more components of the prototype; testing in relation to materials of the prototype; testing in relation to electronics of the prototype.

[0129] One or more of the physical tests may be performed on one or more scale models of one or more of the prototypes.

[0130] The testing step may utilise techniques comprising at least one of: advanced pressure regulation; high pressure; off gas; wrist bearings; vent tubings; oxygen compatibility tests; tensile tests; water ingress / egress; radiation shielding; heat transfer testing; emissivity; optical thermal testing; heat leaks vacuum chamber testing; touch testing.

[0131] The testing step may comprise one or more of: multi-material testing segregation; certification / standard alignment; quality check / compliance; inspection.

[0132] The production step may comprise production of one or more protective suits in accordance with one or more protective suit designs, using additive manufacturing.

[0133] The production step may comprise production of one or more rigid or hard components of the one or more protective suits. The production step may comprise production of one or more semi-rigid components of the one or more protective suits. The production step may comprise production of one or more textile or fabric components of the one or more protective suits; assembling the respective components.

[0134] The production step may utilise techniques comprising at least one of: fused deposition modelling (FDM); selective laser sintering (SLS); stereo lithography (SLA); direct light process (DLP); direct metal laser sintering (DMLS); multi jet fusion (MJF); electron beam melting (EBM); laser cutting. The production step may comprise at least one of: production routing; batch production; assembly; shipping; maintenance; step(s) relating to managing stock; and step(s) relating to preparation of a bill of materials (BOM).

[0135] The diagnostics, support and / or maintenance step may comprise one or more of: determining when a protective suit or protective suit component requires maintenance or replacement; diagnosing an issue, problem or malfunction of the protective suit or protective suit component.

[0136] In some embodiments, there is provided a system comprising: at least one processor; and memory storing program instructions accessible by the at least one processor, the program instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor to perform the method described herein.

[0137] In some embodiments, there is provided a system. The system may comprise at least one processor. The system may comprise memory. The memory may store program instructions. The program instructions may be accessible by the at least one processor. The program instructions may be configured to cause the at least one processor to perform a method for designing a protective suit. The method may comprise performing a design phase based on at least one design input. The method may comprise generating an output based on the design phase, the output comprising at least one protective suit design. The method may comprise conveying the output as an input for one or more modules configured to perform one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step.

[0138] At least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps may be conveyed, in use, to the protective suit design system.

[0139] The system may be configured to perform the method described above.

[0140] In some embodiments, there is provided a method. The method may be a method for manufacturing a protective suit. The method may comprise receiving, from a protective suit design system, at least one protective suit design. The method may comprise, based on the received at least one protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; and a production step.

[0141] At least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, may be conveyed to the protective suit design system. That is, at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, may be provided to the protective suit design system. Where data is described herein as being conveyed, it will be understood that the data may be transmitted or provided to the relevant entity or device. In some embodiments, there is provided a method. The method may be a method for manufacturing a protective suit. The method may comprise receiving, from a protective suit design system, at least one protective suit design. The method may comprise, based on the received at least one protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; and a production step.

[0142] At least some data pertaining to the protective suit design, and at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, may be conveyed to a protective suit manufacture system. That is, at least some data pertaining to the protective suit design, and at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, may be provided to a protective suit manufacture system.

[0143] At least some data from each of the prototyping, testing and production steps may be conveyed to the protective suit design system; the at least some data being stored in a memory of the protective suit design system.

[0144] At least some data pertaining to the protective suit design, and at least some data from each of the prototyping, testing and production steps may be conveyed to the protective suit manufacture system; the at least some data being stored in a memory of the protective suit manufacture system.

[0145] The received at least one protective suit design may be converted or rendered into at least one format suitable for performing one or more of the prototyping step, the testing step and the production step.

[0146] Suitable formats for each of the prototyping step, the testing step, the production step may be either: preprogrammed; or inputted by a user.

[0147] The one or more modules configured to perform one or more of the prototyping, testing or production steps may be hosted on the protective suit manufacture system.

[0148] The method may further comprise performing a diagnostics, support and / or maintenance step after the production step.

[0149] The at least one protective suit design may be generated using artificial intelligence at a design phase comprising a design step and an engineering step, the design phase being hosted on the protective suit design platform. One or more protective suit designs of the received at least one protective suit design may be eliminated during more of the prototyping, testing and production steps, as a consequence of not meeting at least one suitability criterion.

[0150] The design step may comprise receiving design input from the user, the design input pertaining to design requirements, specifications and / or constraints, the design input comprising one or more of: at least one required type of protective suit; at least one required protective suit characteristic and / or protective suit component characteristic; at least one intended environmental condition; at least one intended circumstance; a selection of at least one protective suit design from one or more preprogrammed protective suit designs.

[0151] The design input may comprise an initial design input inputted by the user, wherein based on the initial design input, one or more preprogrammed protective suit designs are displayed to the user on the user device, wherein a further design input comprises a selection, by the user via the user device, of at least one protective suit design from the one or more preprogrammed protective suit designs.

[0152] Based on the design input, protective suit design data may be generated. In other words, the method may comprise generating the protective suit design data based on the design input. The protective suit design data may comprise at least one of: data pertaining to protective suit characteristics of at least one protective suit design, the protective suit characteristics being one or more of: weight, material, material characteristics, dimensions; a two-dimensional or three-dimensional virtual model of at least one protective suit design.

[0153] The design step may utilise a design technique comprising at least one of: boundary representation (B- rep) non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) techniques; mesh modelling; parametric modelling; mesh parametric beams; techniques involving implicit voxels; cellular automata; genetic algorithms; shape grammar; L-systems; agent-based modelling; model based systems engineering (MBSE); systems model based development modelling; automatic design optimisation.

[0154] The engineering step may comprise a simulated modelling process. The engineering step may comprise a simulated analysis process. The engineering step may comprise one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes.

[0155] The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may comprise modelling or analysis of at least one of: the at least one intended environmental condition; the at least one intended circumstance; the one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes being based on: protective suit design data; and suit user data; and data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance.

[0156] The protective suit design data, the suit user data, and the data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance may be virtual.

[0157] The protective suit design data and the data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance may be virtual. At least some of the suit user data may be obtained by sensors associated with the suit user.

[0158] The engineering step may utilise engineering techniques comprising at least one of: multiphysics simulation techniques; high-performance modelling techniques; stress analysis; finite element analysis (FEA); fatigue life estimation (FLE); computational fluid dynamics; surface analysis; tribology; additive manufacturing (DFAM); lattice and geometry estimation.

[0159] The engineering step may further comprise one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes for modelling or analysis of one or more manufacturing steps or processes for one or more protective suit designs.

[0160] Output data from the engineering step may comprise data as to one or more protective suit designs that have failed at least one aspect of the modelling or analysis; wherein said data is inputted as input data to the design step for further design.

[0161] Output data from one or more of the prototyping, testing and production steps may comprise data as to one or more protective suit designs that have failed to meet at least one suitability criterion; wherein said data is inputted as input data to the design phase.

[0162] The prototyping step may comprise creating at least one prototype of the received at least one protective suit design.

[0163] The prototyping step may comprise using additive manufacturing.

[0164] The prototyping step may comprise creating components of the one or more protective suit designs. The prototyping step may comprise assembling the components. The prototyping step may comprise performing one or more post-processing steps. The prototyping step may utilise a technique comprising at least one of: fused deposition modelling (FDM); selective laser sintering (SLS); stereo lithography (SLA); direct light process (DLP); direct metal laser sintering (DMLS); multi jet fusion (MJF); electron beam melting (EBM); laser cutting.

[0165] The testing step may comprise performing one or more physical tests in relation to the prototypes, to determine performance.

[0166] One or more of the physical tests may correspond to the one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes of the engineering step.

[0167] The one or more physical tests may comprise one or more of, for each of the prototypes: testing in relation to the entire prototype; testing in relation to one or more components of the prototype; testing in relation to materials of the prototype; testing in relation to electronics of the prototype.

[0168] One or more of the physical tests may be performed on one or more scale models of one or more of the prototypes.

[0169] The testing step may utilise a technique comprising at least one of: advanced pressure regulation; high pressure; off gas; wrist bearings; vent tubings; oxygen compatibility tests; tensile tests; water ingress / egress; radiation shielding; heat transfer testing; emissivity; optical thermal testing; heat leaks vacuum chamber testing; touch testing.

[0170] The testing step may comprise one or more of: multi-material testing segregation; certification / standard alignment; quality check / compliance; inspection.

[0171] The production step may comprise production of one or more protective suits in accordance with one or more protective suit designs.

[0172] The production step may comprise using additive manufacturing.

[0173] The production step may comprise production of one or more rigid or hard components of the one or more protective suits. The production step may comprise production of one or more semi-rigid components of the one or more protective suits. The production step may comprise production of one or more textile or fabric components of the one or more protective suits. The production step may comprise assembling the respective components. The production step may utilise techniques comprising at least one of: fused deposition modelling (FDM); selective laser sintering (SLS); stereo lithography (SLA); direct light process (DLP); direct metal laser sintering (DMLS); multi jet fusion (MJF); electron beam melting (EBM); laser cutting.

[0174] The production step may comprise at least one of: production routing; batch production; assembly; shipping; maintenance; step(s) relating to managing stock; and step(s) relating to preparation of a bill of materials (BOM).

[0175] The diagnostics, support and / or maintenance step may comprise one or more of: determining when a protective suit or protective suit component requires maintenance or replacement; diagnosing an issue, problem or malfunction of the protective suit or protective suit component.

[0176] In some embodiments, there is provided a system. The system may comprise at least one processor. The system may comprise memory. The memory may store program instructions. The program instructions may be accessible by the at least one processor. The program instructions may be configured to cause the at least one processor to perform a method for manufacturing a protective suit. The method may comprise: receiving, from a protective suit design platform, at least one protective suit design; based on the received protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step; at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, being conveyed, in use, to the protective suit design system.

[0177] In some embodiments, the system is configured to perform the method described above.

[0178] In some embodiments, there is provided a system. The system may comprise at least one processor. The system may comprise memory. The memory may store program instructions. The program instructions may be accessible by the at least one processor. The program instructions may be configured to cause the at least one processor to perform a method for manufacturing a protective suit. The method may comprise: receiving, from a protective suit design system, at least one protective suit design; based on the received protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step; at least some data pertaining to the protective suit design, and at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, being conveyed, in use, to the protective suit manufacture system. The system may be configured to perform the method described above.

[0179] In some embodiments, there is provided a method. The method may be a method for designing a protective suit. The method may comprise: performing a design phase based on at least one suit design input; and generating an output based on the design phase, the output comprising at least one candidate protective suit design; at least a portion of the design phase being performed using a protective suit design system.

[0180] The output generated at the design phase, being the at least one protective suit design, may be converted or rendered into at least one format suitable for use as an input in another method.

[0181] The design phase may comprise generating user-viewable output data for viewing by a user on a user device.

[0182] The user device may be configured to receive user input from the user, the user input being incorporated into the method.

[0183] The design phase may comprise a design step and an engineering step. The design phase may utilise artificial intelligence.

[0184] At the design step an initial number of protective suit designs may be outputted, and at the engineering step a subsequent number of candidate protective suits is outputted, the initial number being greater than the subsequent number.

[0185] One or more protective suit designs may be eliminated as a consequence of not meeting at least one suitability criterion.

[0186] The design step may comprise receiving the design input from the user, the design input pertaining to design requirements, specifications and / or constraints.

[0187] The design input may comprise one or more of: at least one required type of protective suit; at least one required protective suit characteristic and / or protective suit component characteristic; at least one intended environmental condition; at least one intended circumstance; a selection of at least one protective suit design from one or more preprogrammed protective suit designs. The design input may comprise an initial design input inputted by the user, wherein based on the initial design input, one or more preprogrammed protective suit designs are displayed to the user on the user device. A further design input may comprise a selection, by the user via the user device, of at least one protective suit design from the one or more preprogrammed protective suit designs.

[0188] Based on the design input, protective suit design data may be generated. In other words, the method may comprise generating protective suit design data based on the design input.

[0189] The protective suit design data may comprise at least one of: data pertaining to protective suit characteristics of at least one protective suit design, the protective suit characteristics being one or more of: weight, material, material characteristics, dimensions; a two-dimensional or three-dimensional virtual model of at least one protective suit design.

[0190] The design step may utilise design a technique comprising at least one of: boundary representation (B- rep) non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) techniques; mesh modelling; parametric modelling; mesh parametric beams; techniques involving implicit voxels; cellular automata; genetic algorithms; shape grammar; L-systems; agent-based modelling; model based systems engineering (MBSE); systems model based development modelling; automatic design optimisation.

[0191] The engineering step may comprise one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes.

[0192] The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may comprise modelling or analysis of at least one of: the at least one intended environmental condition; the at least one intended circumstance.

[0193] The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may be based on: protective suit design data; and suit user data; and data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance.

[0194] The protective suit design data, the suit user data, and the data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance may be virtual.

[0195] The protective suit design data and the data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance may be virtual, and at least some of the suit user data may be obtained by sensors associated with the suit user. The engineering step may utilise an engineering technique comprising at least one of: multiphysics simulation techniques; high-performance modelling techniques; stress analysis; finite element analysis (FEA); fatigue life estimation (FLE); computational fluid dynamics; surface analysis; tribology; additive manufacturing (DFAM); lattice and geometry estimation.

[0196] The engineering step may comprise one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes for modelling or analysis of one or more manufacturing steps or processes for one or more protective suit designs.

[0197] Output data from the engineering step may comprise data as to one or more candidate protective suit designs that have failed at least one aspect of the modelling or analysis; wherein said data is inputted as input data to the design step for further design.

[0198] In some embodiments, there is provided a method. The method may be a method for manufacturing a protective suit. The method may comprise: receiving, from a protective suit design system, at least one protective suit design; based on the received at least one protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; and a production step; at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, being conveyed to the protective suit design system.

[0199] In some embodiments, there is provided a method. The method may be a method for manufacturing a protective suit. The method may comprise: receiving, from a protective suit design system, at least one protective suit design; based on the received at least one protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; and a production step; at least some data pertaining to the protective suit design, and at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, being conveyed to a protective suit manufacture system.

[0200] At least some data from each of the prototyping, testing and production steps may be conveyed to the protective suit design system; the at least some data being stored in a memory of the protective suit design system.

[0201] At least some data pertaining to the protective suit design, and at least some data from each of the prototyping, testing and production steps may be conveyed to the protective suit manufacture system; the at least some data being stored in a memory of the protective suit manufacture system. The received at least one protective suit design may be converted or rendered into at least one format suitable for performing one or more of the prototyping step, the testing step and the production step.

[0202] Suitable formats for each of the prototyping step, the testing step, the production step may be either: preprogrammed; or inputted by a user.

[0203] The one or more modules configured to perform one or more of the prototyping, testing or production steps may be hosted on the protective suit manufacture system.

[0204] The method may further comprise performing a diagnostics, support and / or maintenance step after the production step.

[0205] One or more protective suit designs of the received at least one protective suit design may be eliminated during more of the prototyping, testing and production steps, as a consequence of not meeting at least one suitability criterion.

[0206] The prototyping step may use additive manufacturing. The prototyping step may comprise: creating components of the one or more protective suit designs; assembling the components; and performing one or more post-processing steps.

[0207] The prototyping step may utilise techniques comprising at least one of: fused deposition modelling (FDM); selective laser sintering (SLS); stereo lithography (SLA); direct light process (DLP); direct metal laser sintering (DMLS); multi jet fusion (MJF); electron beam melting (EBM); laser cutting.

[0208] The testing step may comprise performing one or more physical tests in relation to the prototypes, to determine performance.

[0209] The one or more physical tests may comprise one or more of, for each of the prototypes: testing in relation to the entire prototype; testing in relation to one or more components of the prototype; testing in relation to materials of the prototype; testing in relation to electronics of the prototype.

[0210] One or more of the physical tests may be performed on one or more scale models of one or more of the prototypes.

[0211] The testing step may utilise a technique comprising at least one of: advanced pressure regulation; high pressure; off gas; wrist bearings; vent tubings; oxygen compatibility tests; tensile tests; water ingress / egress; radiation shielding; heat transfer testing; emissivity; optical thermal testing; heat leaks vacuum chamber testing; touch testing.

[0212] The testing step may comprise one or more of: multi-material testing segregation; certification / standard alignment; quality check / compliance; inspection.

[0213] The production step may comprise production of one or more protective suits in accordance with one or more protective suit designs.

[0214] The production step may comprise using additive manufacturing.

[0215] The production step may comprise: production of one or more rigid or hard components of the one or more protective suits; production of one or more semi-rigid components of the one or more protective suits; production of one or more textile or fabric components of the one or more protective suits; assembling the respective components.

[0216] The production step may utilise techniques comprising at least one of: fused deposition modelling (FDM); selective laser sintering (SLS); stereo lithography (SLA); direct light process (DLP); direct metal laser sintering (DMLS); multi jet fusion (MJF); electron beam melting (EBM); laser cutting.

[0217] The production step may comprise at least one of: production routing; batch production; assembly; shipping; maintenance; step(s) relating to managing stock; and step(s) relating to preparation of a bill of materials (BOM).

[0218] The diagnostics, support and / or maintenance step may comprise one or more of: determining when a protective suit or protective suit component requires maintenance or replacement; diagnosing an issue, problem or malfunction of the protective suit or protective suit component.

[0219] In some embodiments, there is provided a system. The system may comprise: at least one processor; and memory storing program instructions accessible by the at least one processor, the program instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor to perform a method for manufacturing a protective suit, the method comprising: receiving, from a protective suit design platform, at least one protective suit design; based on the received protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step, at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, being conveyed, in use, to the protective suit design system.

[0220] The system may be configured to perform the method described above.

[0221] In some embodiments, there is provided a system. The system may comprise: at least one processor; and memory storing program instructions accessible by the at least one processor, the program instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor to perform a method for manufacturing a protective suit, the method comprising: receiving, from a protective suit design system, at least one protective suit design; based on the received protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step, at least some data pertaining to the protective suit design, and at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, being conveyed, in use, to the protective suit manufacture system.

[0222] The system may be configured to perform the method described above.

[0223] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0224] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0225] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0226] Figure 2 is a process flow diagram of a method, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0227] Figure 3 is a further process flow diagram of a method, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0228] Figure 4 is a further process flow diagram of a method, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0229] Figure 5 is a schematic of components of a protective suit to which the method and system (platform) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may pertain;

[0230] Figure 6 is a schematic showing steps of the method of Figure 2, according to some embodiments; and Figure 7 is a further schematic showing steps of the method of Figure 2, according to some embodiments. Detailed Description

[0231] The present disclosure relates to a system for the design and / or manufacture of a protective suit(s) (which may also be referred to herein as a “suit(s)”). The present disclosure also relates to a method (also referred to herein as a process) of designing and / or manufacturing a protective suit(s). The system for the design and / or manufacture of the protective suit(s) may be referred to as a platform for the design and / or manufacture of the protective suit(s). For the purposes of this disclosure, designing and / or manufacturing a protective suit may be referred to as developing the protective suit. Thus, the present disclosure relates to a system for developing a protective suit and a method for developing a protective suit. It will be appreciated that designing a protective suit may be considered part of the development of the protective suit. Similarly, prototyping, testing and / or manufacturing a protective suit may also be considered part of the development of the protective suit.

[0232] Protective systems are used to enable humans to operate in environments which may be described as “hostile environments” (also referred to as “extreme environments”) in that they differ in one or more aspects or conditions from an environment which is well suited to or easily tolerated by humans.

[0233] Examples of hostile environments may include space (such as outer space and / or another planet), land-based environments, water-based environments, in-flight environments in the Earth’s atmosphere, high-altitude environments, and / or environments of extreme temperature (heat or cold). Examples of hostile environments may also include those on land and in space for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threat environments, and / or environments affected by other hazardous materials. Other examples of hostile environments or aspects of same may include environments involving fire, humidity, dirt, acids, and / or alkali.

[0234] When an individual (also referred to herein as a “suit user”) needs to operate or perform a task in such hostile environments, a protective suit(s) is employed to protect the suit user from the hostile environment. The general purpose of the protective suit(s) is to provide a barrier between the suit user and the outside environment. An environment suitable for the user is maintained within the protective suit. Thus, the term “protective suit” can be understood herein to mean a garment (or portion of a garment, or a plurality of garments) worn by a suit user to protect, alone or in combination with one or more other such garments, the suit user from a hostile environment by providing a barrier between the suit user and the outside environment.

[0235] The protective suit(s) may be adapted to be suitable to the particular type of hostile environment in which the suit user will be present. Thus, the protective suit(s) may for example be a space suit, flight suit, high-altitude pressure suit, and / or a suit which protects against chemical exposure, radiation exposure, thermal exposure, biological exposure, and / or hazardous materials. The protective suit(s) may be hermetically sealed. The protective suit(s) may comprise a life support system adapted to provide suitable conditions inside the protective suit(s) for the suit user to perform their duties. The suitable conditions may comprise an artificially -generated environment inside the protective suit(s) that is relatively well suited to, or easily tolerated by, humans (or the particular suit user). For instance, the artificially -generated environment may be similar to an environment experienced on Earth. Thus, the protective suit(s) may be adapted to maintain a different environment inside the protective suit(s) than that outside the protective suit(s).

[0236] The protective suit(s) may be constructed from materials adapted to protect the suit user from the hostile environment or aspects of same. For example, such materials may have properties such as being flame resistant, flame retardant, ballistic proof, self-healing, resistant to (or permeable by) water vapor, permeable to air, resistant to radiation, resistant to extreme heat and / or cold, resistant to fast-moving micrometroids in space, and / or resistant to space radiation.

[0237] The protective suit(s) may also be adapted to protect against physical damage, such as by protecting against mechanical injuries, falling objects, bullets, electrical risks, and such like.

[0238] The protective suit(s) being developed may be a space suit(s). That is, the protective suit(s) may be configured to enable a human to operate in space. The protective suit(s) being developed may be an underwater suit(s). That is, the protective suit(s) may be configured to enable a human to operate in deep- sea environments, withstanding high pressures and providing thermal insulation. The protective suit(s) may be a hazardous material (HAZMAT) suit(s), designed to protect the wearer from chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) threats. In some cases, the protective suit(s) may be an extreme temperature suit(s), capable of maintaining a safe internal environment for the wearer in extremely hot or cold conditions, such as those encountered in polar regions or near active volcanoes. The protective suit(s) may also be a fire-resistant suit(s), engineered to protect firefighters or industrial workers from intense heat and flames.

[0239] At least one of the protective suit(s) may be as described in International (PCT) Patent Application No. PCT / AU2023 / 051018 (published as W02024082001A1), the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0240] With reference to Figure 5, the protective suit(s) 500 may comprise or be associated with one or more components. The one or more components may comprise one or more of: a base layer (sensor suit) 502; an outer layer (exoskeleton) 504; components such as gloves 510, boots 508, helmets 506, a suit computer 514, software 516; and subsystems such as a thermal management system 512 and a battery management system 518. The system generates the protective suit output, being one or more protective suit designs and / or protective suits, based at least in part on input data. In broad terms, a computing system runs a suit development engine, with which a user may interact to step through the process of design and / or manufacture of a protective suit(s). That is, the computing system runs a suit development engine, with which the user may interact to step through the process of developing a protective suit(s). The system described herein enables multidomain protective suit design and / or manufacture through a single architecture. This is independent of the particular domain of the protective suit(s) (e.g. whether it be a protective suit(s) for use with respect to land, sea, air or space). The suit development engine is capable of integrating offline data and input data received in real-time.

[0241] The system may be configured to facilitate all of the steps of protective suit design and manufacture as described herein, and / or to facilitate one or more of said steps. One version of the system may be configured to facilitate all of the steps or a subset of the steps. Alternatively, there may be different versions of the system, that is to say, more than one system, respectively configured to each facilitate a subset of the steps, being one or more of the steps. The system(s) is configured to facilitate the method(s) described further below.

[0242] Figure 1 illustrates a system 100, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 100 is configured to enable a user to progress through one or more steps of a process for designing and / or manufacturing a protective suit(s).

[0243] System 100

[0244] The system 100 comprises a protective suit development system 102. The protective suit development system 102 performs one or more steps of the method 200 described herein. As described below, the method 200 comprises steps related to designing and manufacturing protective suits. It will be appreciated that references in this description to the protective suit development system 102 can be substituted with “protective suit design and / or manufacture system” without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Certain steps of the method relate to a design phase of protective suit development, where one or more protective suits are designed. Where the protective suit development system 102 is used to perform steps of the design phase, the protective suit development system 102 may be referred to as a “protective suit design system”. Certain steps of the method relate to a manufacture phase of protective suit development where one or more protective suites are prototyped, tested and / or manufactured. Where the protective suit development system 102 is used to perform steps of the manufacture phase, the protective suit development system 102 may be referred to as a “protective suit manufacture system”. Where the protective suit development system 102 is used to perform steps of the design phase and the manufacture phase, the protective suit development system 102 may be referred to as a “protective suit design and manufacture system”. For brevity throughout the disclosure, “protective suit development system” terminology will be used. However, it will be appreciated that the protective suit development system may alternatively be referred to as a protective suit design system, a protective suit manufacture system and / or a protective suit design and manufacture system, where relevant. Further, references to “design and / or manufacture” in relation to other components herein may also alternatively be described using the term “development” without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0245] The protective suit development system 102 comprises at least one processor 104. The processor / s) 104 of the protective suit development system 102 may be referred to as protective suit development system processors. The processor(s) 104 of the protective suit development system 102 may be referred to as protective suit design and / or manufacture system processors. The protective suit development system 102 comprises memory 106. Memory 106 may be referred to as protective suit development system memory. Memory 106 may be referred to as protective suit design and / or manufacture system memory. Memory 106 may comprise or be in the form of one or more non-transitory computer readable medium. Memory 106 stores program instructions 108. The program instructions 108 may be referred to as protective suit development system program instructions. The program instructions 108 may be referred to as protective suit design and / or manufacture system program instructions. In particular, memory 106 stores a protective suit development engine 109. The protective suit development engine 109 may be referred to as a protective suit design and / or manufacture engine 109. The protective suit development engine 109 may comprise at least some of the program instructions 108. Alternatively, the program instructions 108 may comprise the protective suit development engine 109. The protective suit development system 102 comprises a network interface 110. The network interface 110 may be referred to as a protective suit development system network interface The network interface 110 may be referred to as a protective suit design and / or manufacture system network interface.

[0246] The at least one processor 104 is configured to execute the program instructions 108. In particular, the at least one processor 104 is configured to execute the program instructions 108 to cause the system 100 to function as described herein. The at least one processor 104 is configured to execute the program instructions 108 to cause the protective suit development system 102 to function as described herein. For example, the at least one processor 104 may execute the program instructions 108 to perform operations described herein. That is, when executed, the program instructions 108 cause the at least one processor 104 to function as described herein. In other words, the program instructions 108, when executed by the at least one processor 104, cause the at least one processor 104 to perform one or more functionalities and / or steps described herein. In some embodiments, the program instructions 108 are in the form of instruction program code.

[0247] The at least one processor 104 comprises one or more microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), application specific instruction set processors (ASIPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), tensor processing units (TPUs) or other processors capable of reading and executing program code. It will be appreciated that the at least one processor 104 may be a distributed processor. That is, one or more portion of the at least one processor 104 may be physically separated from one or more other portion of the at least one processor 104. In some embodiments, the protective suit development system 102 may be said to comprise a plurality of processors 104. Where functionality is described herein as being performed by the at least one processor 104, it will be understood that the relevant functionality may be performed by one or more, or a plurality of processors 104.

[0248] Memory 106 may comprise one or more volatile or non-volatile memory types. For example, memory 106 may comprise at least one of random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or flash memory. Memory 106 is configured to store the program instructions 108. The program instructions 108 are accessible by the at least one processor 104. The program instructions 108 may be referred to as computer-executable instructions. The program instructions 108 comprise executable program code modules. Memory 106 stores the executable program code modules, which are configured to be executable by the at least one processor 104. The executable program code modules, when executed by the at least one processor 104, cause the protective suit development system 102 to perform certain functionality, as described herein.

[0249] Memory 106 may comprise one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium can be any medium that can tangibly contain or store computer-executable instructions for use by or in connection with the protective suit development system 102. In some examples, the storage medium is a transitory computer-readable storage medium. In some examples, the storage medium is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can include, but is not limited to, magnetic, optical, and / or semiconductor storages. Examples of such storage include magnetic disks, optical discs based on CD, DVD, or Blu-ray technologies, as well as persistent solid-state memory such as flash, solid-state drives, and the like.

[0250] The network interface 110 facilitates communication between the protective suit development system 102 and one or more other computing devices. The network interface 110 may comprise a combination of network interface hardware and network interface software suitable for establishing, maintaining and facilitating communication over a relevant communications network. Examples of a suitable communications network include a cloud server network, wired or wireless internet connection, Bluetooth™ or other near field radio communication, and / or a physical network such as a wired Universal Serial Bus (USB) network or an Ethernet network.

[0251] The system 100 comprises, and / or is communicable with, a user device 112A. In some embodiments, the system 100 comprises the user device 112A. In some embodiments, the system 100 is configured to communicate with the user device 112A. In some embodiments, the system 100 comprises, and / or is communicable with, a plurality of user devices 112A-N. For example, the system 100 may comprise N user devices 112A-N.

[0252] The user device 112A comprises at least one processor 114A. The processor(s) 114A of the user device 112A may be referred to as user device processors. The user device 112A comprises memory 116A. Memory 116A may be referred to as user device memory. Memory 116A may comprise or be in the form of one or more non-transitory computer readable medium. Memory 116A stores program instructions 118A. The program instructions 118A may be referred to as user device program instructions. The program instructions 118A are computer-executable instructions. The user device 112A comprises a network interface 120 A. The network interface 120A may be referred to as a user device network interface. The user device 112A comprises a user interface 122A. The user interface 122A may be referred to as a user device user interface.

[0253] The at least one user device processor 114A is configured to execute the user device program instructions 118A. In particular, the at least one user device processor 114A is configured to execute the user device program instructions 118A to cause the user device 112 A to function as described herein. That is, the at least one user device processor 114A is configured to execute the user device program instructions 118A to perform operations described herein. That is, when executed, the user device program instructions 118A cause the at least one user device processor 114A to function as described herein. In some embodiments, the user device program instructions 118 A are in the form of instruction program code.

[0254] The at least one user device processor 114A comprises one or more microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), application specific instruction set processors (ASIPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), tensor processing units (TPUs) or other processors capable of reading and executing program code. It will be appreciated that the at least one user device processor 114A may be a distributed processor. That is, one or more portion of the at least one user device processor 114A may be physically separated from one or more other portion of the at least one processor 114A. In some embodiments, the user device 112A may be said to comprise a plurality of processors 114A. Where functionality is described herein as being performed by the at least user device one processor 114A, it will be understood that the relevant functionality may be performed by one or more, or a plurality of processors 114A.

[0255] User device memory 116A may comprise one or more volatile or non-volatile memory types. For example, user device memory 116A may comprise at least one of random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or flash memory. User device memory 116 A is configured to store the user device program instructions 118A. The user device program instructions 118A are accessible by the at least one user device processor 114A. The user device program instructions 118A may be referred to as computer-executable instructions. The user device program instructions 118A comprise executable program code modules. User device memory 116A stores the executable program code modules, which are configured to be executable by the at least one user device processor 114A. The executable program code modules, when executed by the at least one user device processor 114, cause the user device 112A to perform certain functionality, as described herein.

[0256] User device memory 116A may comprise one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium can be any medium that can tangibly contain or store computer-executable instructions for use by or in connection with the user device 112A. In some examples, the storage medium is a transitory computer-readable storage medium. In some examples, the storage medium is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can include, but is not limited to, magnetic, optical, and / or semiconductor storages. Examples of such storage include magnetic disks, optical discs based on CD, DVD, or Blu-ray technologies, as well as persistent solid-state memory such as flash, solid-state drives, and the like.

[0257] The user device network interface 120A facilitates communication between the user device 112A and one or more other computing devices. The user device network interface 120 A may comprise a combination of network interface hardware and network interface software suitable for establishing, maintaining and facilitating communication over a relevant communications network. Examples of a suitable communications network include a cloud server network, wired or wireless internet connection, Bluetooth™ or other near field radio communication, and / or a physical network such as a wired Universal Serial Bus (USB) network or an Ethernet network.

[0258] The user interface 122 A comprises a display (not shown). The display is configured to display information to the user of the user device 112A. The display may comprise one or more LCD, LED, OLED, plasma, cathode-ray or other displays. The display may be or include a touch-screen display. The user interface 122 A may be configured to display a graphical user interface on the display. The user interface 122A comprises an input device (not shown). The input device may comprise one or more buttons, switches, keyboards, digital mice, joysticks, microphones, touchscreens or other input devices. The input device is configured to communicate one or more inputs provided by the user of the user device 112A to the at least one user device processor 114A. The user interface 112A comprises at least one audio output system (not shown). The audio output system is configured to enable an audio signal to be output by the user interface 122 A.

[0259] It will be appreciated that one or more of the other user devices 112B-N may comprise one or more features that are similar to, or the same as, one or more features of the user device 112A. That is, at least one of the other user devices 112B-N may comprise at least one user device processor 114B-N, user device memory 116B-N, user device program instructions 118B-N, a user device network interface 120B-N and / or a user interface 122B-N.

[0260] The protective suit development system 102 is in communication with the user device(s) 112A-N via a communications network 124. The system 100 may comprise the communications network 124. The communications network 124 may comprise, or be in the form of a wireless local area network (WLAN) such as Wi-Fi (IEEE 82.15.1) or Zigbee (IEE 802.15.4), a wireless wide area network (WWAN) such as cellular 4G LTE and 5G or another cellular network connection, low power wide area networks (LPWAN) such as SigFox and Lora, Bluetooth™ and / or other near field radio communication. The communications network 124 may involve a connection with the Internet. The communications network 124 may comprise, or be in the form of a wired network. In some embodiments, the communications network 124 is separated into sub-networks. For example, the communications network 124 may be separated into a first sub-network and a second sub-network. A sub-network may be associated with a respective purpose and / or entity.

[0261] In some embodiments, the system 100 is communicable with a protective suit(s) (not shown in Figure 1). For example, with reference to the method 200 of Figure 2, the system 100 may be communicable with the protective suit(s) at the diagnosis, support, and maintenance step 216, which occurs after the protective suit(s) has been designed and manufactured in accordance with the process of the present disclosure.

[0262] The protective suit(s) is configured to communicate with the protective suit development system 102. The protective suit(s) is configured to communicate with the user device 112A. Where the system 100 comprises a plurality of protective suits, one or more of the protective suits is configured to communicate with the protective suit development system 102. Further, one or more of the protective suits communicates with a respective user device 112A-N. The protective suit(s) communicates with one or more other computing devices (e.g. the protective suit development system 102 and / or the user devices 112A-N) over the communications network 124.

[0263] The protective suit(s) comprises a communications module that enables the protective suit(s) to communicate with other computing devices via the communications network 124. The protective suit(s) also comprises memory. The memory may be considered onboard memory. That is, the memory may be considered protective suit memory. The protective suit(s) comprises a number of sensors. The protective suit(s) stores data generated by the sensors in the protective suit memory. The protective suit(s) also transmits this data, or portions of this data that exceed certain thresholds indicating an abnormal operating condition has been detected, via the communications network 124. The protective suit(s) may store the data locally in the case where it is unable to transmit the data over the communications network. The protective suit data comprises suit telemetry data.

[0264] The system 100 comprises a suit development sensor system 140. The suit development sensor system 140 may be referred to as a suit design and / or manufacture sensor system. The suit development sensor system 140 generates sensor data to inform the development of one or more protective suit. For example, the suit development sensor system 140 comprises sensors that are used at the engineering step (208 in Figure 2) of the protective suit design process, to gather physical data that informs the design of, and / or prediction of performance and suitability of, the protective suit(s). For example, the suit development sensor system 140 may comprise one or more camera systems that are configured to record movement of a suit user (being an intended user of the protective suit(s) being designed during the process of the invention) overtime. The suit development sensor system 140 communicates with one or more other computing devices (e.g. the protective suit development system 102 and / or the user devices 112A-N) over the communications network 124.

[0265] Protective Suit Development Engine 109

[0266] The user of the system 100 can use the protective suit development engine 109 to perform one or more steps of one or more of the protective suit development methods / processes described herein. The user of the system 100 interacts with pages of one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) in order to cause or instruct the system 100 to perform certain functionality described herein. In particular, the one or more GUI pages enable the user to interact with the protective suit development engine 109. The protective suit development system 102 hosts the protective suit development engine 109. The GUI page(s) may be used by the user to provide inputs to the protective suit development engine 109. The protective suit development engine 109 may perform one or more operations in response to receiving certain inputs from the user, via the GUI page(s).

[0267] The GUI page(s) may be stored in the memory 106 of the protective suit development system 102. Each GUI page may be stored as GUI page data in memory 106. One or more elements of a particular GUI page may be stored as GUI page data in memory 106. The processor 104 of the protective suit development system 102 may retrieve the GUI page data associated with a particular GUI page and transmit the GUI page data to the user device 112A-N in response to a request for access being received from the user device 112A-N. The processor 114A-N of the user device 112A-N may render the particular GUI page based at least in part on the received GUI page data. The protective suit development system 102 may therefore be referred to as a network server. The network server may, for example, be accessible via an Internet browser, using a Uniform Resource Locator address associated with the network server. The network server may be referred to as a web server. The network server stores the one or more GUI pages. The GUI page(s) may be stored in a hierarchy, with certain GUI pages being accessible in response to the system 100 receiving inputs on other GUI pages. The protective suit development engine 109 may be accessed by connecting to the protective suit development system 102, via a user device.

[0268] Method 200 for Protective Suit Development

[0269] Figure 2 shows a process flow diagram of a method 200. The method 200 is a method for designing and manufacturing a protective suit. That is, the method 200 is a method for developing a protective suit. The at least one processor 104 of the protective suit development system 102 of system 100 may run the protective suit development engine 109 in order to perform one or more steps of the method 200. The at least one processor 104 of the protective suit development system 102 of system 100 may run the protective suit development engine 109 in order to perform at least part the method 200. In particular, the protective suit development system 102 may be configured to perform the steps of: performing a design phase; performing a prototyping step; performing a testing step; and performing a production step, wherein an output of at least one preceding step comprises an input into at least one subsequent step. Different permutations of these steps may also be performed. For example, the protective suit development system 102 may perform, or enable the performance of, the design phase. In such a case, the prototyping step, testing step and / or production step may be performed by or using another system, such as a specialised protective suit manufacture system.

[0270] Thus, the protective suit development system 102 may perform at least a part of the respective steps. For instance, data from the prototyping, testing and production steps (including any portions of such steps performed externally of the method 200 and system 102) may be conveyed to the protective suit development system 102 for storage in the memory 106, which constitutes partial execution by the system 102 of those steps. As another example, user inputs may be requested and / or received at one or more of the prototyping, testing and production steps, and the inputs incorporated into the method 200, which constitutes partial execution by the system 102 of those steps. Similar logic applies to methods 300 and 400 and their corresponding systems.

[0271] The method 200 comprises the following steps: design 206, engineering 208, prototyping 210, testing 212, production 214, and diagnosis, support and maintenance 216. One or more steps may optionally be omitted. For instance, the diagnosis, support and maintenance step 216 may be omitted. One or more steps may be subsumed within one or more others of the steps; for instance, the diagnosis, support and maintenance step 216 may be subsumed within the production step 214. Figures 6 and 7 are schematics also showing steps 206 - 214.

[0272] The design 206 and engineering 208 steps may be collectively considered to form a protective suit design phase 202. The at least one processor 104 performs at least part of one or more steps of the protective suit design phase 202. The at least one processor 104 generates candidate protective suit data in response to the performance of the protective suit design phase 202. That is, an output of the protective suit design phase 202 is the candidate protective suit data. The candidate protective suit data comprises data associated with one or more candidate protective suits. That is, the candidate protective suit data comprises one or more candidate protective suit designs. The prototyping 210, testing 212 and production 214 steps may be collectively considered to form a protective suit manufacturing phase 204. The at least one processor 104 performs at least part of one or more steps of the protective suit manufacturing phase 204.

[0273] In use, the method 200 comprises performing the steps 206, 208, 210, 212, 214, 216, wherein an output of at least one preceding step is an input into at least one subsequent step. That is, the input of at least one subsequent step comprises an output of at least one preceding step. Herein, performing a function may be considered executing the function. That is, preforming a step of a method described herein may be considered executing the relevant step. Therefore, each instance of “perform”, “performing” etc. herein may analogously be said to be “execute”, “executing” etc. As will be described herein, the method is iterative, and as such the subsequent step (relative to the preceding step) may vary depending on where the output of the preceding step needs to be directed, in the circumstances.

[0274] In some cases, the output of each of the steps 206, 208, 210, 212, 214, 216 may comprise the input into the successively -numbered step. In some cases, the output of each of the steps 206, 208, 210, 212, 214, 216 may be, or be part of, the input into the successively -numbered step. For instance the output of the design step may form the input into the engineering step, or the output of the engineering step may form the input into the prototyping step. This is indicated by arrows 218, 220, 222, 224, and 226 in Figure 2.

[0275] However, the output of a given step may also be fed back into an earlier-numbered step (or into a later- numbered step that does not follow immediately in the sequence as shown in Figure 2). In this case, the given step is the “preceding step” and the earlier-numbered step (or later-numbered step, as the case may be) is the “subsequent step” (irrespective of whether or not that step, or an iteration thereof, has already occurred earlier in the process). For instance, as indicated by arrow 228, an output of the engineering step 208 may be fed as an input to the design step 206, such as where simulations at the engineering step 208 have indicated that a design change(s) (also referred to herein as “redesign”) is needed to the protective suit design. As another example, indicated by arrow 232, an output of the prototyping step 210 may be fed as an input to the protective suit design phase 202 (i.e. to the engineering step 208 and / or the design step 206), such as where prototyping of the protective suit has indicated that a design or engineering change(s) (also referred to herein as “redesign”) is needed to the protective suit design. As another example, as indicated by arrow 234, an output of the testing step 212 may be fed as an input to the protective suit design phase 202 (i.e. to the engineering step 208 and / or the design step 206), such as where testing of the prototype of the protective suit has indicated that a design or engineering change(s) is needed to the protective suit. As still another example, as indicated by arrow 230, an output from the protective suit design phase 202 (i.e. the engineering step 208 and / or the design step 206) may be fed as an input to the production step 214. For instance, multiple rounds of prototyping and / or testing (along with iterative design changes as needed) may have taken place, and once the design of the protective suit design is deemed suitable, the latest version of the design as generated at the protective suit design phase 202 may be fed as input to the production step 214, in order for this version of the design to be produced or manufactured.

[0276] There may also be outputs generated that are intended for viewing by the user, instead of or in addition to forming inputs for a subsequent step. For instance, at the protective suit design phase 202 (i.e. the engineering step 208 and / or the design step 206), outputs may be generated comprising one or more proposed protective suits that meet the user’s inputted requirements or specifications. The user may provide input in response to the generated output (and / or may otherwise provide input). This may be achieved on a user device such as a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer; for example, user device(s) 112A-N.

[0277] Each of the steps of the method 200 will now be described.

[0278] As described herein, the method 200 comprises a design phase 202. The design phase 202 comprises a design step 206. The design phase 202 comprises an engineering step 208.

[0279] At 206, the at least one processor 104 receives a design input. The design input is in the form of, or comprises, design input data. That is, at 206, the at least one processor 104 receives design input data. The design input may be provided via a user device 112A-N. For example, the design input may be provided by a user, via a GUI of the user device 112A-N, and transmitted to the protective suit development system 102 via the communications network 124. The at least one processor 104 may therefore receive the transmitted design input. It will be appreciated however, that the at least one processor 104 may retrieve the design input from memory 106. For example, the design input may be stored in memory 106 and subsequently retrieved by the at least one processor 104. In retrieving the design input, the at least one processor 104 may be said to receive the design input.

[0280] The design input comprises one or more design requirements, specifications or constraints associated with a protective suit. The design requirements, specifications or constraints may comprise or be referred to as design criteria. Therefore, at 206, the at least one processor 104 receives one or more design criterion associated with the protective suit. That is, at 206, the at least one processor 104 receives design input data indicating a protective suit design requirement. The protective suit design requirement is a design requirement of a protective suit that is being designed by a user of the system 100. The user may input the one or more design requirements, specifications or constraints, for example via a suitable GUI(s) on the user device 112A-N. Therefore, at 206, the user may provide the design input. The design input could be in the form of the user specifying required characteristics of the suit (or any component(s) of the suit), such as for example protective suit type, components required to be included (such as helmet, boots, gloves), the maximum weight of the suit (or component(s)), the material and material characteristics of the suit (or suit component s)). Alternatively, or in addition, the design input could be functional, in the form of the user indicating what the suit is to be used for, and / or what environmental conditions it is to withstand in use. For instance, the user might indicate an intended activity and / or an estimated magnitude of applied forces and / or atmospheric conditions in use. Alternatively, or in addition, the design input could be in the form of the user selecting from one or more preexisting or preprogrammed suit designs. The one or more preexisting or preprogrammed suit designs may be preprogrammed and stored in a memory, such as memory 106. The design input may also take the form of a combination of these input types, and may be iterative. For instance, based on the user’s initial input as to design requirements, specifications or constraints, one or more of the preprogrammed suit designs may be outputted as a suggestion. The user may in turn select one or more of the suggested preprogrammed suit designs but indicate a required customisation. The customisation may be incorporated into the one or more preprogrammed suit designs, and a further output may be displayed to the user, for instance showing how the customisation has been incorporated into each suit design, displaying any limitations or difficulties this entails with any one or more of the suit designs, and / or indicating any suit designs for which this customisation is not possible.

[0281] At 206, the at least one processor 104 generates one or more protective suit design based on the design input. That is, the at least one processor 104 generates at least one protective suit design based on the design input data. Generating a protective suit design comprises generating protective suit design data. The protective suit design data characterises a design of a protective suit. Thus, at 206, the at least one processor 104 generates protective suit design data based on the design input. That is, the at least one processor 104 generates the protective suit design data based on the design input data.

[0282] The at least one processor 104 generates a protective suit design. The protective suit design satisfies the design input. In other words, the at least one processor 104 generates the protective suit design based on the one or more design requirements, specifications or constraints. That is, based on the user’s inputs as to design requirements, specifications or constraints, one or more protective suit designs meeting these criteria may be generated. Thus, the protective suit design data satisfies one or more criterion of the design input data. Examples of such inputs include, for example, suit occupant dimensions, required ranges of motion etc. The design input data may also comprise prototype test results, or manufactured suit test results, generated from testing or use of a prototype protective suit or manufactured protective suit. The prototype protective suit or manufactured protective suit may be manufactured in accordance with the method 200. That is, the data generated in relation to these suits may be generated during the manufacturing phase 204. In some cases, a particular protective suit design, or the design of a component thereof, that satisfies the design input may not be known. For example, where a component of the design input is an environmental condition (e.g. a temperature, gravity, maximum stress or strain), the specific characteristics of a protective suit that is capable of withstanding those conditions may not be known with certainty. In such a case, the generated protective suit design may be generated based on an estimate of the design required to satisfy the design input. That is, the at least one processor 104 may generate the protective suit design that is estimated to satisfy the design input.

[0283] Generating a protective suit design may comprise generating a design for each component of the protective suit. Therefore, in some embodiments, the at least one processor 104 generates a plurality of protective suit component designs at 206.

[0284] At 206, the at least one processor 104 may generate a plurality of protective suit designs. Each protective suit design may satisfy the design requirement; however, the designs can be different, with each design being analysed later for the selection of an optimised suit design.

[0285] In addition to the user’s inputs, the at least one processor 104 may also rely on preprogrammed data, such as data stored in memory 106. For instance, data as to design rules, standard suit dimensions, or other preprogrammed suit parameters may be used by the at least one processor 104 in generating the protective suit design. The at least one processor 104 may generate a virtual model of the protective suit design. The virtual model may comprise one or more two-dimensional models of the protective suit design. The virtual model may comprise a three-dimensional model of the protective suit design. Therefore, a virtual two or three-dimensional model of the one or more protective suit designs (and / or component(s) thereof) meeting the user’s inputted criteria may be generated and displayed to the user, such as via one or more GUIs on the user device. Information pertaining to each protective suit design (and / or component(s) thereof) may also be displayed, such as type, weight, material, material characteristics, dimensions.

[0286] One or more characteristics of the protective suit design(s) (or component(s) thereof) meeting the user’s inputted criteria may be modelled. For instance, surfaces or contours may be modelled using boundary representation (B-rep) non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) techniques. Other techniques that may be used to model the one or more characteristics of the one or more protective suit designs (or component(s) thereof) include mesh modelling, parametric modelling, mesh parametric beams, and techniques involving implicit voxels. Still other techniques which may be used include cellular automata, genetic algorithms, shape grammar, L-systems, and agent-based modelling. Other techniques employed at design step 206 and / or engineering step 208 may include model based systems engineering (MBSE) and systems model based development modelling. The skilled person may identify other suitable techniques. Furthermore, at the design step 206, the at least one processor 104 may implement automatic design optimisation. This, and one or more of the above-noted techniques, may be implemented using artificial intelligence.

[0287] The at least one processor 104 may be configured to optimise the protective suit design process by using template suits or suit components stored in memory 106. Rather than generating each protective suit design or component without reference to a prior design, in some embodiments, the at least one processor 104 retrieves one or more pre-existing templates from memory 106. The templates are template protective suit designs that satisfy known design requirements. Further, the templates can comprise suit component designs, rather than whole suit designs. In this way, a template of a specific component can be used in the generation of the protective suit design(s) at 206. The at least one processor 104 can use the one or more templates as a starting point for the design process.

[0288] In some embodiments, memory 106 stores a library of template suit designs and / or suit components. These templates may represent various types of protective suits (e.g., space suits, underwater suits, HAZMAT suits) or specific components (e.g., helmets, gloves, boots) that have been previously designed or optimised. Each template may be associated with metadata describing its characteristics, intended use, and performance parameters. A template suit design may be a three-dimensional model of a protective suit. The template suit design may also comprise geometric and material characteristics of the components of that suit. A template component may be a three-dimensional model of a component of a template protective suit. The template component may also comprise geometric and material characteristics of that component.

[0289] When initiating the design process based on the design input data received at step 206, the at least one processor 104 may analyse the input requirements and query the template library in memory 106 to identify one or more suitable template suits or components. The selection may be based on matching input criteria such as suit type, environmental conditions, or specific performance requirements with the metadata associated with the templates.

[0290] Once a suitable template is identified, the at least one processor 104 may retrieve the template data from memory 106 and use it as abase for generating the protective suit design. This approach can significantly reduce the computational complexity and time required to generate new suit designs, as the template provides a pre-optimised starting point. The at least one processor 104 may then modify and refine the template design based on the specific requirements of the current design input.

[0291] For example, if the design input specifies a need for a high-pressure underwater suit, the at least one processor 104 may retrieve a template for a deep-sea diving suit from memory 106. The template may include pre-defined geometries for pressure-resistant components and optimised material selections. The at least one processor 104 can then adjust these parameters based on the specific depth requirements, expected duration of use, or other factors specified in the design input.

[0292] This template-based approach may be particularly beneficial when applied to complex components such as joint mechanisms or life support systems. Instead of redesigning these intricate systems for each new suit, the at least one processor 104 can adapt pre-validated designs stored as templates in memory 106, potentially reducing development time and improving reliability.

[0293] The use of template suit designs and components can significantly reduce the computational requirements of the protective suit development system 102. By leveraging pre-existing templates stored in memory 106, the at least one processor 104 can avoid the computationally intensive task of generating complex geometries and material configurations from scratch for each new design. Instead, the processor 104 can focus its computational resources on modifying and optimising these pre-validated templates to meet specific design requirements. This approach may substantially decrease the time and processing power needed for initial design generation at step 206 and subsequent engineering analysis at step 208. For instance, when performing finite element analysis or computational fluid dynamics simulations during the engineering step 208, the use of template-based designs may allow for more efficient mesh generation and reduced solution times, as the base geometries have already been optimised for computational analysis. Furthermore, by starting with pre-optimised templates, the system 102 may require fewer iterations in the design-simulate-update loop to achieve a satisfactory design, thereby further reducing the overall computational load on the protective suit development system 102. This efficiency gain may enable the system to handle more complex designs or a larger number of design variants within the same computational constraints, ultimately leading to more thorough exploration of the design space and potentially superior final protective suit designs.

[0294] Furthermore, the template-based design process may facilitate iterative improvement of the protective suit development system 102 over time. As new designs are created and validated through the prototyping step 210 and testing step 212, the at least one processor 104 may update existing templates or create new ones based on successful designs. This continuous refinement of the template library can lead to increasingly efficient and effective suit designs in subsequent iterations of the method 200.

[0295] The use of templates may also enhance the system's ability to rapidly generate multiple design variants. The at least one processor 104 may apply different modifications to the same base template, creating a range of design options that can be evaluated in parallel during the engineering step 208. This approach can help identify optimal design solutions more quickly and efficiently than generating each variant from scratch.

[0296] One or more interim outputs may be displayed to the user during the design step 206. The at least one processor 104 may receive one or more inputs from the user in relation to these interim outputs. These inputs may be referred to as interim inputs. The at least one processor 104 may generate the protective suit design(s) based on the interim inputs, if any.

[0297] One or more of the generated protective suit designs may be chosen by the user for further progress through the method 200 at the end of the design step 206. The user may provide a selection input to the at least one processor 104 (e.g. via the user interface of the user device). The selection input may indicate the generated protective suit design(s) that the user has chosen. Data (such as the two-or three-dimensional virtual models, and any data as to materials, material characteristics, weight, and such information) pertaining to the one or more protective suit designs chosen by the user, or at least part of this data, is an output of step 206. This data becomes the input (or part of the input) of step 208. This output may be referred to as output data.

[0298] The at least one processor 104 stores the generated protective suit designs as detailed models in memory 106. The protective suit designs generated at 206, that are to be progressed to 208 for analysis, are stored in memory 106 as detailed models. As described herein, 206 may involve the generation of each of a plurality of components of each protective suit design. The at least one processor 104 may store each component in a detailed model in memory 106. In some embodiments, each protective suit design, or the design of a component thereof, specifies characteristics of a protective suit. As described herein, the characteristics may comprise at least one of dimensions, weight, material, and material properties, for at least one component of the protective suit. In some cases, a protective suit design specifies each characteristic for each component of the relevant protective suit design. These characteristics may be stored as part of the detailed model in memory 106, providing a complete digital representation of the protective suit design that can be accessed and used throughout the method 200.

[0299] At 206, the at least one processor 104 may also generate a simplified version of a protective suit design. Each simplified version of a protective suit design is associated with a corresponding protective suit design. In generating a simplified version of a protective suit design, the at least one processor 104 may generate a simplified version of each component of the protective suit design. In some cases, the at least one processor 104 generates a simplified version of each protective suit design that is generated for progression to 208. The simplified version may be generated to facilitate more efficient computational processing during subsequent analysis steps while maintaining the core design characteristics needed for evaluation. In some embodiments, the at least one processor 104 stores the simplified version of the protective suit design in memory 106. This dual storage approach, in which a detailed model and a simplified model are stored for later reference, enables the system 102 to selectively access either the detailed model or the simplified version depending on the computational requirements of a particular step or analysis. A simplified version of a protective suit design may be referred to as a simplified model of the protective suit design. The simplified version of a protective suit design may be generated using different approaches. In some cases, the simplified version of a protective suit design may be generated using the detailed model. The at least one processor 104 may process the detailed model to create a reduced-complexity representation while preserving key design features and performance characteristics. Alternatively, the simplified version of a protective suit design may be generated based on the design input data received at step 206. In this approach, the at least one processor 104 may create both the detailed model and the simplified version in parallel, using the same design input data but applying different levels of detail and complexity to each version.

[0300] The simplified version of a protective suit design comprises a representation of the associated protective suit design that is of reduced geometric complexity. More specifically, the simplified version of at least a portion of a protective suit design (such as a component there of) may comprise a representation of the at least a portion of the protective suit design with reduced geometric complexity relative to the detailed model. In other words, the representation of components of a protective suit design, in the simplified version, are lower resolution compared to the corresponding detailed model. This reduction in geometric complexity may be achieved through various techniques that the at least one processor 104 may employ. For example, the simplified version may use fewer geometric elements, reduced mesh density, simplified material representations, or approximated component interfaces compared to the detailed model. The simplified version may maintain the overall form and critical dimensions of the protective suit design while reducing computational overhead for preliminary analysis and evaluation steps.

[0301] The storage of both detailed and simplified versions in memory 106 may provide the protective suit development system 102 with flexibility in computational resource management. The at least one processor 104 may initially use the simplified version for rapid preliminary assessments and design iterations, then access the detailed model when more comprehensive analysis is required. This approach may optimise the overall efficiency of the design process by allowing quick evaluation of multiple design variants using the simplified versions, followed by detailed analysis of selected designs using the complete detailed models.

[0302] The memory 106 may organise the detailed models and simplified versions using appropriate data structures and indexing systems to facilitate efficient retrieval and management. The at least one processor 104 may maintain associations between corresponding detailed models and simplified versions, ensuring that modifications to one version can be appropriately reflected in the other when necessary. This coordinated storage approach may support the iterative nature of the design process while maintaining data integrity throughout the method 200.

[0303] The at least one processor 104 may select one or more protective suit designs generated at 206 for progressing through the method 200. The at least one processor 104 may select the protective suit design(s) to be progressed based on one or more progression criteria. For example, the at least one processor 104 may prioritising progressing lower-complexity protective suit designs.

[0304] As part of outputting protective suit designs to be used as inputs of the engineering step 208, the format of said data is, if required, converted into a format suitable for inputting to engineering step 208. This may be done at the end of step 206, at the start of step 208, or via an intermediate step. Similarly, for any other output data described herein which becomes input data for a further step (also referred to herein as a “subsequent step”), said data is (if required) converted into a format suitable for inputting at said further step. Suitable formats for the respective steps may be known ahead of time. For example, the suitable formats, or indications of said formats, may be stored in memory 106. Alternatively, or additionally, a user may input an indication of required format, in use. The protective suit development system 102 may comprise, or have access to, any required software for converting between formats. Between steps 206 and 208, at least some of the data (e.g. the three-dimensional model of the one or more protective suits) may, for instance, be converted from one type of CAD file to another. It is also possible that between steps 206 and 208 (and certain other steps of method 200), no conversion of format is required.

[0305] The required format to be converted to may depend on the destination of the data. That is to say, the required format to be converted to may vary depending on what the further step or subsequent step is, being the step to which the data is being conveyed. As noted above, data may be conveyed between sequentially -numbered steps (as shown in Figure 2), or may be conveyed to a different step, such as a step that has already previously occurred, or a step that is not sequentially numbered in Figure 2 relative to the preceding step.

[0306] The protective suit designs generated at the design step 206, that are used as inputs to the engineering step 208 may be referred to as prospective protective suit designs. That is, the output of 206 may be referred to as prospective protective suit design data.

[0307] At engineering step 208, one or more of the protective suit designs generated at 206 are subjected to one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes, to assess their performance and suitability in view of the inputted circumstances and conditions of their intended use, and other relevant data which may have been inputted at step 206 or may now be further inputted. The protective suit designs analysed at 208 may be those chosen by the user, or selected by the at least one processor 104, at the end of design step 206. The circumstances and conditions may include environmental conditions such as temperature, pressure, humidity, wind conditions, light conditions, gravitational forces, other applied forces; and / or may include activities to be carried out by the user while wearing the suit. The circumstances and conditions may be modelled by performance simulations. One example may be a simulation to assess neutral buoyancy of the suit; another example may be a simulation to determine the centre of gravity / rotation of the suit.

[0308] The at least one processor 104 may conduct one or more of the simulated modelling or analysis processes. That is, at 208, the at least one processor 104 performs one or more simulated modelling or analysis process. The at least one processor 104 uses the output of 206 as an input of 208. In other words, the protective suit data is the input of 208.

[0309] The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may in turn utilise a virtual two or three- dimensional model (such as a CAE baseline model based on data inputted from step 206 and / or otherwise inputted into step 208). The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may utilise multiphysics simulation and high-performance modelling techniques. The one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may comprise one or more of: stress analysis; finite element analysis (FEA); fatigue life estimation (FLE); computational fluid dynamics; surface analysis; tribology; additive manufacturing (DFAM); lattice and geometry estimation. One or more of these analyses may be applied to the virtual model generated or selected at 206. The aim of such simulated modelling or analysis processes is to determine or predict fitness for purpose of each of the one or more protective suit designs chosen by the user at step 206 in view of the inputted circumstances and conditions of their intended use, such as by assessing structural integrity and other parameters and performance metrics.

[0310] Furthermore, at step 208 (or more generally during the protective suit design phase 202), the manufacturing steps or processes (such as the production system architecture) required to manufacture the one or more protective suit designs from step 206 may be determined (and / or modelled or simulated). This enables the determination of an estimated manufacturing cost based on things like required materials, tooling, and duration and complexity of the manufacturing process, and the feasibility / manufacturability of each such protective suit design to be gauged. Therefore, at 208, the at least one processor 104 may determine the manufacturing steps or processes for manufacturing the one or more protective suit designs chosen by the user at step 206. The at least one processor 104 determines the manufacturing steps based on the data output from step 206. This assessment may include both manufacture for purposes of prototyping, and manufacture in the sense of final production (or one or the other of these). Alternatively, this may take place as a separate and distinct step of the process of method 200.

[0311] In performing the one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes at 208, the at least one processor 104 may compare a simulated performance of the suit designs generated at 206 to target suit design criteria. For example, in the context of a range of motion simulation, the at least one processor 104 may simulate a range of motion of one or more of the suit designs generated at 206 and compare this simulated range of motion to a target range of motion. That is, the at least one processor 104 may simulate performance of one or more suit design generated at 206 and compare the simulated performance to one or more design criterion. The design criterion may specify a minimum desired performance requirement of the suit.

[0312] Illustratively, each of the protective suit designs may be assessed based on criteria including one or more of weight (with an emphasis on weight reduction where possible), manufacturability, and structural integrity.

[0313] At least some of the one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes may involve or be based on three types of input data: data as to the particular protective suit, data as to the protective suit user, and data as to the environmental conditions. Some or all of this data may be entered at steps 206 and / or 208.

[0314] In some examples, the simulated modelling or analysis processes are entirely virtual or simulated, that is to say, the protective suit, the suit user, and the environmental conditions are all simulated or generated virtually based on inputted data. In other examples, the suit user may participate physically in the process, to the extent of performing motions, actions, or activities that correspond to some or all of the motions, actions or activities they would be required to carry out when wearing the protective suit in the relevant environment / conditions and for its intended purpose. One or more sensors (for instance those provided by the suit development sensor system 140), such as a camera(s) having motion sensors, and / or physiological or biomedical sensor(s) attached to the suit user’s body, may monitor the suit user’s physiological parameters and responses. The data generated by the one or more sensors may be used to predict how the suit user would perform when wearing the protective suit in the relevant environment / conditions and circumstances. The data generated by the one or more sensors may be used to predict how the protective suit would perform when worn by the suit user in the relevant conditions and circumstances. The data generated by the one or more sensors may be used to identify any improvement to or optimisation of the user’s actions and / or the protective suit, in such cases, the environment may be fully simulated or virtual, and / or may be at least in part physically simulated such as by devices proximate to the suit user configured to simulate temperature conditions, wind conditions, light conditions, and certain other features of the intended environment. In some examples, where the user has access to one or more of the protective suits the suitability of which is being assessed at step 208, the user may be wearing one or more layers (502, 504 in Figure 5) and / or components (506 - 514 in Figure 5) of the protective suit being assessed when performing the relevant motions, actions or activities. In this case, at least some of the physiological or biomedical sensors may be provided by sensors on the suit, such as on the base layer (502 in Figure 5) of the suit. In still other examples, a mannequin (optionally having one or more sensors connected to it) may be used to simulate certain motions, actions or activities of the suit user. In such a case the mannequin may be wearing the suit (or certain layers (502, 504 in Figure 5) or components (506 - 514 in Figure 5) of the suit), or the suit may be virtually simulated. The environment may also be simulated, entirely virtually or at least in part by being physically simulated.

[0315] One or more rounds of simulated modelling or analysis may be performed at step 208. In other words, the at least one processor 104 performs one or more rounds of simulated modelling or analysis at 208. For example, modelling or assessing the suitability of the one or more protective suit designs (or suit components) across the full breadth and / or range of the intended conditions and circumstances may require running the model or simulation multiple times with a range of different boundary conditions. As another example, different models or simulations may be run to assess how different components, variants or materials of respective parts of the preliminary protective suit designs work together.

[0316] As a consequence of the one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes at engineering step 208, it may be determined that one or more of the preliminary protective suit designs require redesign of one or more aspects, features or components. In other words, the at least one processor 104 may determine that one or more aspects of one or more of the preliminary protective suit designs requires a redesign. The at least one processor 104 may determine that one or more aspects of one or more of the preliminary protective suit designs do not meet a design criterion. The relevant design criterion may be a performance criterion. For instance, a particular suit (or suit component) may not meet performance requirements when subjected to the expected conditions or circumstances of its intended use (which may include the suit user’s characteristics and physiological or biomedical data). For instance, the user’s range of motion when performing a particular action may not be consistent with the operating range of motion of the relevant portion or region of the protective suit; or the suit may not be capable of withstanding imposed environmental conditions, for example temperature, pressure, gravitational forces. Consequently, data pertaining to any one or more protective suit designs (or suit components) requiring redesign, along with any other relevant data such as identified conditions or circumstances of the issue or failure, may be conveyed as an input back to design step 206, as indicated by arrow 228. As noted above, this may involve converting the data into a format suitable for use at design step 206. Once any design changes are made, the one or more protective suit designs may be subjected again to simulated modelling or analysis at the engineering step 208, in a manner similar to that described above.

[0317] At engineering step 208, one or more of the preliminary protective suit designs may be assessed as being unsuitable for the intended conditions and circumstances. In other words, at 208 the at least one processor 104 may determine that one or more of the protective suits do not satisfy one or more user design criterion associated with an intended condition or circumstance. Such suits may be discarded from further steps of the process. This may be done automatically by the at least one processor 104. Alternatively, this may be done upon input of the user’s consent.

[0318] At engineering step 208, one or more of the preliminary protective suit designs may be determined to meet the design criteria. That is, the at least one processor 104 may determine that one or more of the preliminary protective suit designs satisfy the design criteria. The at least one processor 104 generates an output that indicates the preliminary protective suit designs that satisfy the design criteria. The output may comprise a virtual model of the candidate protective suit designs. Data as to the suits that are assessed as suitable (and / or any other suits considered at engineering step 208) may be contained in, for example, one or more CAE files. These may be generated at the end of, or during / throughout, engineering step 208. Some or all of the data generated at engineering step 208 may be outputted for review by the user, such as via an appropriate GUI(s) on the user device(s) 112A-N, during and / or after step 208, and / or at the end of the process of method 200. The at least one processor 104 may store the candidate protective suit designs that are determined to meet the design criteria at 208 in memory 106. The protective suit designs that are determined to meet the design criteria may be referred to as candidate protective suit designs. Therefore, the at least one processor 104 generates an output that is associated with one or more candidate protective suit designs.

[0319] In some embodiments, the at least one processor 104 performs the simulated modelling or analysis processes at 208 using the protective suit designs generated at 206. That is, the at least one processor 104 may perform the simulated modelling or analysis processes at 208 using the detailed models of the protective suit designs. This approach offers several advantages. Firstly, it ensures the highest level of precision in the simulation results, as the full complexity and detail of the protective suit design is taken into account. By using the detailed models, the simulations can capture intricate geometries, material properties, and design features that might be lost in simplified versions. Secondly, this method eliminates the need for multiple rounds of analysis with increasing levels of detail. Since the most comprehensive model is used from the outset, the at least one processor 104 only needs to compute the simulations once. Additionally, using the detailed models from the beginning may help identify potential issues or optimisations that might be overlooked in less detailed simulations, potentially reducing the number of design iterations required later in the development process.

[0320] However, performing simulated modelling or analysis processes using detailed models of the protective suit designs can be computationally intensive and time-consuming, especially for complex suit designs or when multiple design iterations are required. The high level of detail in these models may lead to longer processing times and increased demand on computational resources. To address this, the at least one processor 104 may employ a strategy of running less complex simulations where possible. For instance, the processor 104 may initially use simplified versions of the protective suit designs for preliminary analyses, reserving the use of detailed models for final verification or when high-precision results are critical. This approach can significantly reduce computation time and resource usage during the early stages of design iteration. The at least one processor 104 may also utilise adaptive mesh refinement techniques, focusing computational resources on areas of the model that require higher resolution while using coarser meshes elsewhere.

[0321] Therefore, in some embodiments, the at least one processor 104 retrieves the simplified version of the protective suit design from the memory 106 for the simulated modelling or analysis process. As specific parts of a protective suit design can be analysed individually, in some cases, a simplified version of a portion of the protective suit design is retrieved from memory 106. The at least one processor 104 then performs the preliminary simulation on this simplified version of the protective suit design or component thereof. It may therefore be said that at 208, the at least one processor 104 retrieves a simplified version of at least a portion of the protective suit design being analysed from the memory 106.

[0322] In some embodiments, the simplified version of at least a portion of the protective suit design may not be pre-generated and stored in memory 106 at step 206. Instead, the simplified version may be generated as part of the retrieval process at step 208. In such cases, when the at least one processor 104 retrieves a simplified version of at least a portion of the protective suit design being analysed, it may actually involve generating the simplified version based on the detailed model stored in memory 106, or the design input data. This on-demand simplification process may be performed by the at least one processor 104 using various techniques such as geometry simplification, feature suppression, or mesh reduction algorithms. By generating the simplified version at the time of retrieval, the system 102 can ensure that the simplified model accurately reflects any recent changes to the detailed model, while also optimising storage usage in memory 106.

[0323] The at least one processor 104 performs a preliminary simulation using the simplified version of the protective suit design, or one or more component thereof, to evaluate performance of the protective suit design. The preliminary simulation may be as described above with reference to a simulated modelling or analysis process. That is, the preliminary simulation may be a simulated modelling or analysis process. This preliminary simulation may involve various types of analyses, such as finite element analysis (FEA) for structural integrity, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for aerodynamic or hydrodynamic performance, or thermal analysis for heat transfer characteristics. Using the simplified version of the protective suit design or one or more components thereof allows for faster computation times while still providing meaningful insights into the protective suit design's performance.

[0324] During this preliminary simulation, the at least one processor 104 may evaluate key performance metrics relevant to the specific type of protective suit being designed. For example, for a spacesuit, the simulation might assess factors such as mobility range, pressure retention, or thermal regulation. For an underwater suit, it might focus on buoyancy, water resistance, or pressure equalisation. The simulation may also consider the intended environmental conditions and circumstances of use, as specified in the design input data. Thus, performing the preliminary simulation comprises modelling performance of the at least a portion of the protective suit design under at least one environmental condition; and / or at least one intended operational circumstance.

[0325] The result of the preliminary simulation may comprise a variety of performance metrics and characteristics that enable the evaluation of the viability and effectiveness of the protective suit design or one or more components thereof. These may include a simulated stress distribution, which shows how forces are distributed across the suit stmcture under various conditions, helping identify potential weak points or areas of excessive stress. A simulated strain distribution may reveal how different parts of the suit deform under load, which is particularly important for assessing flexibility and comfort. The simulation may also provide an estimated thermal transfer characteristic, indicating how well the suit regulates temperature in different environments. A predicted range of motion limitation can enable an understanding how the suit design might restrict the wearer's movements, which is especially important for tasks requiring dexterity. The simulation may also yield an estimated weight of the suit or component. Additionally, a calculated centre of gravity of the simplified version can provide insights into the suit's balance and stability, which can affect user comfort and performance. These preliminary simulation results allow the at least one processor 104 to quickly assess multiple aspects of the suit's performance without the computational overhead of using the full, detailed model.

[0326] The at least one processor 104 compares the result(s) of the preliminary simulation to a performance criterion. In some embodiments, the at least one processor 104 compares results of the preliminary simulation to a plurality of performance criteria. In doing so, the at least one processor 104 determines whether the protective suit design, or component thereof, as represented by the simplified version, meets or fails to meet the performance criterion or criteria. The performance criterion or criteria may be related to the design input or the associated design requirements.

[0327] The performance criterion or criteria used for the comparison may include one or more parameters that are important for the protective suit's functionality and / or safety. These may include a maximum allowable stress threshold, which ensures the suit material or components do not experience stresses that could lead to failure or compromise structural integrity. A maximum allowable strain threshold may be used to verify that the suit's deformation under load remains within acceptable limits, preserving its shape and function. For thermal performance, a required thermal insulation value may be specified to ensure the suit provides adequate protection in extreme temperature environments. The simulation results may be compared against a minimum required range of motion to confirm that the suit design allows for necessary mobility and dexterity. A maximum allowable weight criterion may be used for applications where the suit's mass directly impacts user performance or mission parameters. Additionally, an acceptable centre of gravity range may be defined to ensure the suit maintains proper balance and does not unduly affect the wearer's stability or movement. The performance criterion or criteria may be associated with at least one environmental condition (e.g. an environmental temperature and pressure on the lunar surface). The performance criterion or criteria may be associated with at least one intended operational circumstance (e.g. a maximum gravitational force that may be experienced during flight). By comparing the preliminary simulation results against these performance criteria, the at least one processor 104 can quickly identify whether the simplified version of the protective suit design meets the design requirements or if further refinement of the protective suit design would be advantageous. The performance criteria may be dynamically adjusted based on the specific environmental conditions and operational circumstances the protective suit is designed to withstand. For example, in high-radiation environments, additional criteria related to radiation shielding effectiveness may be introduced. In scenarios involving potential chemical exposure, the performance criteria may include measures of material permeability and chemical resistance. For suits designed for use in varying gravitational fields, the acceptable centre of gravity range may be defined as a function of the expected gravitational forces. The minimum required range of motion may be tailored to specific tasks, such as equipment manipulation in space or underwater welding operations. In extreme temperature environments, the thermal insulation value criterion may be set to ensure not only protection from external temperatures but also management of internally generated heat during physical exertion.

[0328] At 208, the at least one processor 104 determines an outcome of the preliminary simulation for a protective suit design or component thereof. The outcome may be a passing outcome. Where a protective suit design, or a component thereof, meets all performance criteria of the preliminary simulation, it may be said to meet the performance criteria and pass the preliminary simulation. That is, this may be the passing outcome. Where a protective suit design, or a component thereof, does not meet one or more of the performance criteria of the preliminary simulation, it may be said to fail to meet the performance criteria. In such a case, the protective suit design, or a component thereof, may be said to fail the preliminary simulation. This may be a failing outcome.

[0329] In some cases, the performance criterion may comprise a threshold value. The at least one processor 104 may compare a corresponding simulation result to this threshold value. If a simulation result exceeds the threshold value, the at least one processor 104 may determine that the protective suit fails under at least one environmental condition and / or at least one intended operational circumstance. For example, if the maximum stress experienced by a component of the protective suit during the preliminary simulation exceeds a predefined stress threshold, the at least one processor 104 may determine that the protective suit design fails to meet the performance criterion for that particular environmental condition or operational circumstance.

[0330] In other cases, the performance criterion may be represented by a set of allowable values bounded by a lower limit and an upper limit. The at least one processor 104 may compare a simulation result to this set of allowable values. If a simulation result falls outside this set of allowable values, the at least one processor 104 may determine that the protective suit design fails under at least one environmental condition and / or at least one intended operational circumstance. For instance, the range of motion for a joint in the protective suit may need to fall within a specific range to prevent injury of the suit user.

[0331] Where the range of motion exceeds this specific range, the at least one processor 104 may determine that the protective suit design fails to meet the performance criterion for that particular operational circumstance.

[0332] In response to a protective suit design or component thereof failing the preliminary simulation, the at least one processor 104 performs a comprehensive simulation. The at least one processor 104 performs the comprehensive simulation using at least a portion of the detailed model. In particular, the at least one processor 104 performs the comprehensive simulation using the relevant part(s), or all of, the detailed model.

[0333] In order to perform the comprehensive simulation, the at least one processor 104 retrieves the detailed model of the protective suit design from the memory 106. As specific parts of a protective suit design can be analysed individually, in some cases, the detailed model of a portion of the protective suit design is retrieved from memory 106 for the comprehensive simulation. This may correspond to the detailed model of one or more components of the protective suit design.

[0334] The at least one processor 104 then performs the comprehensive simulation on this detailed model of the protective suit design or component(s) thereof. It may therefore be said that at 208, the at least one processor 104 retrieves a detailed model of at least a portion of the protective suit design being analysed from the memory 106. Thus, the at least one processor 104 retrieves at least a portion of the detailed model from the memory 106 in response to the preliminary simulation failing to meet the performance criterion, with the comprehensive simulation being performed using the at least a portion of the detailed model.

[0335] The at least one processor 104 performs a comprehensive simulation using the detailed model of the protective suit design, or one or more component thereof, to evaluate performance of the protective suit design. The possibility exists that the protective suit design, or component thereof, failed the preliminary simulation because the simplified version differed from the detailed model enough to cause the preliminary simulation to fail in a case where the detailed model would not fail a comprehensive simulation. Thus, the comprehensive simulation is performed to confirm the failure case.

[0336] The comprehensive simulation may be as described herein with reference to a simulated modelling or analysis process. That is, the comprehensive simulation may be a simulated modelling or analysis process. This comprehensive simulation may involve various types of analyses, such as finite element analysis (FEA) for structural integrity, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for aerodynamic or hydrodynamic performance, or thermal analysis for heat transfer characteristics. Using the detailed model of the protective suit design, or one or more components thereof, enables a high-quality, high-resolution simulation to be performed, which can improve the accuracy of the simulation results compared to the preliminary simulation performed using the simplified version. During this comprehensive simulation, the at least one processor 104 may evaluate key performance metrics relevant to the specific type of protective suit being designed. For example, for a spacesuit, the simulation might assess factors such as mobility range, pressure retention, or thermal regulation. For an underwater suit, it might focus on buoyancy, water resistance, or pressure equalisation. The comprehensive simulation may also consider the intended environmental conditions and circumstances of use, as specified in the design input data. Thus, performing the comprehensive simulation comprises modelling performance of the at least a portion of the protective suit design under at least one environmental condition; and / or at least one intended operational circumstance.

[0337] The result of the comprehensive simulation may comprise a variety of performance metrics and characteristics that enable the evaluation of the viability and effectiveness of the protective suit design or one or more components thereof. These may include a simulated stress distribution, a simulated strain distribution, an estimated thermal transfer characteristic, a predicted range of motion limitation and / or an estimated weight of the suit or component. Additionally, a calculated centre of gravity of the detailed model of the protective suit or component thereof can provide insights into the suit or component(s)’s balance and stability. These comprehensive simulation results allow the at least one processor 104 to comprehensively assess multiple aspects of the suit's performance.

[0338] The at least one processor 104 compares the result(s) of the comprehensive simulation to a performance criterion. In some embodiments, the at least one processor 104 compares results of the comprehensive simulation to a plurality of performance criteria. In doing so, the at least one processor 104 determines whether the protective suit design, or component thereof, as represented by detailed model, meets or fails to meet the performance criterion or criteria of the comprehensive simulation.

[0339] The performance criterion or criteria used for the comparison may include one or more parameters that are important for the protective suit's functionality and / or safety. As described with reference to the preliminary simulation, these may include a maximum allowable stress threshold, a maximum allowable strain threshold, a required thermal insulation value, a minimum required range of motion, a maximum allowable weight criterion and / or an acceptable centre of gravity range. Thus, the performance criterion or criteria may be associated with at least one environmental condition (e.g. an environmental temperature and pressure on the lunar surface). The performance criterion or criteria may be associated with at least one intended operational circumstance (e.g. a maximum gravitational force that may be experienced during flight). By comparing the comprehensive simulation results against these performance criteria, the at least one processor 104 can identify, in detail, whether the detailed model of the protective suit design meets the design requirements or if further refinement of the protective suit design would be advantageous. As described with reference to the preliminary simulation, the performance criteria may be dynamically adjusted based on the specific environmental conditions and operational circumstances the protective suit is designed to withstand. At 208, the at least one processor 104 determines an outcome of the comprehensive simulation for the protective suit design or component thereof. The outcome may be a passing outcome. Where the protective suit design, or the component thereof, meets all performance criteria of the comprehensive simulation, it may be said to meet the performance criteria and pass the comprehensive simulation. That is, this may be the passing outcome. Where the protective suit design, or the component thereof, does not meet one or more of the performance criteria of the comprehensive simulation, it may be said to fail to meet the performance criteria. In such a case, the protective suit design, or a component thereof, may be said to fail the comprehensive simulation. This may be a failing outcome.

[0340] In some cases, as described with reference to the preliminary simulation, the performance criterion may comprise a threshold value. The at least one processor 104 may compare a corresponding simulation result to this threshold value. If a simulation result exceeds the threshold value, the at least one processor 104 may determine that the protective suit fails under at least one environmental condition and / or at least one intended operational circumstance. Similarly, the performance criterion may be represented by a set of allowable values bounded by a lower limit and an upper limit. The at least one processor 104 may compare a simulation result to this set of allowable values. If a comprehensive simulation result falls outside this set of allowable values, the at least one processor 104 may determine that the protective suit design fails under at least one environmental condition and / or at least one intended operational circumstance.

[0341] In response to the result of the comprehensive simulation failing to meet the performance criterion, the at least one processor 104 may initiate an iterative design optimisation process. This process involves updating the protective suit design and repeating the storing, retrieving, performing, and comparing steps using at least a portion of the updated protective suit design. That is, this process involves updating the protective suit design and repeating the preliminary and comprehensive simulations to assess the performance of the updated suit design. Thus, the at least one processor 104 iteratively updates the protective suit design, or the design of one or more components thereof, and repeats the storing, retrieving, performing, and comparing steps using at least a portion of the updated protective suit design in response to the comprehensive simulation failing to meet the performance criterion.

[0342] Updating the protective suit design comprises changing a value of at least one parameter of the protective suit design. The at least one parameter may comprise a parameter of one or more components of the protective suit design, where a subassembly of the protective suit design was simulated. The at least one parameter may comprise a parameter of the updated protective suit design. The at least one parameter may comprise a parameter of a component of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design that influences, or is influenced by, components of the at least a portion of the protective suit design or at least a portion of the updated protective suit design. The at least one parameter may comprise a wide range of characteristics, including but not limited to: geometric dimensions of the suit or its components; material properties; layer thicknesses; configmation or arrangement of components; weight distribution; joint angles or range of motion limits; thermal insulation properties; pressure resistance characteristics; flexibility or rigidity properties; sealing or interface properties between components; ventilation or air circulation parameters; electromagnetic shielding properties; chemical resistance properties; abrasion resistance characteristics; visibility or camouflage properties; and buoyancy characteristics.

[0343] The at least one processor 104 may systematically adjust these parameters based on the results of the failed preliminary simulation and / or comprehensive simulation. For example, if the comprehensive simulation revealed that the stress in a particular component exceeded the maximum allowable stress threshold, the at least one processor 104 may adjust the geometric dimensions or material properties of that component to reduce the stress. Similarly, if the range of motion was found to be outside the set of allowable values, the at least one processor 104 may modify joint angles or the configuration of components to improve mobility. These adjustments are made with the goal of bringing the design within the acceptable performance criteria while maintaining the overall functionality of the protective suit design.

[0344] After updating the protective suit design, the at least one processor 104 repeats the storing, retrieving, performing, and comparing steps using at least a portion of the updated protective suit design. It will be appreciated that these steps may be repeated for a simplified version of an updated protective suit design, as well as a detailed model of the updated protective suit design. That is, the at least one processor 104 repeats the preliminary simulation and / or the comprehensive simulation using the updated protective suit design, or one or more components thereof.

[0345] The at least one processor 104 stores the updated protective suit design as a new detailed model in the memory 106. The at least one processor 104 retrieves a simplified version of the updated protective suit design, performs a new preliminary simulation using the simplified version, and compares the results to the performance criteria. If the preliminary simulation is failed, the processor 104 may then proceed to a new comprehensive simulation using the updated detailed model. Thus, if the updated protective suit design fails the preliminary simulation, the at least one processor 104 retrieves a detailed model of the updated protective suit design, performs a new comprehensive simulation using the updated detailed model, and compares the results to the performance criteria. If the updated protective suit design fails the comprehensive simulation, it is updated again, with the aforementioned steps being repeated.

[0346] The at least one processor 104 continues this iterative process, making incremental improvements to the design and re-evaluating its performance, until either an iteration of the preliminary simulation meets all performance criteria or an iteration of the comprehensive simulation meets all performance criteria. In some embodiments, the number of iterations may be limited such that the process terminates when a predetermined number of iterations is reached, even if the simulations are still being failed. This approach allows for systematic refinement of the protective suit design.

[0347] When the result of an iteration of the preliminary simulation meets all performance criteria or the result of an iteration of the comprehensive simulation meets all performance criteria, the at least one processor 104 generates output data that is configured to initiate fabrication of at least a portion of a protective suit corresponding to the portion of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design that was subject to the simulation. In other words, in response to the result of the preliminary simulation or comprehensive simulation meeting the performance criterion, the at least one processor 104 generates output data. The output data may comprise the protective suit design that satisfied the design requirements. This may be referred to as a candidate protective suit design. That is, the output data may comprise the protective suit design data for a protective suit that has been simulated to meet the design requirements. Alternatively, the output data may comprise a model of the components of the relevant protective suit design that were simulated, where only a portion of the protective suit design was simulated. This may be referred to as a candidate protective suit component design. In some embodiments, some or all of the output data of this stage is referred to as candidate protective suit data.

[0348] In some embodiments, the output data is configured to initiate fabrication of the portion of the protective suit that passed the relevant simulation. This may be a portion of the protective suit that was simulated. In such a case, the output data is configured to initiate fabrication of at least a portion of a protective suit corresponding to the portion of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design. Where the whole protective suit design was simulated, the output data may be configured to initiate fabrication of a protective suit corresponding to that protective suit design.

[0349] In some embodiments, the output data comprises a control signal. The control signal may be configured to initiate fabrication of the at least a portion of the protective suit corresponding to the portion of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design that passed the relevant simulation, by a protective suit manufacture system. This control signal may serve as a trigger to commence the manufacturing phase 204, activating the various steps within this phase such as prototyping 210, testing 212, and production 214. Upon receiving the control signal, a protective suit manufacture system, or another part of the protective suit development system 102 may begin executing the first applicable step of the manufacturing phase 204. This is typically the prototyping step 210. The control signal may contain specific instructions or parameters derived from the successful simulation.

[0350] The output data generated by the at least one processor 104 in response to the simulation result(s) for the protective suit design or updated protective suit design meeting the performance criteria may comprise various types of information and signals to facilitate the transition from the design phase 202 to the manufacturing phase 204. This output data may be tailored to support different aspects of the prototyping and production processes, as well as to provide comprehensive documentation of the design and its performance.

[0351] The at least one processor 104 may transmit the control signal to one or more apparatuses of the protective suit development system 102. This transmission may occur over a network connection, which may be wired or wireless. The apparatuses may include manufacturing equipment such as 3D printers, CNC machines, or robotic assembly systems used in protective suit production.

[0352] In some embodiments, the output data may include a notification signal indicating that the protective suit design or updated protective suit design is ready for prototyping. This signal may be transmitted to relevant personnel or systems to initiate the prototyping process (e.g. one of the user devices 112). The output data may also comprise a data package containing detailed specifications for the protective suit design or updated protective suit design. This package may be configured for transmission to a prototyping facility, ensuring that all necessary design information is available for creating accurate prototypes.

[0353] For integration with manufacturing systems, the output data may include a set of computer-aided design (CAD) files representing the protective suit design or updated protective suit design. These files may be formatted for direct input into a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system, facilitating the transition from digital design to physical production. To support the procurement and inventory management aspects of manufacturing, the output data may contain a bill of materials listing all components and materials required for manufacturing a protective suit in accordance with the design.

[0354] To guide the manufacturing process, the output data may include a series of manufacturing instructions detailing the assembly process for a protective suit corresponding to the design. These instructions may provide step-by-step guidance for assembling the various components of the suit. Additionally, a quality control checklist based on the performance criteria met by the design may be included in the output data, ensuring that the manufactured suit meets all necessary standards and requirements.

[0355] For visualisation and presentation purposes, the output data may comprise a visualisation data set configured to generate a three-dimensional rendering of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design. Further, the output data may include a simulation results report summarising the performance of the design under the modelled conditions.

[0356] The iterative design process using preliminary and comprehensive simulations can provide significant technical benefits and computational efficiencies. By employing a simplified version of the protective suit design for preliminary simulations, the protective suit development system 102 can rapidly assess multiple design iterations with reduced computational overhead. This approach allows for quick identification of promising designs or potential issues without the need for time-consuming and resource-intensive detailed simulations for every iteration.

[0357] The use of preliminary simulations on simplified models may substantially reduce the computational resources required during the early stages of the design process. This reduction in computational load may enable the protective suit development system 102 to evaluate a larger number of design variations within a given timeframe, potentially leading to more optimized final designs. The preliminary simulations may also serve as an effective filter, allowing only the most promising designs to proceed to the more computationally expensive comprehensive simulations, thereby conserving high-performance computing resources.

[0358] Furthermore, this two-tiered simulation approach may significantly reduce data transmission requirements and bandwidth usage, particularly in distributed design environments. The simplified models used in preliminary simulations typically have smaller fde sizes and require less data to be transmitted between different components of the protective suit development system 102 or between geographically dispersed design teams. This reduction in data volume may lead to faster design iterations, improved collaboration, and reduced latency in the design process.

[0359] The iterative nature of the design process, coupled with the use of both preliminary and comprehensive simulations, may also contribute to tangible improvements in the final protective suit design. By allowing for rapid iterations and evaluations, the protective suit development system 102 may explore a broader design space and identify solutions that might be overlooked in a less agile process. This may lead to protective suits with enhanced performance characteristics, improved safety features, or more efficient manufacturing processes.

[0360] Moreover, the combination of preliminary and comprehensive simulations may provide a more robust validation of the protective suit design. While preliminary simulations offer quick assessments, comprehensive simulations on detailed models provide high-fidelity validation of critical design aspects. This multi-level validation approach may increase confidence in the design's performance and reliability, potentially reducing the need for physical prototyping and testing, which can be costly and time-consuming in the development of protective suits.

[0361] The data from the design phase 202 is used as an input of the manufacturing phase 204. At the conclusion of the protective suit design phase 202, data from this phase 202, such as the design specifications and other data of each of the candidate protective suits, or components thereof, that have met performance requirements at design phase 202 (in the sense of meeting the user’s inputted criteria and being assessed as suitable for the relevant conditions and circumstances during the one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes) is inputted into the prototyping step 210. In other words, the candidate protective suit data is used as an input of the prototyping step 210. The inputted data may include any simulations or models of the manufacturing process that were generated at design phase 202. As noted above, inputting the data may entail converting the data outputted from phase 202 into a format suitable for inputting into step 210.

[0362] At prototyping step 210, prototypes of each of (or optionally one or more of) the protective suit designs that have met performance requirements or been deemed suitable at phase 202 are made. In other words, at 210, a prototype of a candidate protective suit design is made. Where existing samples of one or more of the candidate protective suits are available, these may be used for the testing step 212 instead of, or in addition to, a prototype being created.

[0363] The prototypes may be created using an additive manufacturing method. The prototyping step may involve manufacturing the respective components of each of the protective suits, such as rigid or hard components, semi-rigid components, and textile components, and then assembling the respective components together according to the design inputted from phase 202. Post-processing steps may also be involved, before, during and / or after assembly. Illustratively, these may include one or more of: removing support structures; removing excess material; surface finishing. One or more aspects of the prototyping step may be based on any simulations or models of the manufacturing process that were generated at design phase 202.

[0364] One or more of the following techniques may be employed at prototyping step 210, using suitable machinery or tools: fused deposition modelling (FDM); selective laser sintering (SLS); stereo lithography (SLA); direct light process (DLP); direct metal laser sintering (DMLS); multi jet fusion (MJF); electron beam melting (EBM); laser cutting. One or more of these apparatuses may be controlled by the at least one processor 104. That is, one or more parts of the prototyping step 210 may be automated. In such a case, the automated parts may be controlled by the at least one processor 104 (e.g. via the control signal).

[0365] At prototyping step 210, issues may be encountered with the manufacture of one or more of the protective suit designs that were not predicted at the suit design phase 202. This may require redesign of the one or more protective suit designs (or aspects, features or components of same, including potentially redesign of aspects of the manufacturing process). Accordingly, the relevant data from prototyping step 210, such as data as to the relevant manufacturing issues, may be conveyed as an input back to design phase 202 (i.e. to the engineering step 208 and / or the design step 206), as indicated by arrow 232. For example, a particular material specified in a candidate protective suit design may not be suitable for a prototyped suit. The user may provide an input that excludes this material from consideration with respect to the relevant component. This information may form part of the design input data. As another example, the at least one processor 104 may initially consider a particular manufacturing process as suitable for the suits designed at 206; however, it may be determined at prototyping step 210 that such a process does not actually result in the production of suitable components. In this case, the user may provide an input to the system 100 that excludes the relevant manufacturing process from consideration with respect to the relevant component in the design phase 202.

[0366] In some embodiments, the prototyping step 210 is automated. One or more parts of the prototyping step 210 may be performed by the one or more processor 104. In such cases, the one or more processor 104 may determine that a particular aspect (such as a material) specified for a candidate protective suit design is not suitable for the prototyped suit. The one or more processor 104 may generate an input that excludes this aspect from consideration in a subsequently performed suit design phase 202. This may require converting the data into a format suitable for the engineering step 208 and / or the design step 206.

[0367] Furthermore, at prototyping step 210, issues may be encountered which mean that one or more of the protective suit designs are deemed to no longer be feasible options. Such designs may be discarded at this point, either automatically or upon consent being inputted by the user.

[0368] Some or all of the data from prototyping step 210, and from the various other steps of method 200, may be stored in memory 106. This ensures that the protective suit development system 102 contains data as to all of the steps of the method 200, even if certain of those steps (or certain parts of the steps) are performed externally of the protective suit development system 102, and / or performed by parties other than the primary user of the protective suit development system 102.

[0369] At the end of prototyping step 210, data outputted from prototyping step 210 pertaining to the one or more protective suit designs that have been assessed as being suitable during the prototyping step 210 is provided as input to testing step 212. This may include data not only from the prototyping step 210 itself but from one or more of the earlier steps 206, 208; and this is also the case for other steps in the process of method 200. The prototypes themselves may also be provided to testing step 212. Providing the data as input to the testing step 212 may require conversion of the data into a format suitable for inputting to testing step 212.

[0370] At testing step 212, one or more physical tests are performed on the prototypes, using suitable devices, machinery, technology and techniques, to determine the suitability of the one or more protective suits for the intended conditions (such as environmental conditions) and circumstances (such as intended activities) of their use. At least some of these tests (such as neutral buoyancy, centre of gravity / rotation) may correspond to the simulations that have been carried out at engineering step 208.

[0371] Some of the tests may be mn on the protective suit in its entirety. Other tests may be run on components thereof - such as fabrics or materials testing, structural testing, electronics testing. In this regard, prototypes or samples may be provided not only of the protective suit as a whole, but also of one or more of its features or components, such as samples of fabrics or materials, electronics, or individual components. These may have been prepared, for example, at prototyping step 210.

[0372] At least some of the tests may be carried out on a scale model of the one or more protective suits or components / features thereof, instead of or additionally to being carried out on the prototypes. For instance, where the conditions or circumstances being tested are large in scale (such as wind or current), it may be more practical to scale these down and run the test on a scale model.

[0373] The testing may include one or more of the following types of test: advanced pressure regulation; high pressure; off gas; wrist bearings; vent tubings; oxygen compatibility tests; tensile tests, such as of fabric seams; water ingress / egress; radiation shielding; heat transfer testing; emissivity; optical thermal testing; heat leaks vacuum chamber testing; touch testing.

[0374] The testing may include one or more of the following processes or phases: multi-material testing segregation; certification / standard alignment; quality check / compliance; inspection.

[0375] In the course of testing step 212, performance issues may be encountered with one or more of the protective suit designs (as embodied in the prototypes and / or samples) that were not predicted at the preceding steps. This may require redesign of the one or more protective suit designs (or aspects, features or components of same). Accordingly, the relevant data from testing step 212, such as data as to the relevant performance issues, may be conveyed as input back to design phase 202 (i.e. to the engineering step 208 and / or the design step 206), as indicated by arrow 234. This may require converting the data into a format suitable for the engineering step 208 and / or the design step 206. Following any required redesign, the one or more protective suit designs may again pass through the prototyping 210 and testing 212 steps. The input data of the design phase 202 may comprise this information.

[0376] Furthermore, in the course of testing step 212, issues may be encountered which mean that one or more of the protective suit designs are deemed to no longer be feasible options. Such designs may be discarded at this point, either automatically or upon consent being inputted by the user.

[0377] Some or all of the data from testing step 212 may be conveyed for storage by memory 106.

[0378] At the end of testing step 212, data outputted from testing step 212 (as well as from one or more earlier steps) pertaining to the one or more protective suit designs that have been assessed as being suitable during the testing step 212 is provided as input to production step 214. This may require conversion of the data into a format suitable for inputting to production step 214.

[0379] At production step 214, the one or more protective suit designs that have been assessed as being suitable during the testing step 212 are produced. The one or more protective suit designs are produced in bulk or in the required numbers, for the purpose of being used by the respective suit user in the intended real- world circumstances and conditions. Production step 214 may be effected using suitable devices, machinery, tooling, technologies and techniques.

[0380] Production step 214 may use certain or the same techniques and processes as prototyping step 210. For instance, production step 214 may utilise additive manufacturing techniques; may involve manufacturing the respective components of each of the protective suits, such as rigid or hard components, semi-rigid components, and textile components, then assembling the respective components together according to the inputted design; and may involve one or more post-processing steps. One or more of the following techniques may be employed at production step 214, using suitable machinery or tools: fused deposition modelling (FDM); selective laser sintering (SLS); stereo lithography (SLA); direct light process (DLP); direct metal laser sintering (DMLS); multi jet fusion (MJF); electron beam melting (EBM); laser cutting.

[0381] Production step 214 may include one or more of the following steps, stages or processes: production routing; batch production; assembly; shipping; maintenance (maintenance may also be a stand-alone step of the process, as described below); step(s) relating to managing stock; and step(s) relating to preparation of a bill of materials (BOM).

[0382] In the course of production step 214, as with the preceding steps, issues may be encountered with one or more of the suit designs that were not predicted or determined at the preceding steps. This may require redesign of said one or more suit designs or aspect(s) / feature(s) / component(s) thereof. Accordingly, the relevant data from production step 214, such as data as to the relevant production issues, may be conveyed as input back to design phase 202 (i.e. to the engineering step 208 and / or the design step 206). This may require converting the data into a format suitable for the engineering step 208 and / or the design step 206. The input data of the design phase 202 may comprise this information.

[0383] Furthermore, in the course of production step 214, issues may be encountered which mean that one or more of the protective suit designs are deemed to no longer be feasible options. Such designs may be discarded at this point, either automatically or upon consent being inputted by the user. Following any required redesign, the one or more protective suits may again pass through the prototyping 210, testing 212 and production 214 steps. Input data for the relevant step(s) may therefore comprise this information.

[0384] Some or all of the data from production step 214 may be conveyed for storage by memory 106.

[0385] Following production of the one or more protective suits, a maintenance (and / or diagnosis and / or support) step 216 may occur. The maintenance step may involve determining when a given suit, or component / feature thereof, requires maintenance or replacement. The maintenance step may also involve diagnosis of, and support with, any issues encountered with the protective suit. Maintenance step 216 may utilise data inputted and / or generated at earlier steps of the process of method 200, such as at the design phase 202 (i.e. the engineering step 208 and / or the design step 206). For instance, a given suit may have known maintenance information stored in a memory (such as memory 106), such as a schedule of when the suit, or its respective components or features, require maintenance or replacement. A reminder or notification to this effect may be sent to a user, such as via a suitable GUI on user device 112A-N; and / or any replacement components may be automatically (or on request) dispatched to the user. Where any issues are encountered and reported by the user (or detected automatically, such as via sensors on the protective suit communicative with the protective suit design and / or management system 102), data inputted or stored at earlier steps may be used to diagnose the problem and provide support to the user. For example, the two or three-dimensional virtual model and / or other design or engineering data generated at the design phase 202 may be utilised for this purpose. Detected or reported issues may be cross-referenced to stored data pertaining to the protective suit, to determine the likely cause of the problem and identify solutions or necessary actions.

[0386] Some or all of the data from maintenance step 216 may be conveyed for storage by a memory.

[0387] It will be understood that the process of method 200 is iterative. A plurality of suit designs may initially be indicated at design phase 202 as being potentially in line with the user’s inputted criteria and suitable for the intended conditions and circumstances. One or more of the plurality of suit designs may be excluded during subsequent steps; and / or redesign of one or more of the plurality of suit designs (or a feature, aspect or component thereof) may be required, after which the redesigned suit design may proceed again through one or more of the steps of the method 200. In addition to determinations as a result of the simulations / testing carried out during the process of method 200, the user may also provide inputs at various stages of the process which may affect the determinations. For instance, the user may exclude a design which was otherwise deemed suitable in the simulations / testing, may command a design change of the suit or a feature / aspect / component thereof even if not indicated by the simulations / testing (which may then be routed back to the design phase 202), or may make a selection of a particular suit, or a subset of the one or more suits, at a given stage in the process. Accordingly, a plurality of suit designs may initially be indicated as potentially suitable at design phase 202, and one or more of these may be progressively excluded at subsequent steps, leaving a subset of the initial plurality of suit designs at a subsequent stage of the process, such as at the end of testing step 212, one or more of which may proceed to production step 214 (such as based on the user’s selection).

[0388] It is also possible for a given suit design to be excluded at a particular step, but for that design to continue to proceed through subsequent steps, such as to generate analytical data as to performance of that suit in simulations / testing, despite its being deemed unsuitable. One or more of the respective steps of method 200 may be carried out by one or more parties. One party may carry out the entire process of method 200, or two or more different parties may carry out the respective steps. For example, a first party may carry out the design phase 202 (i.e. the engineering step 208 and the design step 206); and a second party may carry out the suit manufacturing phase 204 (i.e. the prototyping 210, testing 212 and production 214 steps). As another example, a third party may carry out the design phase 202 (i.e. the engineering step 208 and the design step 206), a fourth party may carry out the prototyping step 210, a fifth party may carry out the testing step 212, and a sixth party may carry out the production step 214. Some of the steps, such the testing and production steps, may be carried out by multiple parties; for instance, external parties such as oversight bodies may carry out (or contribute to carrying out) those portions of the steps that relate to quality assurance, certification and compliance (such as compliance with the AS9100 is a quality management system standard). Examples of parties that may carry out at least some of the testing and production steps, in particular those relating to quality assurance, certification and / or compliance include NASA and ASTM International.

[0389] The method 200 may involve the use of a swinging door algorithm for processing sensor data generated during the prototyping 210, testing 212, and production 214 steps. This algorithm may be applied to data from various sensors used throughout these steps, such as pressure sensors, temperature sensors, strain gauges, and motion capture systems. The swinging door algorithm may filter the sensor data by only recording values when they deviate beyond a specified threshold from the previously recorded value. This approach may significantly reduce the amount of data transmitted and stored without losing important information about changes or anomalies in the sensor readings. The application of the swinging door algorithm may be particularly beneficial when the protective suit development system 102 is geographically remote from the manufacturing and testing facilities, as it may reduce bandwidth requirements for data transmission, enable more responsive remote monitoring, and facilitate efficient transfer and storage of sensor data.

[0390] Method 300 for Protective Suit Design

[0391] With reference to Figure 3, a process flow diagram for a method 300 for designing a protective suit is shown. The method 300 is for execution on a protective suit design platform. The method 300 comprises the steps of: performing a design phase 202 based on at least one inputted design parameter; generating an output based on the design phase, the output comprising at least one design for a protective suit; and conveying 340 the output to one or more modules configured to perform one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step. The at least one processor 104 of the protective suit development system 102) of system 100 (with suitable modifications to the system 100 as may be necessary) may mn the protective suit development engine 109 in order to perform the method 300, or in order to perform at least some of the steps of the method 300. In particular, the protective suit development system 102 may be configured to perform the steps of: performing a design phase based on at least one inputted design parameter; generating an output based on the design phase, the output comprising at least one design for a protective suit; conveying the output to one or more modules configured to perform one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step.

[0392] Aspects of the method 300 may be similar to the method 200 described above with reference to Figure 2, and like features (such as design step 206 and engineering step 208) have been labelled with like numerals. The difference is that in this embodiment the prototyping, testing and production steps are not part of the method 300 performed by the first party or the third party; rather, the data (output) from the design phase 202 is passed on or conveyed 340 to (which may include being retrieved by) an external module(s), which may be software module(s), machinery and / or other suitable arrangement(s) or combinations of arrangements of external party(ies), for performance of these steps. The data (output) from the design phase 202 may be rendered or converted into a format suitable for inputting as an input into the one or more modules configured to perform one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step. Said rendering or conversion may be done at the end of the design phase 202 as part of method 300 (as shown by 330 in Figure 3), at the start of the respective subsequent steps external to method 300, or at a separate intermediate step.

[0393] At least some data from these steps may be conveyed to memory 106, such that at least some data from the design phase 202 as well as from the external prototyping, testing and production steps (and optionally the diagnosis, support and maintenance step) is stored in the memory and accessible for analysis, data gathering and other purposes.

[0394] Maintaining data from the respective steps (whether in the context of method 200, 300 or 400) in a centralised memory may enable the method 200, 300, 400 to be more efficient in terms of time, materials and energy. For example, where execution of a subsequent step is dependent on completion of a preceding step, the progress of the preceding step may be centrally monitored so that the subsequent step is ready to commence at the appropriate time (and in the meantime the resource can be used elsewhere). As another example, where the amount of material used to manufacture a suit (as a prototype or in production-proper) is centrally monitored, this information can be used to determine reserves of available materials and plan the manufacturing schedule of other suits. As still another example, where the various suits and components thereof in line for manufacture are being centrally monitored, similar components may be grouped for manufacture together for the sake of efficiency.

[0395] In the context of method 200, being a protective suit development method, data from each of the respective steps may be stored in memory 106 of protective suit development system 102.

[0396] In the context of method 300, being a protective suit design method, the protective suit design may be generated by system 102, which in this case may be a protective suit design system (platform), and at least some data from the subsequent external steps (prototyping, testing, production) may be conveyed (which may include retrieved) to system 102 for storage by memory 106. In the context of method 400 (described below), being a protective suit manufacture method, the protective suit design may be received from (which may include being retrieved from) external protective suit design system (platform) 102; and data from the subsequent steps of the method 400 may be conveyed to (which may include being retrieved by) the protective suit design system (platform) 102 for storage.

[0397] Alternatively, in the context of method 400, the protective suit design may be received from (which may include being retrieved from) external protective suit design system (platform) 102; and data pertaining to the protective suit design, as well as data from the subsequent steps of the method 400, may be conveyed to (which may include being retrieved by) a protective suit manufacture system (platform) for storage. The protective suit manufacture system (platform) may be separate from the protective suit design system (platform) 102 but configured substantially similarly thereto; or the respective platforms may be distinct parts of an overall unified system.

[0398] Method 400 for Protective Suit Manufacture

[0399] With reference to Figure 4, from the perspective of the above-mentioned second party, fourth party, fifth party or sixth party, the process may comprise a method 400 for manufacturing a protective suit, the method comprising the steps of: receiving 440, from a protective suit design platform, at least one design for a protective suit; based on the received at least one design for a protective suit, performing one or more of: a prototyping step 210; a testing step 212; a production step 214. The at least one processor 104 of the protective suit development system 102 of system 100 (with suitable modifications as may be necessary) may run the protective suit development engine 109 in order to perform the method 400, or in order to perform at least some of the steps of the method 400. In particular, the protective suit development system 102 may be configured to perform the steps of: receiving at least one design for a protective suit; based on the received design for a protective suit, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step.

[0400] Aspects of the method 400 may be similar to the method 200 described above with reference to Figure 2, and like features have been labelled with like numerals. The difference is that in this embodiment only the prototyping 210, testing 212 and / or production 214 steps (as well as optionally the diagnosis, support and maintenance step 216) are part of the method 400 performed by second party, the fourth party, the fifth party or the sixth party (as the case may be), such as via suitable module(s), which may be software module(s), machinery and / or other suitable arrangement(s) or combinations of arrangements. The design phase is not part of method 400, rather the output from the design phase (which is external to method 400) is provided (which may include being retrieved) as an input to method 400. Said output has preferably been converted or rendered 450 into a suitable format for inputting into method 400 for the purpose of the one or more steps performed during method 400. Said conversion or rendering may be done at the end of the design phase, or as part of method 400 (as shown by 450 in Figure 4), prior to steps 210, 212 and / or 214.

[0401] Furthermore, as between each of the prototyping 210, testing 212 and / or production steps 214 (as well as optionally the diagnosis, support and maintenance step 214), the output from a respective step may be converted or rendered into a format suitable for inputting into a subsequent step. As noted further above, this may be done at the end of the respective (i.e. preceding) step, at the start of the subsequent step, or as a separate intermediate step.

[0402] At least some data from the steps of method 400, as well as the external design phase, may be conveyed to (which may include retrieved by) memory 106, such that at least some data from the design phase as well as the prototyping 210, testing 212 and production 214 steps (and optionally the diagnosis, support and maintenance step 216) is stored in the memory 106 and accessible for analysis, data gathering and other purposes.

[0403] With respect to the method 300, 400 of Figures 3 and 4, in certain cases it will be necessary to further convey data to, or receive data from, those steps which are external to the method 300, 400. For instance, where the method 300 comprises only performing the design phase 202 and conveying 340 the output to external module(s), one or more of the subsequent steps carried out by the external module(s) may indicate that a redesign of one of the suits or a component, feature or aspect thereof is necessary. In such a case, method 300 may further comprise receiving input data 350 from the relevant external module(s) and repeating the design phase 202 or a portion thereof. Where the method 400 comprises only performing the prototyping 210, testing 212 and / or production 214 steps (as well as optionally the diagnosis, support and maintenance step 216), having received 440 the design data as an input from the external design phase, one or more of these steps may likewise indicate that a redesign of one of the suits or a component, feature or aspect thereof is necessary. In such a case, method 400 may further comprise conveying 460 data as to the required redesign and / or the underlying issue or problem for inputting into the external design phase.

[0404] It will be appreciated that the present invention provides a number of optional advantages over the prior art, including one or more of:

[0405] Providing a method and system (platform) that enables data from discrete or modular phases or steps of the protective suit development process to be centrally stored and managed;

[0406] Providing a method and system (platform) that is executable by a single party or multiple parties; Providing a method and system (platform) that enables data (output) from the respective steps of the protective suit development process to be converted or rendered into a format suitable for inputting into a subsequent step(s); Providing a method and system (platform) that enables data to be redirected back to an earlier step(s) if redesign or repeated analysis is required, and / or to be conveyed to a non-adjacent step(s) if required;

[0407] Providing a method and system (platform) that iteratively steps through the protective suit development process so as to progressively identify protective suits or suit designs that are suitable and fit for purpose with respect to the various requirements and criteria of the respective steps;

[0408] Providing a method and system (platform) that is more efficient with respect to time, energy and materials than conventional systems.

[0409] Alternative Embodiments

[0410] It will be appreciated that one or more aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented using an alternative methodology. For example, the protective suit development system 102 of the present disclosure has been described to host a web server that is accessible by users via one or more user devices 112A-N. It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the user of the system 100 may install an application on the respective user device 112A-N, through which equivalent functionality is achieved. That is, the user may install an application in the user device memory 118A, and run the application to achieve some or all of the described functionality locally on their user device 112A-N. Therefore, in some embodiments, the functionality described herein with respect to the protective suit development system 102 and / or the protective suit development engine 109 may be performed, at least in part, by the user device 112A-N.

[0411] There may be one user of the system and method, or multiple users. For example, where multiple parties perform the respective steps, each party may comprise a user of the system and method.

[0412] One or more of the steps of the method may involve additional sub-steps or actions by external machinery or parties. For example, at the design phase 202, user input may be permitted (or in some cases required), which may be in the form of a simple selection of one or more options prompted by the design phase 202 but may also be more complex, such as an input into the substantive design, for example via the uploading of design files by the user or by directly inputting changes to the design(s) generated during the design phase 202. As another example, the testing, manufacturing and production steps may involve one or more sub-steps or actions taken by external machinery or third parties.

[0413] Rather than data such as the data pertaining to intended environmental conditions and intended circumstance being inputted at the design phase or stage, such data could be inputted at a preliminary phase or stage. Likewise, data such as certain suit user data could be inputted at a preliminary phase or stage. In the claims that follow and in the preceding description, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the disclosure.

[0414] Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. CLAIMS:

1. A method comprising: receiving design input data indicating a protective suit design requirement; generating at least one protective suit design based on the design input data, the protective suit design comprising a three-dimensional model of a protective suit; storing the protective suit design as a detailed model in a memory; retrieving a simplified version of at least a portion of the protective suit design from the memory; performing a preliminary simulation using the simplified version to evaluate performance of the protective suit design; comparing a result of the preliminary simulation to a performance criterion; in response to the preliminary simulation failing to meet the performance criterion: performing a comprehensive simulation using at least a portion of the detailed model; and comparing a result of the comprehensive simulation to the performance criterion; in response to the comprehensive simulation failing to meet the performance criterion, iteratively: updating the protective suit design; and repeating the storing, retrieving, performing, and comparing steps using at least a portion of the updated protective suit design; and in response to the result of the preliminary simulation or comprehensive simulation meeting the performance criterion, generating output data that is configured to initiate fabrication of at least a portion of a protective suit corresponding to the portion of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each protective suit design specifies characteristics of a protective suit, the characteristics comprising at least one of dimensions, weight, material, and material properties, for at least one component of the protective suit.

3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising: generating the simplified version of the protective suit design; and storing the simplified version of the protective suit design in the memory.

4. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein: the simplified version of the protective suit design is generated using the detailed model; or the simplified version of the protective suit design is generated based on the design input data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the simplified model comprises generating the simplified model:based on the design input data; or from the detailed model.

6. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the simplified version of the at least a portion of the protective suit design comprises a representation of the at least a portion of the protective suit design with reduced geometric complexity relative to the detailed model.

7. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein performing the preliminary simulation comprises modelling performance of the at least a portion of the protective suit design under at least one environmental condition; and / or at least one intended operational circumstance.

8. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein: the result of the preliminary simulation comprises at least one of: a simulated stress distribution, a simulated strain distribution, an estimated thermal transfer characteristic, a predicted range of motion limitation, an estimated weight, and a calculated centre of gravity of the simplified version of the at least a portion of the protective suit design; and the performance criterion comprises at least one of: a maximum allowable stress threshold, a maximum allowable strain threshold, a required thermal insulation value, a minimum required range of motion, a maximum allowable weight, and an acceptable centre of gravity range for the simplified version of the at least a portion of the protective suit design.

9. The method of claim 8 when dependent on claim 7, wherein the performance criterion is associated with the at least one environmental condition and / or the at least one intended operational circumstance.

10. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the performance criterion comprises a threshold value, such that if a corresponding simulation result exceeds this threshold value, the protective suit is determined to fail under at least one environmental condition and / or at least one intended operational circumstance.

11. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the performance criterion is represented by a set of allowable values bounded by a lower limit and an upper limit, and the protective suit design is determined to fail under at least one environmental condition and / or at least one intended operational circumstance if the simulation result falls outside this set of allowable values.

12. The method of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising retrieving at least a portion of the detailed model from the memory in response to the preliminary simulation failing to meet theperformance criterion, the comprehensive simulation being performed using the at least a portion of the detailed model.

13. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein: the result of the comprehensive simulation comprises at least one of: a simulated stress distribution, a simulated strain distribution, an estimated thermal transfer characteristic, a predicted range of motion limitation, an estimated weight, and a calculated centre of gravity of the at least a portion of the detailed model of the protective suit design; and the performance criterion comprises at least one of: a maximum allowable stress threshold, a maximum allowable strain threshold, a required thermal insulation value, a minimum required range of motion, a maximum allowable weight, and an acceptable centre of gravity range for the at least a portion of the detailed model of the protective suit design.

14. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein updating the protective suit design comprises changing a value of at least one parameter of the protective suit design.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of: a geometric dimension of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a material property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a thickness of a layer or component of the protective suit design; a configuration or arrangement of layers of components of the protective suit design; a weight distribution characteristic of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a joint angle or range of motion limit of an articulated component of the protective suit design; a thermal insulation property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a pressure resistance characteristic of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a flexibility or rigidity property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a sealing or interface property between components of the protective suit design; a ventilation or air circulation parameter of the protective suit design; an electromagnetic shielding property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a chemical resistance property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; an abrasion resistance characteristic of the protective suit design or a component thereof; a visibility or camouflage property of the protective suit design or a component thereof; and a buoyancy characteristic of the protective suit design or a component thereof.

16. The method of claim 14 or claim 15, wherein the parameter is: a parameter of the at least a portion of the protective suit design; a parameter of the at least a portion of the updated protective suit design; and / ora parameter of a component of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design that influences, or is influenced by, components of the at least a portion of the protective suit design or at least a portion of the updated protective suit design.

17. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the output data comprises a control signal configured to initiate fabrication of the at least a portion of the protective suit corresponding to the portion of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design by a protective suit manufacture system.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting the control signal to an apparatus of the protective suit manufacture system.

19. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the output data comprises at least one of: a notification signal indicating that the protective suit design or updated protective suit design is ready for prototyping; a data package containing specifications for the protective suit design or updated protective suit design, configured for transmission to a prototyping facility; a set of computer-aided design (CAD) files representing the protective suit design or updated protective suit design, formatted for input into a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system; a bill of materials listing components and materials required for manufacturing a protective suit in accordance with the protective suit design or updated protective suit design; a series of manufacturing instructions detailing the assembly process for a protective suit corresponding to the protective suit design or updated protective suit design; a quality control checklist based on the performance criteria met by the protective suit design or updated protective suit design; a visualisation data set configured to generate a three-dimensional rendering of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design; and a simulation results report summarising the performance of the protective suit design or updated protective suit design under the modelled conditions.

20. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the design input data comprises prototype test results, or manufactured suit test results, generated from testing or use of a prototype protective suit or manufactured protective suit fabricated in accordance with a previously generated protective suit design or updated protective suit design.

21. A system comprising: at least one processor; andmemory storing program instructions accessible by the at least one processor, the program instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 20.

22. A method for designing and manufacturing a protective suit, the method comprising: performing a design phase; performing a prototyping step; performing a testing step; and performing a production step, at least part of the design phase, and at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, being performed at least in part using a protective suit design and manufacture system, wherein an output, comprising output data, of at least one preceding step or phase comprises an input, comprising input data, into at least one subsequent step or phase.

23. A method for designing a protective suit, the method comprising: performing a design phase based on at least one suit design input; generating an output based on the design phase, the output comprising at least one candidate protective suit design; conveying the output as an input for one or more modules configured to perform one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step; at least a portion of the design phase being performed using a protective suit design system, and at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, being conveyed to the protective suit design system.

24. A method for designing a protective suit, the method comprising: performing a design phase based on at least one suit design input; and generating an output based on the design phase, the output comprising at least one candidate protective suit design; at least a portion of the design phase being performed using a protective suit design system.

25. The method of any one of claims 22 to 24, wherein at least some data from each of the steps and the design phase is stored in a memory of the protective suit design and manufacture system or the protective suit design system.

26. The method of any one of claims 22 to 25, wherein the design phase and / or at least one of the steps comprises generating user-viewable output data for viewing by a user on a user device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the user device is configured to receive a user input from the user, the user input being incorporated into the method.

28. The method of any one of claims 22 to 27, wherein each of the steps and the design phase is performed at least in part using the protective suit design and manufacturing system.

29. The method of any one of claims 22 to 28, wherein the design phase comprises a design step and an engineering step.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the design step comprises receiving a design input from the user, the design input pertaining to design requirements, specifications and / or constraints.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the design input comprises one or more of: at least one required type of protective suit; at least one required protective suit characteristic and / or protective suit component characteristic; at least one intended environmental condition; at least one intended circumstance; a selection of at least one protective suit design from one or more preprogrammed protective suit designs.

32. The method of claim 30 or claim 31, wherein, based on the design input, protective suit design data is generated.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the protective suit design data comprises at least one of: data pertaining to protective suit characteristics of at least one protective suit design, the protective suit characteristics being one or more of: weight, material, material characteristics, dimensions; and a two-dimensional or three-dimensional virtual model of at least one protective suit design.

34. The method of any one of claims 29 to 33, wherein the design step utilises design techniques comprising at least one of: boundary representation (B-rep) non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) techniques; mesh modelling; parametric modelling; mesh parametric beams; techniques involving implicit voxels; cellular automata; genetic algorithms; shape grammar; L-systems; agent-basedmodelling; model based systems engineering (MBSE); systems model based development modelling; and automatic design optimisation.

35. The method of any one of claims 29 to 34, wherein the engineering step comprises one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes.36 The method of claim 35 when dependent on claim 31, wherein the one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes comprise modelling or analysis of at least one of: the at least one intended environmental condition; the at least one intended circumstance.

37. The method of claim 35 or claim 36, wherein the one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes are based on: protective suit design data; and suit user data; and data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the protective suit design data, the suit user data, and the data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance are virtual.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the protective suit design data and the data pertaining to the at least one intended environmental condition and / or data pertaining to the at least one intended circumstance are virtual, and wherein at least some of the suit user data is obtained by sensors associated with the suit user.

40. The method of any one of claims 35 to 39, wherein the engineering step utilises engineering techniques comprising at least one of: multiphysics simulation techniques; high-performance modelling techniques; stress analysis; finite element analysis (FEA); fatigue life estimation (FLE); computational fluid dynamics; surface analysis; tribology; additive manufacturing (DFAM); lattice and geometry estimation.

41. The method of any one of claim 35 to claim 40, wherein the engineering step further comprises one or more simulated modelling or analysis processes for modelling or analysis of one or more manufacturing steps or processes for one or more protective suit design.

42. The method of any one of claim 35 to claim 41, wherein the engineering step is the preceding step and the design step is the subsequent step; wherein the output data from the engineering step comprises data as to one or more protective suit designs that have failed at least one aspect of the modelling or analysis; wherein said data is inputted as input data to the design step for further design.

43. A method for manufacturing a protective suit, the method comprising: receiving, from a protective suit design system, at least one protective suit design; based on the received at least one protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; and a production step, at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, being conveyed to the protective suit design system.

44. A method for manufacturing a protective suit, the method comprising: receiving, from a protective suit design system, at least one protective suit design; based on the received at least one protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; and a production step, at least some data pertaining to the protective suit design, and at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, being conveyed to a protective suit manufacture system.

45. A method for manufacturing a protective suit, the method comprising: receiving, from a protective suit design system, at least one protective suit design; based on the received at least one protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; and a production step, wherein: at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps is conveyed to the protective suit design system; or at least some data pertaining to the protective suit design, and at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, is conveyed to a protective suit manufacture system.

46. The method of any one of claims 22 to 45, wherein the output data from the preceding step or phase is converted or rendered into a format suitable for inputting as input data into the subsequent step or phase.

47. The method of any one of claims 22 to 46, wherein the method further comprises performing a diagnostics, support and / or maintenance step after the production step.

48. The method of any one of claims 22 to 47, wherein the at least one subsequent step comprises a step which has already occurred previously prior to the at least one preceding step occurring.

49. The method of any one of claims 22 to 48, wherein the prototyping step comprises creating at least one prototype of one or more candidate protective suit design from the design phase.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the testing step comprises performing one or more physical tests in relation to the at least one prototype, to determine performance.

51. The method of any one of claims 22 to 50, wherein the production step comprises production of one or more protective suits in accordance with one or more candidate protective suit design.

52. The method of claim 47, wherein the diagnostics, support and / or maintenance step comprises determining when a protective suit or protective suit component requires maintenance or replacement.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the diagnostics, support and / or maintenance step further comprises diagnosing an issue, problem or malfunction of the protective suit or protective suit component.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein diagnosing the issue, problem or malfunction of the protective suit or protective suit component is based on suit sensor data received from one or more sensors of the protective suit or suit component, wherein said suit sensor data is cross-referenced against stored data pertaining to the protective suit or suit component to diagnose the issue, problem or malfunction.

55. A system comprising: at least one processor; and memory storing program instructions accessible by the at least one processor, the program instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor to perform a method for designing and manufacturing a protective suit, the method comprising:performing a design phase; performing a prototyping step; performing a testing step; and performing a production step, wherein an output, comprising output data, of at least one preceding step or phase comprises an input, comprising input data, into at least one subsequent step or phase.

56. A system comprising: at least one processor; and memory storing program instructions accessible by the at least one processor, the program instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor to perform a method for designing a protective suit, the method comprising: performing a design phase based on at least one design input; generating an output based on the design phase, the output comprising at least one protective suit design; conveying the output as an input for one or more modules configured to perform one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step; wherein at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps is conveyed, in use, to the protective suit design system.

57. A system comprising: at least one processor; and memory storing program instructions accessible by the at least one processor, the program instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor to perform a method for manufacturing a protective suit, the method comprising: receiving, from a protective suit design platform, at least one protective suit design; based on the received protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step, at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, being conveyed, in use, to the protective suit design system.

58. A system comprising a protective suit manufacture system, the system comprising:at least one processor; and memory storing program instructions accessible by the at least one processor, the program instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor to perform a method for manufacturing a protective suit, the method comprising: receiving, from a protective suit design system, at least one protective suit design; based on the received protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step, at least some data pertaining to the protective suit design, and at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, being conveyed, in use, to the protective suit manufacture system.

59. A system comprising: at least one processor; and memory storing program instructions accessible by the at least one processor, the program instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor to perform a method for manufacturing a protective suit, the method comprising: receiving, from a protective suit design platform, at least one protective suit design; based on the received protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step, at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, being conveyed, in use, to the protective suit design system.

60. A system comprising: at least one processor; and memory storing program instructions accessible by the at least one processor, the program instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor to perform a method for manufacturing a protective suit, the method comprising: receiving, from a protective suit design system, at least one protective suit design; based on the received protective suit design, performing one or more of: a prototyping step; a testing step; a production step,at least some data pertaining to the protective suit design, and at least some data from at least one of the prototyping, testing and production steps, being conveyed, in use, to the protective suit manufacture system.

61. A system comprising: at least one processor; and memory storing program instructions accessible by the at least one processor, the program instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 22 to 54.

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