Investigating User Experience of On-Body Heating Strategies in Indoor Environments

Eric Beaudette, Esther Foo, Md Tahmidul Islam Molla, Kai Johnson, Ellen Dupler, Nika Gagliardi, Heidi L Woelfle, Martin Halvey, Lucy Dunne

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Thermal physiology and psychophysics are complex and nuanced, with significant variability between individuals. Wearable devices have the potential to offer customizable microclimate control. However, individual experiences with different supplemental heating strategies are likely to vary considerably in unconstrained environments. The physiological responses, psychophysical effects, and qualitative experiences of participants using five readily available heating strategies were collected in a quasi-field study environment (n=17). Although all devices maintained or increased fingertip temperature, effects observed from controlled studies of thermal physiology are not clearly seen. Physiological, perceptual, and experiential data are presented, exploring heating technologies and thermal comfort in typical indoor environments.

Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalErgonomics in Design
DOIs
StateAccepted/In press - 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was done under the NSF grant #1646543 and under the approved protocol in the University of Minnesota IRB#1612S02662.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Keywords

  • heating technologies
  • physiology
  • psychophysics
  • thermal comfort
  • wearables

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