An Evaluation for the Effects of Sensuous Information on Thermal Comfort Based on Bioinstrumentation

Abstract

There is a need for products that provide a high level of user experience and are capable of capturing a high market share in today's competitive marketplace. In the field of air conditioning equipment, there is also a requirement to evaluate the thermal environment from a psychological aspect and improve it with lower energy consumption. However, previous studies have evaluated hot and cold sensations based on subjects' self-votes. Therefore, evaluating the influence of human sensibility on the sensation of hot and cold has not been sufficient. This study quantitatively assesses the sensation of hot and cold by combining two methods. One method is measuring the difference between the temperature at the start of the hot and cold stimuli and the temperature at the time when the subject perceives the change of the stimuli. Another method is the biometric measurements based on Electroencephalographs. This paper discusses the possibility of detecting changes in inner sensitivity that have not been apparent previously by using biometric measurements.