Biomedical Device Laboratory

An individual thermal sensation prediction model is being developed in this study by incorporating sensors into the facial mask. Conventional thermal sensation prediction depends on population model which fails to satisfy individual requirements. Personalized thermal sensation model can help to control microclimate according to individual need.

Impact of the Research

People send 90% of their time in building because it can facilitate comfortable environment. The pandemic situation of different contagious diseases like COVID-19 had strengthen the idea of living inside the built environment to reduce the spreading. Vehicles are also being considered as another vital built environment where people are spending more time nowadays. Advancement in self-driving car has encouraged the researcher to focus more on the thermal comfort inside the vehicles. Existing HVAC system cannot perform better with occupant satisfaction because: (1) The diversity of the occupant satisfaction at same ambient conditions and (2) Cntralized HVAC systems cannot control temperature at local level when there are many people in the same HVAC zone.

Methodology

Wearing face mask is a new normal nowadays with breakdown of recent pandemic situation. We embedded wearable sensor into the face mask for monitoring heart rate, skin temperature which is used for developing individual thermal sensation prediction model. Skin temperature through its thermoregulatory mechanism plays a vital role in human thermal comfort. Heart rate changes with metabolic activity and can be used as a predictor for thermal sensation. We are collecting physiological and psychological data from human experiment in our laboratory facility to make the model. The model can be used with personsal comfort devices, energy efficiency HVAC system design, automatick passengers comfort control inside electric vehicle. With further modification this face mask could be used to measure respiratory rate, monitor human activity, and diagnosis diseases.