scholarly journals The Study of Facial Muscle Movements for Non-Invasive Thermal Discomfort Detection via Bio-Sensing Technology. Part I: Development of the Experimental Design and Description of the Collected Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (20) ◽  
pp. 7315
Author(s):  
Alla Marchenko ◽  
Alenka Temeljotov-Salaj ◽  
Victor Rizzardi ◽  
Odne Oksavik

In the time of climate change, as heat waves become a more regular occurrence, indoor thermal comfort is an important factor in day to day life. Due to such circumstances, many researchers have focused their studies on finding an effective solution that will not only enable thermal comfort, but also increase satisfaction within the indoor environment and, as a result, productivity. The fast development of the biometrical field encouraged the study focused on the investigation of how bio-markers, in combination with artificial intelligence algorithms, can be collected within an experimental setting to create a new approach for non-invasive thermal discomfort detection. The developed experimental design provides synergy between automatic facial coding, pulse, and galvanic skin response measurements via iMotions software in a controlled environment. The iMotions software has built-in machine vision algorithms, and with Shimmer sensors and a post-processing tool through Affectiva AFFDEX, is able to collect facial action data through detection of the facial muscle movements and various bio-markers. The Zero Emission Building (ZEB) Test Cell laboratory was used as the control environment and transformed to imitate an office space for the data collection campaign at NTNU in Trondheim. The given experimental design provides an opportunity to create an immense database with bio-markers that are linked to the subcortical level of the brain, indoor parameters, and direct feedback on the comfort level of occupants within an office-like environment. In total, 111 data collection sessions were registered with iMotions. The discomfort button was pressed 240 times and 1080 planned indoor comfort evaluation surveys were held during experiment. The discomfort button was pressed 49 times to indicate that participant felt discomfort due to low temperature and 52 due to high temperature. Collected data revealed a big deviation in the discomfort temperature values for experiment participants with respect to performed temperature ramps. While it is common to use the same predefined temperature range for facility management, it became clear that the complexity of the task is greater and should not be approached on a human computational level. Implementation of AI can potentially provide higher value accuracy within thermal discomfort detection and enable unique personal user experience at the workplace.

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. p1
Author(s):  
Jad Hammoud ◽  
Elise Abi Rached

The increasing of energy demands has considerably increased the requirements for new and traditional buildings in different climate zones. Unprecedented heat waves have increased climate temperature, in particular, in moderate climate zones such as Lebanon. In Beirut, only the residential sector consumes 50% of total electricity consumption. HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air conditioning) systems are used to reach acceptable thermal comfort levels in the new residential buildings. In case of the traditional bourgeoisie houses in Beirut, there are no discussions about the use of HVAC systems to achieve the required thermal comfort level. Thus, to reach an acceptable thermal comfort level, these houses which already contain natural ventilation system shall adapt the modern thermal comfort requirements and thermal comfort strategies and technologies where their architectural features and existing materials condition the available solutions. In order to identify the best options within the possible intervention lines (envelopes, passive strategies, equipment, renewable energy systems), it is necessary to perceive the real performance of this type of houses. In this context, the article presents the results of the study of thermal performance and comfort in a three case studies located in Beirut. Detailed field data records collected are analyzed, with a view to identify the indoor thermal environment with respect to outdoor thermal environment in different seasons. Monitoring also included measurement of hygrothermal parameters and surveys of occupant thermal sensation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alla Marchenko ◽  
Alenka Temeljotov-Salaj

Since 1997, scientists have been trying to utilize new non-invasive approaches for thermal discomfort detection, which promise to be more effective for comparing frameworks that need direct responses from users. Due to rapid technological development in the bio-metrical field, a systematic literature review to investigate the possibility of thermal discomfort detection at the work place by non-invasive means using bio-sensing technology was performed. Firstly, the problem intervention comparison outcome context (PICOC) framework was introduced in the study to identify the main points for meta-analysis and, in turn, to provide relevant keywords for the literature search. In total, 2776 studies were found and processed using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) methodology. After filtering by defined criterion, 35 articles were obtained for detailed investigation with respect to facility types used in the experiment, amount of people for data collection and algorithms used for prediction of the thermal discomfort event. The given study concludes that there is potential for the creation of non-invasive thermal discomfort detection models via utilization of bio-sensing technologies, which will provide a better user interaction with the built environment, potentially decrease energy use and enable better productivity. There is definitely room for improvement within the field of non-invasive thermal discomfort detection, especially with respect to data collection, algorithm implementation and sample size, in order to have opportunities for the deployment of developed solutions in real life. Based on the literature review, the potential of novel technology is seen to utilize a more intelligent approach for performing non-invasive thermal discomfort prediction. The architecture of deep neural networks should be studied more due to the specifics of its hidden layers and its ability of hierarchical data extraction. This machine learning algorithm can provide a better model for thermal discomfort detection based on a data set with different types of bio-metrical variables.


2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 555-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Vieira de Azevedo ◽  
Péricles Tadeu da Costa Bezerra ◽  
Mario de Miranda Vilas Boas Ramos Leitão ◽  
Carlos Antonio Costa dos Santos

Abstract This study evaluated the thermal conditions of urban areas in Petrolina-PE, from continuous data collected in urban and rural areas for the year of 2012. The results characterized urban heat islands (UHI) with varying intensity in urban areas, especially UHI = 5.3 °C (high intensity) occurred on April 28, 2012. It was evident that the constituent elements of urban areas contribute to the formation and expansion of UHI bringing thermal discomfort for its inhabitants. An adaptation to Thom’s equation for calculating the Thermal Discomfort Index (DIT), was used to obtain the maximum (DITx) and minimum (DITm) thermal discomfort. In the urban area, the DITm indicated thermal comfort in 23.0% of the days and partial comfort in 77.0% of days surveyed. Already, the DITx characterized 71.6% of days with partial comfort and 28.4% of days with thermal discomfort. In the rural area, The DITm indicated that 41.5% of days were thermally comfortable and 58.5% of days had partial comfort. However, the DITx pointed 87.7% of the days of this environment with partial thermal comfort and 12.3% of thermally uncomfortable days. Finally, the results showed that afforestation of urban area constitutes to an effective and efficient way to mitigate thermal discomfort.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6106
Author(s):  
Irantzu Alvarez ◽  
Laura Quesada-Ganuza ◽  
Estibaliz Briz ◽  
Leire Garmendia

This study assesses the impact of a heat wave on the thermal comfort of an unconstructed area: the North Zone of the Island of Zorrotzaurre (Bilbao, Spain). In this study, the impact of urban planning as proposed in the master plan on thermal comfort is modeled using the ENVI-met program. Likewise, the question of whether the urbanistic proposals are designed to create more resilient urban environments is analyzed in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events, especially heat waves. The study is centered on the analysis of temperature variables (air temperature and average radiant temperature) as well as wind speed and relative humidity. This was completed with the parameters of thermal comfort, the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) and the Universal Temperature Climate Index (UTCI) for the hours of the maximum and minimum daily temperatures. The results demonstrated the viability of analyzing thermal comfort through simulations with the ENVI-met program in order to analyze the behavior of urban spaces in various climate scenarios.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1311-1323
Author(s):  
Faizan Ahmad ◽  
Yiqiang Chen ◽  
Lisha Hu ◽  
Shuangquan Wang ◽  
Jindong Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2012 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dermeval A. Furtado ◽  
Daniele Amancio ◽  
José W. B. do Nascimento ◽  
Josivanda P. Gomes ◽  
Rafael C. Silva

The study was conducted in a facility for pigs during the nursery and finishing in the town of 'Montadas', in the semiarid of the state of Paraiba, Brazil, in the rainy and dry season, aiming to evaluate the concentration of oxygen, methane, carbon monoxide and ammonia, and the bioclimatic indexes: ambient temperature (AT), relative humidity (RH) and the index of black globe temperature and humidity (IBGTH). These indexes differed significantly (P>0.05) between the periods and times. The AT in the rainy season was in the thermal comfort zone(TCZ) in most of the times in the nursery; for the finishing phase, thermal discomfort occurred; during the dry season, there was thermal comfort in the nursery phase; in the finishing phase the thermal discomfort occurred at all times. In the rainy season, the IBGTH was in TCZ; in the dry season, it was above the TCZ. The RH in the rainy period was in the TCZ; in the dry season, in most of the times, below the range of the TCZ. The concentration of gases showed no differences (P > 0.05) between periods and between the times, and the carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and methane were below 1.0 ppm, and the ammonia showed a mean of 5.2 ppm. None of the analyzed gases exceeded the limits established by Brazilian and international standards for animals and workers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 251 ◽  
pp. 03079
Author(s):  
Ting Wang ◽  
Yirong Li ◽  
Jinwen Wang

Situation emotion understanding is necessary for interpersonal communication and social interaction. Based on the situation of emotion understanding about autistic children literature at home and abroad, this article analyzed the characteristics of autism situational emotion intervention research, including the research object, research purpose, experimental design, data collection method, intervention method, intervention effect and so on. On this basis, some reflections and suggestions are put forward for the followup intervention.


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rina Kurniati ◽  
Wakhidah Kurniawati ◽  
Diah Intan Kusumo Dewi ◽  
Mega Febrina Kusumo Astuti

Indonesia reported a maximum annual temperature rise of 0.3°C in urban regions. Semarang, the largest metropolitan city in the province of Central Java, is also experiencing an increase in temperature due to climate change therefore activities in urban public spaces are disrupted due to the absence of a comfortable temperature. Urban design elements, including land cover materials, road geometry, vegetation and traffic frequency expressed significant effects on micro-climate. Measurement of Thermal Comfort in Urban Public Spaces Semarang was carried out s at the micro level as an old historical district The Old Town and Chinatown. This increment indeed influences thermal comfort level in its outdoor environments which are important for comfortability of outdoor activity. This study aims to analyse surface temperature through Thermal Comfort Measurement. Data was obtained by measuring air temperature, wind speed and humidity in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Inverse distance weighted (IDW), thermal comfort calculations and micro-climate model were employed to evaluate existing physical conditions of these settlements. The results showed both Old Town and Chinatown observed thermal comfort value above 27°C and are categorized as uncomfortable for outdoor activities. This research is contributing to the need to further develop public spaces to potentially adapt to environmental changes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Zaina Norhallis Zainol ◽  
Masine Md. Tap ◽  
Haslinda Mohamed Kamar

Thermal comfort is the human subject perceive satisfaction to the work environment. The thermal comfort need to be achieve towards productive working environment. The comfort level of the subject is affected by the human skin temperature. To assess the skin temperature with the sorrounding by conducting human experiment in the climatic chamber. It is rigorous and complex experiment.This study was developed to predict human skin temperature in comfort level with the finite element method and the bioheat equation. The bioheat equation is a consideration of metabolic heat generation and the blood perfusion to solve heat transfer of the living tissue. It is to determine the skin temperature focussing at the human arm. From the study, it is found that the predicted skin temperature value were in well agreement with the experimental results. The percentage error insignificant with acceptable error of 1.05%.


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