Augmenting Smart Buildings and Autonomous Vehicles with Wearable Thermal Technology

Smart buildings and autonomous vehicles are expected to see rapid growth and adoption in the coming decades. Americans spend over 90% of their lives in buildings or automobiles, meaning that 90% of their lives could be spent interfacing with intelligent environments. EMBR Labs has developed EMBR Wave, a wearable thermoelectric system, for introducing thermal sensation as a connected mode of interaction between smart environments and their occupants. In this paper we highlight applications of wearable thermal technology for passengers in autonomous vehicles and occupants of smart buildings. Initial findings, collected through partnerships with Draper and UC Berkeley, respectively, are presented that illustrate the potential for wearable thermal technology to improve the situational awareness of passengers in autonomous vehicles and improve personal comfort in smart buildings.