Past research has shown that the rate of change of skin surface temperature can affect thermal sensation. This study investigated users’ thermal responses to a tablet heating surface with different heat pads and different temperature change rates. The test conditions included: A. keeping the surface at a constant 42°C, B. increasing the surface temperature from 38°C to 42°C at a rate of 0.02°C/s in progressive intervals, C. increasing the temperature at 0.15°C/s in progressive intervals, and D. Heating two left and right side pads alternately from 38°C to 42°C at 0.15°C/s in progressive intervals. Overall results showed the lowest temperature change rate of 0.02°C/s was most preferred in terms of thermal comfort. The findings suggest a potential to improve user thermal experience by dissipating tablet computer heat at a lower temperature change rate, or by alternating the dissipation areas.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ASTM C1055-03 (2014), Standard Guide for Heated System Surface Conditions that Produce Contact Burn Injuries, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2014.
2.
BS PD 6504 (1983). Medical Information on Human Reaction to Skin Contact with Hot Surfaces. London, UK: British Standard Institute.
3.
ChauL.WellsR. (2015). Biomechanical loading on the hand, wrist, and forearm when holding a tablet computer. IIE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors, 3(2), 105-114.
Darian-SmithI.JohnsonK. O.LaMotteC.ShigenagaY.KeninsP.ChampnessP. (1979). Warm fibers innervating palmar and digital skin of the monkey: responses to thermal stimuli. Journal of Neurophysiology, 42(5), 1297-1315.
6.
DuclauxR.DRS. K. (1980). Response characteristics of cutaneous warm receptors in the monkey. Journal of Neurophysiology, 43(1), 1-15.
7.
DyckP.ZimmermanI.GillenD. (1993). Cool, warm, and heat-pain detection thresholds Testing methods and inferences about anatomic distribution of receptors. Neurology, 43(August), 1500–1508.
8.
ISO 13732-1:2006Ergonomics of the thermal environment – Methods for the assessment of human responses to contact with surfaces – Part 1: Hot surfaces
9.
ISO 13732-2:2001Ergonomics of the thermal environment – Methods for the assessment of human responses to contact with surfaces – Part 2: Human contact with surfaces at moderate temperature
10.
KenshaloD. R.HolmesC. E.WoodP. B. (1968). Warm and cool thresholds as a function of rate of stimulus temperature change. Perception and Psychophysics, 3(2), 81-84.
11.
KenshaloD.ScottH. (1966). Temporal course of thermal adaptation. Science, 151(3714), 1095–1096.
12.
KongJ. T.JohnsonK. A.BaliseR. R.MackeyS. (2013). Test- retest reliability of thermal temporal summation using an individualized protocol. The Journal of Pain, 14(1), 79-88.
13.
MolinariH. H.GreenspanJ. D.KrenshaloD. R. (1977). The effects of rate of temperature change and adapting temperature on thermal sensitivity.Sensory processes, 1(4), 354-362.
ParsonsK. (2014). Human Thermal Environments: The Effects of Hot, Moderate, and Cold Environments on Human Health, Comfort, and Performance. CRC Press.
16.
PertovaaraA.KojoI. (1985). Influence of the rate of temperature change on thermal thresholds in man. Experimental Neurology, 87(3), 439-445.
17.
PertovaaraAKauppilaT.HämäläinenM. M. (1996). Influence of skin temperature on heat pain threshold in humans. Experimental brain research. Experimentelle Hirnforschung. Expérimentation cérébrale, 107(3), 497–503.
TillmanD. B.TreedeR. D.MeyerR. A.CampbellJ. N. (1995a). Response of C fibre nociceptors in the anaesthetized monkey to heat stimuli: estimates of receptor depth and threshold. The Journal of Physiology, 485(3), 753-765.
23.
TillmanD. B.TreedeR. D.MeyerR. aCampbellJ. N. (1995b). Response of C fibre nociceptors in the anaesthetized monkey to heat stimuli: correlation with pain threshold in humans. The Journal of Physiology, 485(3), 767–774.
24.
TsangK. S.SwanM. C.MasoodS. (2011). Full thickness thigh burn caused by a laptop computer: It’s hotter than you think. Burns : Journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries, 37(2), e9–e11.
25.
WilsonGrahamM.Halvey (2011). Some like it hot: thermal feedback for mobile devices. In Proceedings of the 2011 Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 2555–2564).
26.
YarnitskyD.SimoneD. A.DotsonR. M.ClineM. A.OchoaJ. L. (1992). Single C nociceptor responses and psychophysical parameters of evoked pain: effect of rate of rise of heat stimuli in humans. The Journal of Physiology, 450, 581–592.
27.
YarnitskyD.OchoaJ. (1990). Studies of heat pain sensation in man: perception thresholds, rate of stimulus rise and reaction time. Pain, 40, 85–91.
28.
YeomansD. C.ProudfitH. K. (1996). Nociceptive responses to high and low rates of noxious cutaneous heating are mediated by different nociceptors in the rat: electrophysiological evidence. Pain, 68(1), 141-150.
29.
ZhangH.HedgeA. (2014). Laptop heat and models of user thermal discomfort. In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting. 58(1), 1456-1460.
30.
ZhangH.HedgeA.GuoB. (2015). Ambient temperature effects on user thermal sensation with a simulated tablet computer. In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting. 59(1), 1090-1094.
