Thermal VR

What we see has a stronger impact on us than we often realize. Colors, environments, and even virtual bodies can change how warm or cold we feel without any change to the actual room temperature. This project investigates how virtual worlds and digital avatars influence our perception of temperature to understand how this knowledge can be utilized to reduce energy consumption and the associated costs through immersive technologies. Heating and cooling are among the largest energy consumers in homes, offices, and public buildings. At the same time, people are spending more and more time in digital and virtual environments, such as Virtual Reality and digital workspaces. The core idea of the project is therefore simple: if virtual experiences can influence whether we feel warm or cool, they could help reduce the demand for air conditioning and heating without people having to sacrifice thermal comfort. Imagine working in a virtual winter landscape with cool colors, or having an avatar wearing light summer clothing, while the physical room you are in is slightly warmer. Or the opposite: you are in a warm virtual beach environment while the real room is a bit cooler. Previous studies show that such visual impressions can have measurable effects on how warm or cold we feel and even on our skin temperature. This means that virtual design can help maintain thermal comfort while simultaneously saving energy. The project investigates these effects systematically. Researchers analyze how different virtual environments, such as snow, sun, ice, or fire, and different avatars, for example with goosebumps, sweat, or different types of clothing, affect the perception of cold and warmth. Both subjective impressions (How warm does it feel?) and objective measurements (such as skin temperature) are measured. This creates a comprehensive picture of how strongly virtual experiences influence the body and perception. Based on this research, a digital tool is being developed: a design toolkit for developers and creators of immersive applications. This immersive computing application will help shape virtual environments and avatars in a targeted way so that they influence temperature perception in the desired direction based on the season or climate. In this way, future VR applications, games, and digital work environments could automatically contribute to saving energy and reduce costs while maintaining user comfort. In short, this project connects technology, research on perception, and energy consumption in a new way. It shows that digital worlds are not only a form of entertainment, but can actively help change behavior, reduce costs for energy consumption, and support the transition toward a more energy- efficient society.