Micro-Scale Thermal Sensitivity Mappings of Human Body

Abstract

We mapped thermal sensitivities of 318 skin spots over 15 body parts, in 48 college students. The results show that body parts had wide variance in thermal sensitivity. The foot, lower leg and upper chest are much less sensitive than average, while the cheek, neck back, and seat area are very sensitive to both cooling and warming stimuli. To examine any sex differences in thermal sensitivity, body-surface-area-matched males and females were selected. Given comparable body size, no significant thermal sensitivity differences were observed between male and female, except for warming of the forearm and chest. These high-density thermal sensitivity data provide the most comprehensive account of the distribution of cold and warm sensitivity across the human body. They can help to guide future developments in energy-efficient personal comfort systems and wearables.