Visualizing thermal traces to reveal histories of human-object interactions

Abstract

Traces of human-object interactions remain on objects in the form of thermal information. This paper describes a human memory aid that exploits such traces to create a thermal 'lifelog' of one's interactions with the environment, without disrupting ongoing activities and without any special apparatus or wires. The goal of the aid is to build a digitized surrogate memory to assist in recalling personal experiences. A system with an infrared camera that records the thermal traces left by human-object interactions was fabricated. Measurements obtained with this system can help us understand the nature of thermal traces and be used to develop thermal models that can describe the heat transfer process on object surfaces after contact. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.