iCare Lab – Individual Comfort in Augmented Reality Environments

• Subject Area: Construction Engineering and Architecture
• Term: Funded in 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 444837476

The application aims for an indoor climate test bench with heatable and coolable surrounding surfaces, planned to be installed in the experimental test facility of Energy Efficient Building at Campus Melaten. The laboratory has the size of a two person office / living room, and allows for a simultaneous variation of thermal, air conditioning, acoustic as well as lighting aspects in a realistic manner. Two walls on the inside will be equipped with projectors, which enable the depiction of augmented reality scenes such as natural landscapes, open plan offices, or colleagues during online conferences. The effects of these visual displays will be investigated regarding occupant behavior and potential energy savings as well as the impact on human performance and well-being. The integration of the visual projection into building automation systems will also be focused, e.g. for information display, feedback depiction, and control / adjustment capabilities. LED walls on the outside will enable the transparent projection of the events happening inside the laboratory. The uniqueness of this facility derives from its size and technical capabilities, and creates the basis for fruitful interdisciplinary research, including researchers from engineering, computer science, psychology, medicine, and business studies.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: iCare Lab – individueller Komfort in Augmented Reality Umgebungen
• Instrumentation Group: 9830 Heizungs- und Klimaanlagen, Lüftung, Klimakammern, fest installiert (außer 287, 848 und 994)
• Applicant Institution: Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
• Leader: Professor Dr.-Ing. Christoph van Treeck