A measurement setup to test instruments for detecting sweat

The thermal neutral zone is the temperature range in which the body can manipulate the heat balance of the body using only vasomotion to maintain thermal comfort. In a warm environment, vasodilation will allow blood and heat to spread over a larger surface area, increasing the heat loss through passive means. When the heat loss needs to be increased further, people start sweating and the heat is lost by evaporating moisture from the skin. Sweat can be used to monitor the thermoregulatory response of users and test subjects. This is similar to skin temperatures. Detection of the onset of sweating is an indicator for the upper boundary of the thermal neutral zone. Up until now, detecting vasomotion, sweat and sweat rate requires highly controlled conditions and complicated instruments. There is a need to develop instruments that can be used in an office environment during field tests for the development of personal conditioning systems and future climate control systems. In this study, a test set up is build that can mimic the human skin with respect to temperature and sweat rate. Based on the results of the study suggestions are given for the further improvements and measurements on the human body