Demonstrating Thermal Flux: Using Mixed Reality to Extend Human Sight by Thermal Vision

Abstract

Human vision underlies several constraints in its spatial, temporal and spectral resolution. One limitation is the visual sensation of temperatures, which can be a useful addition for human sight in education or work scenarios. This demo presents how mixed reality applications can virtually superimpose objects’ thermal properties with the physical world into a coherent environment. We present a prototype that utilizes either a smartphone or a head-mounted display to mediate thermal flux. We show the feasibility of our prototype in the context of a physics lab experiment that fosters the understanding of heat conduction for different materials. We envision thermal vision as an addition to the human sight that can be accomplished with already available technologies. Finally, we discuss how our prototype can be designed as a context-aware in-situ interface that toggles between regular and thermal vision.