Wearable device for measuring pupilar illuminance

Abstract

Data on the exposure of the human eye to light can help researchers and design professionals to better understand building performance with regards to the well-being and health of users. However, technologies currently used to evaluate indoor lighting conditions from a fixed point of view and measure luminous quantities are unable to map out visual scenes in a similar way to the human eye. With the aim of contributing to overcome this gap, this paper presents "OcuLux", a wearable device made in Brazil, designed to continuously monitor pupilar illuminance for indoor environments. "OcuLux" was calibrated and the sensor was worn for 7 days in November 2016 at the Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory (LESO-PB) at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Lausanne campus (Switzerland), under partly cloudy and overcast skies to diagnose the light dose received by a person performing typical office activities. The results showed that no significant differences were found between the light dose received in the morning and in the afternoon. Although "OcuLux" has a limited measuring range, its use in a real situation has indicated that it is reliable for measurements of pupilar illuminance.

Keywords:
Visual comfort; Measurement device; Light dose; Pupilar illuminance; Health