NSF Award
1622892
The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to introduce wearable personal comfort systems into the internet of things, reducing energy consumption in buildings while improving the comfort and well-being of building occupants. EMBR Labs? proprietary wearable technology generates real-time comfort data, enabling reduced and optimized HVAC loads, while simultaneously providing personalized comfort to occupants. Personal comfort systems have the potential to reduce building energy consumption by 20-40% and improve occupant productivity by 2-7%. Providing this technology in commercial buildings could generate a return on investment in under 6 months while adding value for building occupants, facilities managers, and business owners. The R&D supported by this SBIR Phase I could save $B of dollars in energy costs, recapture over $20B of lost productivity.<br/><br/>This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project develops a personal comfort Internet of Things technology to resolve fundamental inefficiencies in the current approaches to maintaining the comfort and productivity of the American workforce in offices, hospitals, schools, and government buildings. The objectives of this project are to (i) demonstrate the technical feasibility of a wearable personal comfort system that is sufficiently ergonomic for adoption in the workplace, (ii) quantify the ability for the wearable technology to improve occupant comfort, and (iii) demonstrate the ability to collect real-time comfort data from the wearable personal comfort system. This SBIR Phase I project will culminate in the demonstration, validation, and quantification of wearable technology that provides real-time comfort data to smart buildings and personalized comfort to occupants.
