People’s hands were imaged using a Seek Thermal camera on iPad. Hands were held out flat, palm up, against a flat surface. The intended population to research would be a random control population compared to a population of health “energy” practitioners such as meditation, qigong/chi-kung, reiki and other practices.
The assignment was supposed to be done using Arduino but the Seek Thermal camera’s capabilities really shine in this application. By providing a high and low temperature, hands can be evaluated for location of hot spots, actual temperature and temperature in relation to surroundings.
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Some data:
average maximum: 92.6° F
median maximum: 93° F
average minimum: 78° F (mostly background)
highest hand temp: 96° F
lowest hand temp: 87° F
The chart below shows the high and low temperatures of the dataset. No particular relationship becomes apparent.
This is the full dataset. The main conclusion is the area around the base of the thumb, the proximal-center palm and thumb root, are the most common centers of heat in the hand. One participant’s wrist was the warmest area. Cold drinks and jewelry effect temperature.
DIY Science Fall 2015 