Social and Psychological Aspects

Viewers’ Sensations: Using Skin Sensor Technology to Assess Wearable Technology

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Abstract

Wearable technology has received incredible attention over the past decade in museum displays such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) featured a technology-inspired gala opening for the exhibition Manus x Machina. Skin sensors can measure physiological responses such as viewers’sensations to such wearable technology such as a wearer’s heart rate and electrodermal activity (EDA) also known as galvanic skin response (GSR). In this study, we used EDA technology to examine viewers’ sensations (S) inreaction to various sensory cues of a wearable technology garment displayed as an artwork. This study uniquely applies the sensation aspect of Shimamura’sI-SKE theory (2013) using EDA skin sensor data from viewing a wearable technology garment as an artwork. For this study, participants’ EDA levels were reported and most participants experienced heightened emotional arousal when viewing the artwork, which aligns with previous research examining EDA responses to art, especially in museums.

Keywords: Sensory, EDA, Wearable technology

How to Cite:

Rolling, V., Teel, K. P. & Courtney, S., (2024) “Viewers’ Sensations: Using Skin Sensor Technology to Assess Wearable Technology”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 80(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.17139