Dissertation in the field of applied electronics, Jussi Kuutti

User-adaptive environment – Feasibility of sensors and applications for improving indoor energy efficiency, comfort and well-being

The need to reduce energy consumption due to, e.g., environmental reasons has been a hot
topic for decades. The user-adaptive environment is a concept that aims at improved indoor
energy efficiency, indoor comfort and well-being. Adaptive conditions can be automatically
adjusted at a general level based on the current need and fine-tuned locally by the space users themselves. The growth of the ageing population in developed countries creates an increased need for full-time assistance of nursing staff. User-adaptive features can also include health and activity monitoring that can be used to guarantee that help is available when needed.

In this thesis, the performance of commercial visitor-counting sensors was tested in different
settings. The feasibility of sensor applications, including detecting the room occupancy level,
demand-controlled ventilation (DCV), and escalator performance analysis, was further
evaluated. In the area of individual indoor comfort, methods and applications for local control
of audio environment were reviewed. A position-independent, radar-based vital-signs
detection system was evaluated as a well-being application.

Opponent: Professor Jukka Vanhala, Tampere University of Technology, Finland

Supervisor: Professor Raimo Sepponen, Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation