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Advanced human heat exposure sensing using two cylinder anemometer and radiometer: introducing CARla

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Abstract

The negative health impacts of extreme heat exposure can be mitigated by incorporating hyperlocal biometeorological observations into heat action planning, emergency responses, and heat-reducing urban design. A significant portion of outdoor human heat exposure is radiative, but it is often overlooked due to the absence of affordable, accurate, and user-friendly sensors. We developed a two cylinder anemometer and radiometer (CARla) consisting of unheated and heated gray components, which quantifies wind speed and the total radiation absorbed by the human body. The spectral properties of the gray coating match the standard short- and longwave absorptivity used in mean radiant temperature (MRT) calculations. We optimized the geometrical parameters of the cylinders, including height, wall thickness, and side-mounting, to minimize errors in MRT and wind speed measurements. Experiments were conducted across 15 outdoor sites in Tempe, Arizona, during the record-setting heat wave from August to October 2024. Results demonstrated that the MRT measured using CARla closely matched those measured using 3-way net radiometers. The average error in MRT using the new compact system was 1.3 ± 2.2 °C across a wide MRT range (20 to 75 °C). CARLa represents a significant improvement compared to other low-cost radiometers. The average difference between the CARla and ultrasonic anemometers for wind speed was − 0.05 ± 0.36 m·s−1 in the 0.25 to 3 m·s−1 range, comparable to standard low-cost anemometers. We integrated the CARla sensor with an Arduino-based logger, creating a cost-effective and accurate tool for broadly characterizing human exposure to extreme heat.

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Acknowledgements

Authors gratefully acknowledge the use of spectroscopy equipment within the Eyring Center for Solid State Science at Arizona State University.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation Leading Engineering for America’s Prosperity, Health, and Infrastructure (LEAP HI) #2152468 award. Dr. Sylwester Wereski’s participation in the research was possible thanks to funding from the National Science Center in Poland under the MINIATURA 5 grant “The occurrence of strong heat stress in hot and dry climate condition” (2021/05/X/ST10/00587).

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Author notes

  1. Ankit Joshi and Shri H. Viswanathan contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Konrad Rykaczewski, Ankit Joshi, Shri H. Viswanathan, Emily Parkerson, Mahima Gupta, Michael Park, Isabella DeClair, Kambiz Sadeghi & Gokul Pathikonda

  2. Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Konrad Rykaczewski, Ankit Joshi, Kambiz Sadeghi, Jennifer K. Vanos & Ariane Middel

  3. Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin, Poland

    Sylwester Wereski

  4. School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Jennifer K. Vanos

  5. School for Arts, Media and Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Ariane Middel

  6. School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Ariane Middel

Authors
  1. Konrad Rykaczewski
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Contributions

KR: conceptualization, experiments, analysis; AJ, SHV, SW: field experiments and analysis; KS: field experiments and optical property characterization; SSG, MP, ID, EP, MG, GP, SW: fabrication, wind tunnel experiments and analysis; JKV and AM: analysis, conceptualization; All authors contributed to manuscript writing and editing; All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Konrad Rykaczewski.

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Rykaczewski, K., Joshi, A., Viswanathan, S.H. et al. Advanced human heat exposure sensing using two cylinder anemometer and radiometer: introducing CARla. Int J Biometeorol 69, 835–848 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-025-02860-4

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