Visual recognition efficiency of handheld infrared thermometer interface information under low ambient illuminance

One of the symptoms of plagues, epidemics or pandemics is often a fever, so during such unprecedented times, handheld infrared thermometers are vital devices for monitoring symptomatic individuals. It is therefore very important to enhance reading efficiency when these thermometers are used for lengthy periods of time in a low illuminance environment. The need for the efficient reading of infrared thermometers or a fast reaction time when reading the information is even more relevant now during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, a target search experiment of digital characters is carried out through a simulated interface and use scenarios of a handheld thermometer based on three variables: the inclination angle or slant of the seven segment display characters, screen brightness, and ambient illuminance. The experimental results show that the inclination angle or slant of the characters and ambient illuminance have a significant effect on the reaction speed. In general, the slowest reaction time is found when reading characters with a slant of 10° to the left and the reaction time is the fastest with a right slant of 20°. A continued reduction in ambient illuminance does not affect the visual recognition performance but instead further enhances reading efficiency. Increasing the screen brightness increases the reaction time more in relatively low ambient illuminance conditions as opposed to relatively high ambient illuminance, which implies that in higher ambient illuminance conditions, a brighter screen needs to be used to obtain the same reaction speed as that in lower ambient illuminance conditions.