ZENVIBE

Smart wearable to deal with momentarily stress

Module Brief

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To select a domain of study and understand different aspects of it. Furthermore, a problem has to be identified and build a solution to address/solve the problem.

Time Alloted: 6 Weeks

Mentors: Bhaumik Nagar, Shobhan S, Mayank Loonkar and Bhaskar Bhatt

Sponsor: National Institiute of Design Gandhinagar

Recognition: Selected for upcoming annual design show at NID

Key Skills: Domain Research, Problem Identification, Conceptualization, Prototyping and Development

Project Brief

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One of the most initial responses of the body that gets triggered in stressful situations, such as interviews, romantic encounters, or unexpected events, is shallow breathing. It is proven that conscious and regulated breathing helps reduce both long-term and momentary stress.

While there are existing smartwatches and mobile applications that offer guided breathing through animations and auditory feedback, they may not be practical to use in the midst of a stressful situation.

With this project I have explored Situational stress/anxiety and actively used prototyping as an important way of moving towards the most appropriate and feasible solution.

Prototyping and Exploration

Through this project, I aimed to deeply engage with design research to identify specific issues and immerse myself in the art of experience prototyping, where each solution approach is a unique exploration rather than a mere iteration.

01. Pneumatic exploration

This idea of Pneumatic based follow-along nudge is inspired from the training style where, Yoga participants keep one hand on the belly and try to understand their breathing pattern. The idea was to simulate lungs/stomach expansion and contraction, so that it can be followed along by the participants.The prototype was tested on various areas around the spine to ensure maximum contact and sensorial feel.

The small plastic pouches were tested by inflating and deflating them based on different timings

Two touch switches which work from just a tap are placed on both the shoulders to quickly turn on the feedback.

Two pipes from inner plastic pouch connects to an external unit which has air pump motors for inflation and deflation.

Opened box assembly which contains two air pumps to inflate/deflate and other electronics to make it work based on breath timings

Touch pad capacitve switch design to turn on/off the mechanism

02. Fabric contraction and relaxation
In this prototype the concept of integrating the nudge in existing wearables itself has been explored. The fabric was stiched in a certain way for easy contraction and relaxation for a user to follow along while breathing

The fabric has been stitched in sections by using elastic thread to induce elastic properties.

Simulation testing for this prototype has been done to understand the effectiveness.

After testing both the prototypes the haptic nudge one was taken forward because it provided guided timing and flow of the breath unlike the neumatics prototype which only provided time based nudge.

Final Wearable - ZENVIBE

03. Haptic vibration feedback

ZenVibe is an on-body accessory capable of detecting sharp increases in heart rate and initiating haptic nudges at three different points along the spine, oscillating from the abdomen to the chest. These nudges can be activated automatically based on heart rate or manually with a simple tap on the waist during a stress-prone situation. ZenVibe offers three distinct modes: 'Go' for immediate stress relief, 'Pre' for preparation ahead of stressful situations, and 'Zen' for yogic breathing and meditation."