Breathe with the Ocean: a System for Relaxation using Audio, Haptic and Visual Stimuli

Abstract

In this paper we present the “Breathe with the Ocean” system concept, which is a breathing guidance system that aims to help a user relax. It provides an immersive experience where the user is virtually present at an ocean shore. We describe the design and implementation of three embodiments of this concept and preliminary evaluations based on trial sessions. The feedback provided by the three systems to the user is in the form of audio, haptic (tactile) and visual (light) stimuli. Haptic stimuli are provided through a novel actuation device that we developed, the Touch Blanket. The three systems introduced are respectively a fixed-rate breathing guidance system, an adaptive breathing following system and an adaptive-rate breathing guidance system that maximizes heart-rate variability amplitude. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using open-loop versus closed-loop implementations of these types of systems, as well as our experiences so far in using multimodal stimuli for breathing guidance.