Exploring awareness of breathing through deep touch pressure

Abstract

Deep Pressure Therapy relies on exerting frm touch to help individuals with sensory sensitivity. We performed frst-person explorations of deep pressure enabled by shape-changing actuation driven by breathing sensing. This revealed a novel design space with rich, evocative, aesthetically interesting interactions that can help increase breathing awareness and appreciation through: (1) applying symmetrical as well as asymmetrical pressure on the torso; (2) using pressure to direct attention to muscles or bone structure involved in diferent breathing patterns; (3) apply synchronous as well as asynchronous feedback following or opposing the user's breathing rhythm through applying rhythmic pressure. Taken together these explorations led us to design (4) breathing correspondence interactions - a balance point right between leading and following users' breathing patterns by frst applying deep pressure - almost to the point of being unpleasant - and then releasing in rhythmic fow.