Just a Breath Away: Investigating Interactions with and Perceptions of Mediated Breath via a Haptic Cushion

Abstract

Feeling another person's breathing is an intimate encounter that can promote deep connection, communicate affective information, and influence our physiological state. Emerging technologies are exploring the mediation of biosignals, such as breathing, between people to yield meaningful interactions. However, little is known about people's subjective and physiological responses to mediated breath and the implications for designing these mediatory interfaces. We contribute to this space with three studies investigating subjective and physiological responses to mediated breath. We mediate breath with a custom pneumatic haptic cushion and offer strategies for simulating diverse breathing patterns. Our studies investigate three aspects of mediated breath interactions: physiological responses to regular breathing patterns (n=21); recognition of expressive breathing patterns (n=21); and subjective responses to mediated breath between partners in combination with video, audio or in isolation (n=8). We discuss our key findings and highlight areas of consideration for designers curating mediated breath interactions with tangible interfaces.