SereniSleeve - Designing Shape Memory Based Wearables for Anxiety Modulation

Abstract

Anxiety is a natural “fight-or-flight” response that everybody experiences to perceived stress or threat. Even though it is a natural response, some individuals struggle with managing their anxiety levels in a healthy manner. Prolonged exposure to high anxiety states can lead to clinical anxiety disorders that negatively impact the quality of life, thus early interventions to reduce anxiety levels can help prevent the development of clinical level anxiety. Even nonclinical individuals can also suffer from periods of heightened anxiety state, so anyone can benefit from additional guidance with anxiety modulation.

This graduation project aims to create a wearable garment that helps with daily levels of anxiety modulation in a non-clinical setting by providing warmth and pressure sensations typically associated with Deep Touch Pressure (DTP). DTP is a form of tactile sensory input that is provided by holding, stroking, hugging and squeezing, which has been proven to elicit feelings of safety, relaxation, and comfort. Although there are some commercially available DTP wearable products typically in the form of a vest, they are often heavy, uncomfortable, or indiscreet as the DTP sensations are provided by additional weights or inflatables with hand-operated pumps. Since they are difficult to conceal, wearing those commercial DTP vests can attract unwanted attention from nearby strangers and further aggravate anxiousness. Instead, DTP sensations can be applied to the body in a noiseless, lightweight, and discreet manner by utilizing shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators in wearable garments.

The insights that formed the groundwork for this project was gathered through literature review in a wide variety of topics including haptic technology, affect regulation, and SMA. Deeper understanding of the intricate nuances involved with anxiety modulation were gained through self-reflection and introspection as part of the autobiographical design method. Although the insights gathered from introspection are rooted in subjective lived experiences, they can yield universally applicable outcomes based on genuine empathy and firsthand understanding that resonate with a broader range of users who experience similar or related difficulties with anxiety. Moreover, rapid prototyping and iterative processes were utilized to tinker with and learn about designing SMA based actuators for wearable garments. After fabricating several prototype iterations, each exploring different design variables, SereniSleeve was developed.

SereniSleeve is a fingerless glove sleeve that provides warmth and deep pressure sensations to the forearm. It helps users break out of spiraling anxious thoughts by providing on-body haptic sensations that they can focus on, enhancing their grounding techniques. User test participants experienced feelings of calmness, relaxation, and comfort at varying pressure settings. Users can intuitively activate the sleeve by clenching their fists during stressful or anxious situations, triggering one of three preset pressure settings depending on the user applied force. All the electronic components can easily be detached from the double-layered fabric sleeve cover for easy maintenance and washability. Based on the participant feedback, future work and iterations on SereniSleeve could further improve its overall usability and user experience.