Oura
Self Project—Wearable Product + APP
Date: 2025.10-2026.01
Location: Beijing China
Designer: Emily Liu
Overview
A wearable tactile-olfactory intervention device and mobile app designed for sober socializers to mitigate social anxiety without biological stimulants.
HOW：
Social Anxiety / Design for Well-being / Sensory Anchor / Digital Community
WHAT—Problem Define
Social Death
Family breakdown
Legal liability
Frequent hangovers often mean repeated heavy drinking, which over time increases the risk of fatty liver, hepatitis, cirrhosis, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, as well as anxiety and depression.
WHY—Research
Mechanism of alcohol stimulating dopamine secretion
01 Alcohol intake → Crossing the blood-brain barrier
02 GABA system activation → Produces relaxation and anti-anxiety effects
03 Glutamate inhibition → Reduces tension
04 VTA Activation → Triggers Reward Circuit Core
05. Massive release of dopamine → produces euphoria (increases by 40-360%)
06 Sensory memory association → Formation of conditioned reflexes
The impact of alcohol addiction on all aspects of life
HOW—The core of this design lies not in deprivation, but in balance.
We seek a balance that preserves social pleasure while preventing compensatory drinking through sensory intervention; that embraces relaxation of the soul while establishing a physiological protective barrier.
Drink
Smell
Serialized Pressing Action: Use a damped push card, the predictability of tactile feedback.
Core Interaction: The internal structure encloses the three-dimensional sphere, releasing physical pressure through the damping sensation created by pinching.
To form a habit and generate a GABA-like sense of relaxation, hand movements need to shift from "unconscious anxiety-inducing actions" (such as picking at fingers) to "conscious fine motor skills."
Convienient- Product Ecosystem
Process
01 To prove the feasibility of the product, in-depth research on "hand movement path" and "olfactory radius" is needed.
Fragrance dot marking
Simulate the action of holding a cup to drink water with your hand, and feel where the smell is most pronounced when it is closest to your nose.
wearable sketches
Wearing it near the web of the thumb on the index finger ensures that the fragrance is triggered the moment of gripping and that the fragrance mist accurately enters the "scent envelopment" of the breathing zone along the trajectory of raising the glass.
Ergonomics
Simulate the "raising a glass" motion.
The device is designed on the palm side. When the user grips the glass, the natural gripping force of the fingers will compress the device.
02 Sketches iteration and experimentation
Hand on device
Base
Ensure the wearable device can be placed and kept still, and that it can be touched on the back via a mobile phone.
Material use:
Base: High-transparency polished resin
Hand-worn Intervention Device: Medical-grade matte silicone
03 Arduino Operation Connection
Arduino Development Board / Atomizing plate / pressure sensor
UIUX Design
Bridging the Physical Gap: Transforming sensory feedback from wearable devices into visualized social data.
De-labeling Social Interaction: Using NFC technology, transforming "not drinking" from a social pressure into a new "technology-driven" lifestyle.
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