The Calm Loop
Designer: Emily Liu
Date: Aug- Nov 2025
Location: Beijing-China
A Cross-Media Interactive Therapeutic Design for Somatic Anxiety
This project addresses somatic anxiety (e.g., hyperventilation) through active biofeedback. The core system consists of an Arduino-powered wristband that detects hand movements and heart rate in real time, feeding data to a TouchDesigner interactive environment.
Our key innovation integrates this technology with traditional Chinese Qigong gentle hand gestures. The user follows the guidance, and the system provides real-time visual feedback—a dynamic transition from alert Red to calm Blue—allowing users to actively self-regulate and achieve physiological relief. This is a highly participatory solution blending Eastern philosophy and modern technology.
Inspiration+Research
70%
college students said they "felt extremely stressed", and half of them were in a state of long-term anxiety.
The report shows that anxiety and loneliness have increased significantly after the epidemic, especially among Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012).
Get answers through a survey of 30 friends
Q1: When you encounter emotional problems, how do you usually deal with them?
Q2: If there was an interactive product(such as game , app, or wearable device) what could help you relieve anxiety /stress, what features would you most like it to have?
Progerss
According to the specific process of Qigong, it is known that regulating emotions through breathing is a very important step. Through research, it is known that round spheres or gas can best show the visual fluctuations of emotions.
01. VisualShape Design
Touch Designer
Intense anxiety/stress Calm/Meditative State
“Mediapipe”
As the core visual recognition framework, it is used to monitor the user's physiological state in real time.
In the system, I mainly use MediaPipe to capture the user's hand features and movements. These visual signals are then used to display visual effects.
Based on the camera's tracking of hand movements, the hand is raised and the fluctuation is large.
When the hand is lowered, the fluctuation is small.
02. Wearable bracelet design
· data transmission
· Auto Adjust
· simple feedback
· Real-time heart rate test
Tech part：Arduino
Material: 3D printing
For users who are anxious or have significant mood swings, especially when strong anxiety causes hand tremors and sweating, traditional watch-like wearable devices may appear bulky and difficult to wear.
3D modeling( front)
3D modeling (back)
· Lightweight Construction:
The core sensor module is integrated into a minimalist housing, weighing less than 20g, reducing the burden on wearer.
· One-Handed Operation:
The curved opening allows for quick insertion and removal with one hand, unaffected by hand tremors.
