Feel Your Breath With a Shape-Shifting Ball to Promote Mental Health

Haptic technology led shape shifting ball that works in synchronous with a person’s breathing can mitigate mental health issues.

A soft ball, using haptic technology, that expands and contracts in synchronous with breathing when held in hand, was invented by a Ph.D. student at the University of Bath in the UK. This ball is made to promote mental wellness by offering users a physical representation of their breath to help them stay focused and control their emotions().

The ball works through haptic feedback, where sensors attached to the user's body transmits data about their respiration patterns to the ball via a computer.

Anxiety Impacts Ability To Perceive Changes in Our Breathing: Study
Eastern medicine has used breathing as a tool to improve mental health for centuries. Yoga, meditation and exercise can help in keeping anxiety and depression at bay.

‘By giving breath physical form, the shape-shifting ball enhances self-awareness and engagement, fostering positive mental health outcomes #mindfulbreathing #hapticrespiration #digitalbreath’

Role of Respiration in Enhancing Mental Wellness

Generally, breathing is an ignored activity, yet when done deeply and with focus, it's known to alleviate anxiety and foster well-being. Measured breathing is highly rated by mental health practitioners both for its ability to lower the temperature in emotionally charged situations and to increase a person’s receptivity to more demanding mental-health interventions.

Disciplines that frequently include mindful breathing include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and trauma-focused therapies.

Most people, however, struggle to sustain attention on their breathing. Once disengaged from the process, they are likely to return to thinking mode and be less receptive to mental-health interventions that require concentration.

Hyperventilation Symptom Evaluation
Hyperventilation is a deep or fast irregular breathing often caused by anxiety or panic. Causes of hyperventilation include anxiety, emotional stress.

Haptic Feedback from Hand-held Ball fosters Mental Health

Explaining how the device supports a user, Mr Farrall said: "When an individual holds the ball, their breath becomes a physical thing between their hands. They can feel and see the flow of air as the object expands and contracts.”

“This allows them to become more aware of their own internal sensations and more receptive to psychological change. It gives a personalised and engaging experience, and is accessible to everyone.”

Recent research led by Mr Farrall shows a significant improvement in people’s ability to focus on their breathing when they use his shape-shifting ball. With their attention heightened, study participants were then able to pay closer attention to a guided audio recording from a meditation app.

Among those who used the ball, there was an average 75% reduction in anxiety and a 56% increase in protection against worry-induced thoughts. In contrast, those relying only on the audio recordings experienced a 31% reduction in anxiety (recording 44% more anxiety than their counterparts).

Additionally, those accessing the ball alongside audio guidance showed significantly higher Heart Rate Variability (indicative of better stress resilience and emotional regulation) than those using only audio, demonstrating the superior calming effect of a combined ball plus audio approach.

Breathing Exercises Help Manage Mental Stress
In college students, the well-being strategies such as breathing exercises were found to improve mental health and manage stress and anxiety, stated new study.

Watch your Breathing to Keep your Anxiety at Bay

While digital technologies like apps have emerged to bridge this gap, many people don’t use them for long enough to enjoy the promised benefits, with one study showing that only 3.9% of users stick with an app programme over a 15-day period.

Mr Farrall’s interactive ball – named the Physical Artefact for Well-being Support (PAWS) – offers a potential solution by giving people an extra incentive to actively participate in managing their mental health. In time, Mr Farrall hopes his ball will be a tool used both by mental-health professionals and private individuals.

"I want this device to be a genuine catalyst for mental health improvement, not just in clinical settings but also for home users," he said.

In the Bath study, the PAWS prototype used an electronic and pneumatic circuit to convert pulmonary activity to pneumatic activation. Future versions, however, will leverage Bluetooth technology and smart geometric structures to eliminate the need for wires, and make the device easier and more comfortable to use.

Plans for a larger study are underway to delve deeper into the potential benefits of PAWS. This next study will incorporate insights from mental health experts and people who have spent some time using the ball.

Reference:

Breathe! The shape-shifting ball that supports mental health - (https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/breathe-the-shape-shifting-ball-that-supports-mental-health/)

Source: Eurekalert

Simple Breathing Exercises to Strengthen Your Respiratory System
While COVID-19 cases continue to surge, breathing exercises are a great way to develop the lungs as they improve lung muscles, and clear out any secretion.