HeartBit : mindful control of heart rate using haptic biofeedback

The following thesis lies where mindfulness and technology meet, in particular, in the design, implementation, and testing of HeartBit. HeartBit is a device designed for haptic heart rate biofeedback. A handheld heart beats alongside your own, mirroring the size, weight, and movement of a hidden internal organ, now external and tangible, in real-time. HeartBit offers a medium for users to self-regulate in moments of stress, anxiety, or exertion: Control your heart to control your breath and body--for relaxation, performance enhancement, or augmented self-awareness. In partnership between the MIT Media Lab and the Ellen Langer Mindfulness Lab at Harvard, HeartBit has been tested under two scenarios. First, showing how people can learn to voluntarily control their heart rate using mindfulness, assisted by portable technology to accelerate the learning process. Second, showing how empathy towards unlike-minded individuals can be increased simply by feeling someone else's heartbeat in the palm of one's hand.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Rosello, Oscar(Rosello Gil)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Pattie Maes.

• Program in Media Arts and Sciences

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/129856

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/129856