Ripple
Self-Guided | Summer 2026
Design a portable device for a user with specific needs to enhance quality of everyday life.
Problem
Stress-related health issues are on the rise, affecting sleep, mental health, heart health, and more. Activating the parasympathetic nervous system through breathing exercises can address all of these at once yet, most guided breathing tools require a screen, undermining the very calm they're meant to create.
Ergonomic
Comfortable in users hand, easy to understand and useDesign Goals
Lightweight and Portable
Can be taken anywhere and won't cause any issues
Haptic Program
Haptics sensor programed to guide user through breathing exercises
Fidget Aspect
Allows user to simulate mind and anchors senses to calm down
Fusion Prototyping
Breathing Exercises
To understand how the haptics would work, I needed to find a breathing exercise that would be most universally effective across a multitude of users.
Through my research I found that the 4-4-4-4 technique is effective in improving lung function, reducing stress, activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering blood pressure.
Linear Resonant Actuators
Haptic Programing and Technology
To replicate a button, an LRA simulates a button sensation through a sensor, after this, the LRA is coded to match the 4-4-4-4 breathing technique.
The coding involves using PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to create a sinusoidal or square wave. By alternating different waves and the length of each one, the device can release haptics that can effectively communicate to the user how to breathe through their problem.
Final Design
