Ripple
Self-Guided | Summer 2026
Design a portable device for a user with specific needs to enhance quality of everyday life.
Concept Brief
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.
Mental Health Risks
45%
increased CVD (cardiovascular disease) risk linked to insomnia symptoms
Cardiovascular Risks
How Common is Chronic Stress and Pain?
75%
of all U.S adults experience stress regularly
30%
of the general population experience chronic pain
112%
higher all-cause death risk with low HRV (heart rate variability) in CVD patients
120k+
deaths per year in the U.S due to workplace stress
60-70%
of hypertension high blood pressure patients suffer due to under activated parasympathetic nervous system
Fusion Prototyping
Breathing Exercises
To understand how the haptics would work and be programmed, I needed to find a breathing exercise that would be most universally effective across a multitude of users.
Health Benefits of Box Breathing
Sleep Aid
Practicing this rhythmic breathing in bed calms physiological activation, making it a reliable tool for easing insomnia
Nervous System Regulation
Shifts the body out of "fight or flight" (sympathetic state) by actively engaging the vagus nerve, which slows your heart rate and lowers blood pressure
Improved HRV
A higher HRV indicates your body efficiently balances stress and relaxation, allowing for better cardiovascular health, faster recovery, and improved emotional well-being
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.
Physical Prototyping
Final Design
