DeLight: biofeedback through ambient light for stress intervention and relaxation assistance

Abstract

Light is a common ambient medium to express additional information in a peripheral and calm way, but it is also an environmental stimulant to create atmosphere, evoke moods, and provide immersive experiences. Through the design of the DeLight system, we aim to establish a biofeedback-driven lighting environment that informs users about their stress level for intervention and assists them in biofeedback relaxation training. In this study, DeLight is interfaced with a heart rate variability biofeedback system with two modes for different purposes: stress intervention and relaxation assistance. We evaluated the prototype of DeLight in two user studies. The results of the first study show that DeLight has the potential for stress intervention; the HRV biofeedback through the changes of ambient light could improve a user's awareness of stress and trigger behavioral conditioning, such as deep breathing. The results of the second study confirm that DeLight has potential as a new biofeedback interface for relaxation assistance; biofeedback through an immersive lighting environment can support physiological regulation as effectively as graphic biofeedback; it offers enhanced relaxation effects regarding both subjective experience and physiological arousal. These findings suggest that the biofeedback-driven ambient light can perform as persuasive technology in the domain of health self-management. The combination of decorative and informative aspects enables the lighting interface to offer the users a comfortable and relaxing condition for biofeedback-assisted relaxation training.

Physio-Stacks: Supporting Communication with Ourselves and Others via Tangible, Modular Physiological Devices

“…Another approach is the creation of ambient displays [88] that are always available and support exercises, such as Dišimo [56] and Inner Garden [69]. Some ambient artifacts take the shape or real size furniture, as Red Bench [38], or immersiveyet-minimalist rooms such as Sonic Cradle [85] and DeLight [92].…”

LightSit: An Unobtrusive Health-Promoting System for Relaxation and Fitness Microbreaks at Work

“…As stress affects individuals’ autonomic nervous systems, various automatic stress recognition systems have been developed to estimate office workers’ stress levels by monitoring relevant physiological parameters, among which heart rate variability (HRV) is the most commonly used one. HRV has been proven to be a sensitive biomarker [19] in effectively indicating mental stress during computer work [20], driving [21], or mentally challenging tasks [22]. HRV is usually calculated from electrocardiogram (ECG) [23] or blood volume pulse (BVP) signals [24].…”

“…The acquisition of both types of signals requires users to continuously wear a piece of equipment with biosensors that are obtrusive for office workers. For instance, ECG acquisition involves a set of electrodes to be attached on a user’s chest [20], and a robust BVP signal is usually measured by a photoplethysmographic (PPG) sensor placed on a fingertip or an earlobe [22]. Given the intrusive nature of ECG and PPG sensors, they may not be ideal approaches to stress measurement at work.…”

“…These studies have suggested that ambient displays are effective in increasing self-awareness without requiring a user’s full attention. Ambient displays may stimulate health behaviors and deliver health intervention in a more unobtrusive manner [22], which is suitable for a workday context.…”

Harnessing digital phenotyping to deliver real-time interventional bio-feedback

“…Visual feedback provides many positive benefits as light on ambient displays affects the production of melatonin, which may restore normal circadian rhythm [1], and may help alleviate sleep disturbance in people with dementia [30]. Alternatively, visual feedback can be used to guide users' behaviour.…”