An Emotional Bio-wearable

Abstract

Touch is a powerful emotional communication tool that can reduce the stress hormone cortisol and triggers the release of oxytocin. The emotional influence of touch is rooted in human biology. Separation and losing loved ones’ touch are associated with emotional distress and impact people's mental health and daily productivity.During the pandemic, we all experienced separation from loved ones as emotionally draining. People are separated from their loved ones for a variety of reasons, such as pursuing education, a new job, getting married, or relocating. There are a few coping solutions, such as making video calls with loved ones or keeping their photos around us, reminding us of their presence. But those visual cues may not be enough for tactile individuals. This research demonstrates that people who define touch as their love language tend to keep their loved one's belongings. Touching our keepsakes is a coping strategy to enhance our feelings of connection to our loved ones. However, not all sentimental items are always carriable or available to support us when we need them emotionally. The Emotional Bio-wearable represents the integration of biology and technology, creating a meaningful wearable keepsake for those who benefit from a tactile, emotional sensation. In addition, this project developed a combination of parametric modeling, interface design, and software development to create an intuitive and interactive application.The Emotional Bio-wearable has two parts. The first part is an iOS application program, which receives data such as a heartbeat (a symbol of life) and user’s responses to questions to determine the user’s preferred style. The application generates designs and customizes the output based on the inputs. The second delivery part is the physical bio-bracelet covered with a meaningful texture, heartbeat and printed with a 3D printer. This project is an exploration of the impact of tactility, focusing on those who identify ‘touch’ as their love language. An Emotional Bio-wearable provides a new way of connecting to love ones and boosts the consumer’s mental health.

Keywords: Bio, wearable, Heartbeat, Loved ones, Connection, Tactile sensation, Emotional, Keepsake, Sentimental value

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1003632