Final Project Idea

I have an idea on a final project, please let me know if you have any advice or feedback- I would greatly appreciate it!

I want to create a smart watch interface for someone with anxiety and panic disorder. I plan on using real-time biometric data from sensors and using the data to trigger and display things using p5.js.

The watch has two modes: Normal Mode & Panic Mode.Normal Mode includes a watch interface that displays the time and date, in addition to the sensor data in an artistic, data-visualization way (I am thinking something similar to a mood visualizer type of thing). The panic mode can be triggered through two ways: a panic button the user presses or sensor data that indicates the user is having a panic attack. In Panic Mode, the canvas cycles through the following anxiety relieving techniques:

  1. Deep Breathing Exercise: using calming graphics to help guide the user through a deep breathing exercise. I will use online resources to figure out how the breathing exercise need to be in order to work, like WebMed’s Techiques for deep breathing.
  2. Body Scan: using the body scan technique found here.
  3. Distraction/Game Technique: using a jigsaw puzzle or some sort of mind occupying game that reduces stress but still allow you to channel your overactive brain somewhere.
  4. 5 Senses Technique: using the 5 senses to ground you, as shown below:
This is a type of grounding technique to help bring you back to reality during a panic attack.

If all of the following techniques do not work, then this triggers a “call emergency contact” state, which calls someone you designated as a person to reach out to. For example, “calling your mom…”

The biometric sensors I am thinking of using are: a heart rate (PPG) sensor, a GSR sensor, and a respiratory rate sensor. The last one, I might not need, I am waiting to confirm with a specialist…

The photoplethysmography (PPG) circuit ascertains the user’s heart rate.
The galvanic skin response (GSR) circuit ascertains the user’s skin conductance level – a measurement loosely coupled with perspiration indicative of stressful conditions (in other words, the more stressed you are, the more you sweat).

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