This post describes the experiments for creating a mirror that aims to assist in regulating breathing by both visual and auditory cues.
The mirror acts as a device for entrainment, setting the pace for a slow breathing rhythm. Five bright LED lights (Neopixels) placed around the mirror fade in and out for five seconds respectively (Fig. 1.). Research has shown that slow breathing aids relaxation [1]. However, the mirror with the lights also had the practical function of illuminating the face during the make-up process. So the dimming of the lights couldn’t be too low but still bright enough to see the difference. The lights are dimmed to around 30% and go up to 100% brightness. This works well with moderate daylight and average-strength artificial lights. The bright lights in the exhibition space made the changes hard to see.
To aid the entrainment process audio feedback was used as a subtle noise stream generated by a piezo element placed on a belt. This was worn around the waist to capture the belly movements. The belt contained a piece of fabric which rubbed against the piezo element and created soft noises which made audible the different phases of the breathing process.
The sounds should be relaxing and informative. 13 different fabrics were tested. They ranged from very soft fleece to stiff felt. They were rated on a one to three scale on how well they represented the breath flow and their pleasantness.
The top six noises were recorded and assessed using a surround speaker set (Fig.2.). The final choice fell on a stretch fabric folded in four layers (Fig. 2. white fabric on the right). It made all the phases of the breathing process, from the very beginning to the end, audible in a pleasant way.
For the performance, an expansion filter from the mixer panel was applied to enhance the sound.
[1] Zaccaro, Andrea, Andrea Piarulli, Marco Laurino, Erika Garbella, Danilo Menicucci, Bruno Neri, and Angelo Gemignani. 2018. ‘How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho-Physiological Correlates of Slow Breathing’. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 12 (September): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353