BreathSync

A seated VR biofeedback experience that teaches, visualizes, and encourages deep belly breathing to promote mindfulness and reduce stress. 

Interact with your environment by using deep breathing techniques to calm your mind. As you breathe deeply, your breath will gradually reveal new aspects of the virtual environment. Sync your breathing to the environment and see what you find!

This prototype was developed in 48 hours for the 2021 XR Brain Jam hosted by Games for Change with the prompt "Promoting Positive Mental Health." The project won the laurel for "Best Research Application."

In our current prototype, we teach you a breathing technique called "box breathing". It is a hypoxic breathing technique that helps oxygenate your blood and reduce carbon dioxide poisoning, which is a cause and symptom of stressed, shallow breathing.

In the future, this application can be customized further to incorporate variety of breathing techniques and environments, and can also be implemented in clinical settings with the supervision of certified therapists to help patients reduce anxiety.

Watch the demo below:

Medical Disclaimer: This content is provided for information purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, or as a substitute for the medical advice of a clinical therapist or physician.

Team 8: The Sunchasers

Sounak Ghosh (Producer and 3D Designer)

Elena Chopyak (Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Responder)

Jane Cocks (Psychology and Mental Health Researcher)

Ursula Uday (Visual and Sound Designer)

Mercedes Hesselroth (Narrative Designer)

Daniela Mariño (Interaction Developer)

The prototype is currently supported only on the Oculus Quest.