Multi-sensory Wearable Bio-feedback Pillow to Enhance Genuine Feeling of Intimate Connection

As human beings, we are designed to be empathic, to connect emotionally with each other and to share affection. This is part of our nature and makes us feel like part of a group. New forms of technology enable us to share, in real time, a variety of data. Some data, such as those on heart rate, can relate to our affective state. This research focuses on asking if technology-mediated interactions might help us to feel more emotionally engaged and intimately connected, especially when sensorial feedback about our inner state is provided. In this context, we present an interactive device that provides two users, through pulsing lights, with feedback on their heartbeats and the related level of synchrony (fig. 1). The prototype could be used to assess the effectiveness of this technology and to improve the feeling of connectedness and intimacy between two users.