"Tech'' a Deep Breath: Technology-guided Breathing Practise With or Without a Social Robot for Psychological and Emotional Well-Being

Paper Title

'Tech' a Deep Breath: Technology-guided Breathing Practise With or Without a Social Robot for Psychological and Emotional Well-Being

Publication Info

• Topic area: Technology-assisted interventions for mental health and well-being.
• Keywords: Mental health, social robots, biofeedback, heart-rate variability, Nadi Shuddhi, psychological well-being, emotional regulation, mindfulness, university students, assistive technologies.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: University students face high rates of mental health issues, including stress, depression, and anxiety, but access to support is limited due to stigma, resource constraints, and practical barriers. Existing technological solutions often lack human-compatible interaction capabilities and fail to integrate physiological data effectively.
• Significance: Addressing mental health challenges during university years is critical, as adolescence and young adulthood are pivotal periods for intervention. Scalable, accessible solutions could mitigate barriers and enhance well-being.
• Motivation and related work: Prior research has explored screen-based interventions, wearables, and social robots for mental health support, but gaps remain in integrating traditional practices like Nadi Shuddhi with real-time physiological feedback. Comparative effectiveness of embodied versus non-embodied systems in multi-session contexts is underexplored.

Solution

• Proposed approach: Development of two autonomous systems—Robot + Tablet (RT) and Tablet-Only (TO)—integrated with wearable heart-rate sensors to guide Nadi Shuddhi breathing practice through adaptive, real-time biofeedback.
• Novelty:
  1. Creation of fully autonomous systems with dynamic, real-time, personalized feedback based on physiological data.
  2. First empirical comparison of embodied (RT) versus non-embodied (TO) systems for delivering breathing practices.
  3. Integration of Nadi Shuddhi into technological systems for multi-session use.
  4. Comprehensive evaluation combining physiological measures, self-reports, and qualitative feedback.
  5. Evidence of technology-assisted breathing practices enhancing psychological, emotional, and physiological well-being.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Participants performed guided Nadi Shuddhi breathing for 6.5 minutes daily over five sessions.
  • Physiological data (HRV, breathing rate) collected via Polar H10 sensors.
  • Adaptive feedback algorithm tailored messages based on RMSSD, LF power, and breathing rate.
  • RT condition included multimodal interaction (robot gestures, speech, synchronized visuals), while TO condition relied on tablet-only guidance.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Significant improvements in HRV (RMSSD increased from baseline to breathing periods).
  • Short-term reductions in stress (DASS stress scores decreased by 4.85 points) and depression symptoms (DASS depression scores decreased by 2.65 points).
  • Enhanced mindfulness (MAAS scores increased by 0.35 points).
  • Improved mood (SAM valence scores decreased by 0.22 points) and relaxation (SAM arousal scores increased by 0.47 points).
• Advantage over baselines:
  • RT condition demonstrated lower breathing rates (7.67 breaths/min vs. 9.14 breaths/min in TO), higher mood scores, and better user experience ratings (e.g., novelty, dependability, stimulation).
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Between-subjects study with 42 university students (21 per condition) over five consecutive days.
  • Measures included physiological indicators (HRV, breathing rate), psychological scales (DASS, MAAS), emotional assessments (SAM), and technology evaluation metrics (UEQ, SUS, RoSAS).
• Limitations and future work:
  • Short intervention period; longer-term studies needed to assess sustained benefits.
  • Lack of non-technological control group.
  • Limited exploration of embodiment effects due to shared tablet interface.
  • Future work should integrate machine learning for personalized feedback, validate breath-rate measures, and study diverse populations.

Summary

This study demonstrates that Nadi Shuddhi breathing practice, guided by autonomous interactive systems, can significantly improve physiological, psychological, and emotional well-being in university students over five days. Both Robot + Tablet and Tablet-Only systems enhanced HRV, reduced stress and depression symptoms, and improved mindfulness and mood. However, the robot system provided additional benefits in breathing rate, positive affect, and user engagement, highlighting the advantages of embodied interaction. Participants expressed strong interest in expanding mind-body practices and provided constructive feedback for system improvements. These findings suggest that combining ancient practices with adaptive, sensor-integrated technologies offers a scalable, accessible complement to human-guided mental health interventions.