UIST 2024: Modulating Heart Activity and Task Performance using Haptic Heartbeat Feedback: A Study Across Four Body Placements

HCI Deep Dives

Andreia Valente, Dajin Lee, Seungmoon Choi, Mark Billinghurst, and Augusto Esteves. 2024. Modulating Heart Activity and Task Performance using Haptic Heartbeat Feedback: A Study Across Four Body Placements. In Proceedings of the 37th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST '24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 25, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1145/3654777.3676435

This paper explores the impact of vibrotactile haptic feedback on heart activity when the feedback is provided at four different body locations (chest, wrist, neck, and ankle) and with two feedback rates (50 bpm and 110 bpm). A user study found that the neck placement resulted in higher heart rates and lower heart rate variability, and higher frequencies correlated with increased heart rates and decreased heart rate variability. The chest was preferred in self-reported metrics, and neck placement was perceived as less satisfying, harmonious, and immersive. This research contributes to understanding the interplay between psychological experiences and physiological responses when using haptic biofeedback resembling real body signals.

https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3654777.3676435