"4-7-8 Breathing" and "Hand Acupressure" for Sleep

InspirationPurpose Sleep is an essential part of all of our lives. We all do it. Oftentimes, stress and bodily pains can lead to disturbed sleep, or trouble achieving it. Over time, lack of sleep can lead to chronic diseases. But even day-to-day, you may be familiar with the slow reaction times, emotional instability, and focus issues that can come with a bad night's rest. Thus, we created two SnapAR lenses to help users achieve better quality sleep: "Hand Acupressure" and "4-7-8 Breathing."

4-7-8 Breathing In 4, Hold 7, Out 8. This breathing pattern can make it easier for the body to fall asleep, and we used SnapAR to provide the user with an innovative guided deep breathing experience. Hand Acupressure Similar to acupuncture, except the fingers are used instead of needles, acupressure is an ancient practice to relieve bodily pains, and mental stresses. When specific points are pressed on the hand, the user can experience pain relief. These points are projected onto the hand using SnapAR. What We Learned Through creating this project, we learned how to use Snap’s Lens Studio platform to take our idea for stress-relief lenses into reality. Not only that, but we also learned how to work as a team and highlight the strengths of each member, through communication. How We Built Our Project At first, when we brainstormed ideas of SnapAR lenses that could solve a problem, our minds went straight to thinking about sleep. As sleep deprived college students, we know how important it can be to get good sleep. We used Snap’s Lens Studio to implement our wellness lenses using JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python. Challenges We Faced Challenge #1 - Initial Setup and Tools

Started with Lens Studio and the Spectacles Interaction Kit for hand tracking
Initially experimented with finger joint assets but switched to Spectacles Interaction Kit for smoother tracking
Focused on key pressure points on the hand to lay the foundation for mental health features Challenge #2 - Designing Features for Mental Health
Developed a feature that highlighted four specific acupuncture points (e.g., Small Intestine 3, Joining Valley) with descriptions
Implemented a 4-7-8 breathing technique with a circle animation that expands and contracts for the user to follow
Integrated soothing background music to enhance the mental health experience Challenge #3 - Issues with Physics Collide:
Struggled with accurately implementing physics for collisions in interactive elements
Needed to fine-tune collision detection parameters for objects to respond correctly to hand gestures.
Inconsistencies in object interactions, where collisions sometimes failed or objects didn’t respond as expected
Required iterative testing and adjustments to collision thresholds for smoother user interaction. References (used in project and description) Calm. (2019, May 21). Calm | Breathe Bubble [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaQed_Xdyvw Fletcher, J. (2024, August 21). How to use 4-7-8 breathing for anxiety. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324417 Groove, B. (2024, May 1). Mastering Calm: A guide to the 4-7-8 breathing Technique - balance. Balance. https://blog.buddhagroove.com/mastering-calm-a-guide-to-the-4-7-8-breathing-technique/ Peel, C. (2022, June 3). Easy hand pressure points guide. ClassPass Blog. https://classpass.com/blog/easy-hand-pressure-points-guide/