Inspiration
XAirFlow was born from a desire to explore how mixed reality could reveal subtle, invisible signals within our own bodies. We were inspired by the idea that technology could help individuals become more aware of their breathing, presence, and internal rhythms through visual expression. With the Quest 3 as our visualization platform and a wearable device providing accurate physiological signals, we set out to answer a simple question: what would it feel like if the air around you responded to your inner state?
What it does
XAirFlow captures the user's upper-body motion through the Quest 3's body tracking while simultaneously receiving real-time heart rate data via BLE from a wearable device—in our case, the COROS armband. The wearable provides continuous heart rate input streamed over Bluetooth Low Energy, while body tracking detects breathing patterns from chest and shoulder motion. Together, these signals drive reactive visual effects that appear around the user in mixed reality.
The current implementation focuses solely on SELF mode, meaning the experience is designed for the single headset wearer. Multi-user functionality remains future scope.
How we built it
XAirFlow was developed by combining on-device body tracking, real-time BLE heart rate streaming, and Unity-powered visual effects. The Quest 3 handles body pose detection through Meta's 84-joint skeleton tracking (OVRBody). Heart rate is received exclusively through a BLE-connected wearable (a COROS armband in our case), which streams live HR data directly to the headset—no camera-based rPPG is used for the wearer. Unity Shader Graph and VFX Graph were used to translate these biometrics into dynamic spatial effects that surround the user. The entire system runs locally, combining wearable data and sensor-based body tracking into a seamless MR workflow.
Challenges we ran into
Integrating a third-party wearable in real time while maintaining low latency was a major challenge. Ensuring stable Bluetooth connectivity and properly synchronizing BLE heart rate data with body tracking required careful coordination. Another challenge was designing visual effects that remained anchored to the user's body despite natural head movement and sensor noise. Finally, tuning the visual language to respond meaningfully to heart rate demanded significant experimentation and iteration.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are proud to have created a fully on-device mixed reality experience that fuses BLE wearable heart rate with spatial visual effects in real time. Achieving stable, low-latency BLE integration with the COROS armband and making its data feel alive in mixed reality was a key accomplishment. The resulting auras respond fluidly to the user's physiology, creating a sense of embodiment that feels natural and expressive. The SELF mode forms a strong foundation for future expansion into interactive group experiences.
What we learned
Throughout this project, we learned how to blend BLE wearable biometrics with mixed reality interactions in a way that feels coherent and responsive. We discovered how sensitive physiological visualization can be to latency, sampling frequency, and synchronization between devices. We also gained experience optimizing body tracking and visual effects on mobile XR hardware. Working with real-time BLE heart rate input taught us the importance of stable data pipelines and thoughtful signal filtering.
What's next for XAirFlow
The next phase is building GROUP mode, where multiple people in a shared space can be tracked and their breathing visualized together. This includes multi-person pose estimation via the passthrough camera, rPPG heart rate detection for participants (camera-based, since we can see their faces), cross-user synchronization, shared coherence metrics, and group auras that reflect collective rhythms. Future improvements also include integrating additional wearable devices, refining visual expression, and exploring applications in meditation, wellness, social connection, and performance art. Our long-term goal is to transform XAirFlow from a personal introspective experience into a shared energetic ecosystem.
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