Mindquil

Project Title

Mindquil

Project Area of Specialization 3D/4D PrintingProject Summary

Anxiety is a common problem faced by not just the Pakistani population but by many people around the world. Seeking mental help is not encouraged in many countries and cultures as mental health is a taboo topic and people seeking out for help are considered to be weak. The concept behind the conducted research is to not just understand what anxiety really is and how it effects people but also learn about the different ways to cope with it. The emphasis is laid on the concept of self-help. How can people develop a habit of calming their mind, relaxing their nerves, processing their thoughts, focusing better, managing difficult emotions, releasing nervous energy from their bodies and also build self-confidence and resilience? It is concluded that there are several relaxation techniques and grounding exercises amongst other things, that help cope with anxiety, breathing exercises being one of the most important ones amongst these. Research and evidence show that learning a basic skill such as deep breathing can do wonders. It can work like magic. These exercises are not only performed alone but also paired up with yoga, meditation, and mindful thinking. Hence, in some countries, they are now being taught at different institutions eg. schools, workplaces, day care centers, old homes, and hospitals etc. Therefore, it is important to make people aware of how useful and effective such relaxation techniques can be and how greatly they can impact their mental and physical health, especially young people, who have more potential of developing a deep wiring of such habits and practices as their brains are still developing and they are still in their growing years.

The idea of self-help in regards to mild, routine anxiety can help many people in not just building resilience, coping with anxious thoughts and releasing nervous energy from their bodies, but also preventing the development of anxiety disorders or other serious mental conditions. Years of research and evidence prove the effectiveness of several relaxation techniques and grounding exercises, deep breathing being one of the quickest and most effective ones, hence, learning a basic skill to cope with daily anxiety can really help people gather their thoughts, focus better and take control of their emotions.

The idea is to encourage young people to learn relaxation techniques such as deep breathing. Since their brains are still developing and they are in their growing years, they have more potential of developing a deep wiring of such habits and practices. As a result, this will not just have a positive effect on their mental but also their physical health.

Project Objectives

The objective of the project is to not just understand what anxiety really is and how it effects people but also learn about the different ways to cope with it. The emphasis is laid on the concept of self-help. How can people develop a habit of calming their mind, relaxing their nerves, processing their thoughts, focusing better, managing difficult emotions, releasing nervous energy from their bodies and also build self-confidence and resilience. Since anxiety is a common problem faced by not just the Pakistani population but by many people around the world. Seeking mental help is not encouraged in many countries and cultures as mental health is a taboo topic and people seeking out for help are considered to be weak, it is important to make people aware of how useful and effective such relaxation techniques can be and how greatly they can impact their mental and physical health, especially young people, who have more potential of developing a deep wiring of such habits and practices as their brains are still developing and they are still in their growing years. Furthermore, the design objectives further design solution are that the product should be interactive and engaging for the user, it should communicate with the user, it should have an effective feedback system, it should be user friendly, it should be appropriate for the use of young people, it should engage the senses of touch, hearing, and vision, it should have an overall calming effect, it should be visually captivating, it should provide visual and auditory cues, it should provide the users with required guidance, it should inculcate a sense of achievement, motivation, and task fulfillment.

Project Implementation Method

The said ideas will be implemented in the form of a handy, portable, and chargeable device. The device not just offers different options of performing and practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises but also guides the users in learning the proper techniques of performing them. Furthermore, it also helps users customize the settings of the exercises as per their personal goals, aims, level of easy, speed of learning, and requirements. it is especially designed to cater to young people hence, the whole process and activity is especially designed to be interactive, communicate, fun, and interesting, so that it keeps young people motivated to perform breathing exercises on a daily basis. The teaching and learning methods are therefore made more understandable through a friendly user interface and visual feedbacks that allow the users to understand the purpose of such a device to the fullest capacity. Such a device will encourage young people to take care of their mental health and learn self-help coping techniques for anxiety and panic situations. Having a portable device will also act as a daily reminder to perform and learn how to perform deep breathing exercises so that developing such a habit can help them in coping with their routine anxiety situations. It can also be used as affectively by adults of all ages.

Benefits of the Project

It is important to create awareness and develop a better understanding about mental health. Mild, routine anxiety is commonly found in all age groups but not many people seek help or learn the right ways to cope with it, hence, there is a high chance of those mild anxieties interfering with daily life, leading onto the development of other, more complex emotions, anxiety disorders and serious mental health conditions.

The idea of self-help in regards to mild, routine anxiety can help many people in not just building resilience, coping with anxious thoughts and releasing nervous energy from their bodies, but also preventing the development of anxiety disorders or other serious mental conditions. Years of research and evidence prove the effectiveness of several relaxation techniques and grounding exercises, deep breathing being one of the quickest and most effective ones, hence, learning a basic skill to cope with daily anxiety can really help people gather their thoughts, focus better and take control of their emotions. Breathing exercises can help in reducing the symptoms of anxiety and promote feelings of relaxation and emotional well-being. The ability to breathe so deeply and powerfully is not limited to a select few. This skill is inborn but often lies dormant. Reawakening it allows you to tap one of your body's strongest self-healing mechanisms. Learning to breathe consciously and with awareness is a valuable tool in helping to restore balance in the mind and body—something very useful during times of stress. The idea is to encourage young people to learn such techniques. Since their brains are still developing and they are in their growing years, they have more potential of developing a deep wiring of such habits and practices. As a result, this will not just have a positive effect on their mental but also their physical health.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

Through various visual and audio cues the device guides the user in learning and practicing relaxation techniques as a coping mechanism for routine anxiety. It further helps the user develop the habit of processing their thoughts, taking control of their mind, releasing nervous energy from their bodies, and staying calm at panic situations from young ages. Therefore, the product makes the whole process of performing deep breathing exercises fun, motivating, easy, and interesting at the same time. Keeping the use in mind the device has several features and functions, both physical and technical. The technical functions include a small screen for feedback and operating different settings and functions, earphone jack, bluetooth connectivity, sound and music options, and blood pressure and heart rate monitoring system. All these features are also accessible on the connected mobile application for the device. Furthermore, in order to keep the user focused and prevent the user from getting distracted while performing the daily task of deep breathing exercises there is a constant vibration generated from within the device body as the device functions. In order to give the user visual feedback for task performance and also to communicate with the user the device has LED lights installed within the body that glow as a response to different functions. Another most important feature is the visual movement in the device that helps user interact better and keeps him/her engaged and interested. The idea is to move visuals from digital screens to more physical forms. Hence, as the user breathes in, the device generates a certain response and as the user breathes out the device generates another response, which helps the user and the device to connect and interact better. For this purpose, there is an upward and downward motion incorporated as a physical feature in the device. Different sound and music options are also incorporated to make the whole experience better. Moreover, since the device detects heart rate and blood pressure it transfers the information to the mobile application, which helps keep a track in the form of data which is useful to the user and if need be, a medical expert, such as a therapist. For convenience of the user the device is handy and portable and comes with a charging dock for its wireless charging. The different buttons on the device serve different functions. Apart from the power and volume buttons, there are two other buttons that cause the visual movement in the device for example, as the user inhales, he/she presses the inhalation button which leads to an upward movement in the device, while the exhalation button leads to a downward movement in the device, overall creating a visual motion to mimic the general rhythm of breathing.

Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemCore Industry HealthOther IndustriesCore Technology 3D/4D PrintingOther TechnologiesSustainable Development Goals Good Health and Well-Being for PeopleRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	69000
3D printing	Equipment	10	2000	20000
Circuitry	Equipment	10	1000	10000
Screen Installation	Equipment	1	5000	5000
Sensory Controls	Equipment	3	1000	3000
Microprocessors	Equipment	2	1500	3000
Chargeable Batteries	Equipment	2	2000	4000
Wireless Charging	Equipment	1	2000	2000
Mobile Application	Equipment	1	10000	10000
Sound installation	Equipment	1	2000	2000
Transportation	Miscellaneous	10	500	5000
Marginal	Miscellaneous	1	5000	5000