Catch Your Breath - Musical Biofeedback for Breathing Regulation

Catch Your Breath is an interactive audiovisual bio-feedback system adapted from a project designed to reduce respiratory irregularity in patients undergoing 4D CT scans for oncological diagnosis. The system is currently implemented and assessed as a potential means to reduce motion-induced distortion in CT images. A museum installation based on the same principle was created in which an inexpensive wall-mounted web camera tracks an IR sensor embedded into a pendant worn by the user. The motion of the subjects breathing is tracked and interpreted as a real-time variable tempo adjustment to a stored musical file. The subject can then adjust his/her breathing to synchronize with a separate accompaniment line. When the breathing is regular and is at the desired tempo, the audible result sounds synchronous and harmonious. The accompaniment’s tempo progresses and gradually decrease which causes the breathing to synchronize and slow down, thus increasing relaxation.