Rethinking Breath in VR: A Performative Approach to Enhance User Flow with Bio-sensing Wearable Interfaces.

Bibliography Reference

Format:

Duarte, Y., & Rodriguez, A. (2025). Rethinking Breath in VR: A Performative Approach to Enhance User Flow with Bio-sensing Wearable Interfaces. Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706599.3706698

Publication Abstract

A significant number of Virtual Reality (VR) applications focus on mindfulness, using biosensor technologies (e.g., ECG) to provide real-time feedback on users’ physiological states. However, the measurement of data for the human body is complex. Commercial devices often lack precision, while medical-grade sensors require controlled environments, which can lead to disruptions and break immersion, affecting the flow of VR experiences. Thus, complicating the evaluation of mindfulness. Pinch To Awaken XR is a VR art game that utilizes wearable interfaces to measure breathing from a holistic perspective. Showcased as an Extended Reality (XR) performance, it uses first-person research methods by embodying both the researcher and performer, placing the body as the central source of inquiry. This case study reveals that integrating a performative approach can enhance the flow and engagement in mindfulness VR experiences, while also offering a novel approach for evaluating biosensing interfaces in HCI user studies, using a body-centered design.

BibTeX Source Entry

@inproceedings{10.1145/3706599.3706698,
  doi = {10.1145/3706599.3706698},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3706599.3706698},
  isbn = {9798400713958},
  note = {},
  year = {2025},
  month = {},
  pages = {},
  title = {Rethinking Breath in VR: A Performative Approach to Enhance User Flow with Bio-sensing Wearable Interfaces.},
  author = {Duarte, Yesica and Rodriguez, Andres},
  editor = {},
  series = {CHI EA '25},
  address = {New York, NY, USA},
  ranking = {A},
  abstract = {A significant number of Virtual Reality (VR) applications focus on mindfulness, using biosensor technologies (e.g., ECG) to provide real-time feedback on users’ physiological states. However, the measurement of data for the human body is complex. Commercial devices often lack precision, while medical-grade sensors require controlled environments, which can lead to disruptions and break immersion, affecting the flow of VR experiences. Thus, complicating the evaluation of mindfulness. Pinch To Awaken XR is a VR art game that utilizes wearable interfaces to measure breathing from a holistic perspective. Showcased as an Extended Reality (XR) performance, it uses first-person research methods by embodying both the researcher and performer, placing the body as the central source of inquiry. This case study reveals that integrating a performative approach can enhance the flow and engagement in mindfulness VR experiences, while also offering a novel approach for evaluating biosensing interfaces in HCI user studies, using a body-centered design.},
  keywords = {Virtual Reality, Mindfulness, Bio-sensing, Wearable Interfaces, Performative Interaction, First-Person Research.},
  location = {},
  numpages = {9},
  articleno = {692},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems},
  publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
  organization = {},
}