Adaptive Biofeedback Filter for Stress Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing biofeedback systems are ineffective in reducing stress levels as they alert patients to their relaxation state, causing additional stress due to awareness of the process.
Innovation Solution
A system that generates a biofeedback signal by adapting the cut-off frequency of a filter in response to physiological parameters indicative of mental relaxation, providing subtle and subconscious relaxation cues through an interface, such as audio feedback, without making the patient aware of the system's presence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the biofeedback system provides explicit feedback about the patient's relaxation state, then the patient becomes aware of the procedure and can consciously control relaxation, but this awareness causes additional stress that counteracts the relaxation effect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful element of explicit feedback information from the system. Instead of providing direct biofeedback about relaxation states, the system processes this information internally and only provides indirect, subtle audio cues that guide relaxation without making the patient consciously aware of the physiological measurements being taken.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer between the physiological measurement and the patient's perception. The system uses audio signals as a mediator that indirectly reflects physiological states without directly exposing the patient to the raw biofeedback data, thus avoiding stress from awareness while still providing guidance.
2Device complexity
If the system uses fixed filter settings for biofeedback, then the system is simple to implement, but it cannot adapt to changes in the patient's physiological state
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the filter settings adaptive rather than fixed. The system continuously monitors physiological parameters and automatically adjusts filter characteristics in real-time to match the patient's current physiological state, enabling the system to adapt without requiring complex manual reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback loop where the system measures physiological parameters, processes this information through adaptive filtering, and uses the results to adjust subsequent feedback signals. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables automatic adaptation to physiological changes while maintaining relatively simple system architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a system (102) for providing biofeedback to a person (104). The system (102) comprises a source (106) for generating a source signal (108) and a transducer (110) for generating a measurement signal (112) in response to a physiological parameter (114) indicative for mental relaxation of the person (104). The system (102) furthermore comprises a filter (116) for variably filtering the source signal via modifying a cut-off frequency in response to the measurement signal (112) and an interface (118) for providing a biofeedback signal (119) to the person on the basis of the source signal as variably filtered by the filter (116).