At-home biofeedback therapy with wearable sensor and smartphone application: proof of concept

Wearable devices and smartphone applications have allowed for the utilization of different at-home treatments. Biofeedback is a mind-body technique that enables users to self-regulate the responses of the autonomic nervous system. This paper has conducted a proof-of-concept study to test multimodal biofeedback treatment with smartphone application and custom-made wearable sensor. While contact-based measurements included skin temperature and skin conductance from the sensor, the smartphone's front camera recorded the patient's face to estimate cardiovascular parameters such as heart rate and heart rate variability. The tested individual completed five biofeedback treatments at home, with activation stress exercises before and after a 5-day experiment. The obtained results show increased finger's skin temperature and heart rate variability during biofeedback sessions, indicating the successful biofeedback treatment.