Changing the perception of pain : An interactive experience using heat and guided meditation

Sammanfattning: Chronic pain is a common condition that people struggle with on daily basis and many strive to find ways to relive their pain. With the development of wearables and smart garments we are now moving from designing an object to be used, to an object to be worn. Technology is an extension of the body and the interaction in itself also becomes part of our body. This development enables different kind of treatments to be implemented in a wearable. Accordingly, this study have investigated if an interactive experience using heat and guided meditation with a wearable can support individuals living with chronic pain, and to what extent the experience can change the perception of pain. The results indicate that an interactive experience including these modalities can have the ability to change perception of pain. The study also suggests implications for design by presenting design qualities that become important in such a design, which resulted in; distraction and immersion, familiarity and practice, personalization and flexibility.