Meditation Breath Visualizer Wearable

The Breath Visualizer Wearable is an interactive vest that translates breath movement into dynamic light animations. It glows when you inhale and dims when you exhale. It's meant to provide a non-verbal way to lead group breathwork meditation and express the human breath in an artistic and calming way.

By utilizing a stretch sensor attached to the chest, the system detects expansion and contraction as the wearer breathes, adjusting the brightness of a series of addressable LEDs accordingly. This project explores the intersection of wearable technology and artistic expression, creating an intuitive visualization of respiration.

The vest integrates a Circuit Playground microcontroller, a stretch sensor, and six strips of addressable NeoPixel LEDs. These components are embedded on a fabric vest and covered with a mesh layer shaped like lungs, reinforcing the visual metaphor. This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough to replicate the project, including necessary materials, circuit design, and software implementation.

Electronics:

1. 1x Adafruit Circuit Playground
2. 6x Addressable LED Light Strip (NeoPixel)
3. 18 AWG Wire (for power and data connections)
4. 1x Adafruit Stretch Sensor (with alligator clips)
5. 1x 100-ohm pulldown resistor
6. 1x Micro USB cable
7. 1x 5V USB power pack

Tools & Materials:

1. Soldering kit (soldering iron, solder, flux)
2. Wire strippers
3. Assorted heat-shrink tubing
4. Needle and thread
5. 1x Vest (or any article of clothing to mount electronics)
6. 1 yard of white nylon mesh
7. 3 feet of 12-gauge galvanized steel wire

Before assembling, upload the following Arduino code to the Circuit Playground and verify sensor readings using Arduino IDE and Serial Monitor

*Be sure to change the Serial Monitor baud rate to match 115200

1. Cut the LED strips into:
2. 2 strips with 14 NeoPixels
3. 2 strips with 12 NeoPixels
4. 2 strips with 10 NeoPixels
5. Solder three wires (red for power, green for data, black for ground) to each strip, leaving enough slack for final integration.

1. Connect the stretch sensor to A2 on the Circuit Playground with a 100-ohm pulldown resistor.
2. Wire all six LED strips in parallel, connecting their data lines to A3.
3. Ensure all connections are secure and insulated with heat-shrink tubing.

1. Remove the adhesive backing from the LED strips and position them on the vest.
2. Optional: Sew over the strips to reinforce their placement.
3. Test and ensure all lights are working properly after attaching.

1. Sew one alligator clip onto each side of the vest, 1 inch inset from the armholes.
2. String the stretch sensor through the armholes and around to the front of the vest. When putting on the vest, remember to have the sensor go around your back.
3. Clip in the stretch sensor and adjust its placement for optimal breath detection.

1. Shape the galvanized steel wire into two lung-like structures.
2. Stretch white nylon mesh over the wire frame and sew it back in the middle.

1. Sew the mesh-covered frame onto the vest, concealing all electronic components while ensuring proper visibility of the LED animations.

1. Put on the vest and confirm the stretch sensor values are correctly mapped to LED brightness.
2. Plug in USB cable to power bank to power everything.
3. If necessary, tweak the minSensorValue and maxSensorValue in the code for better sensitivity.

1. Ensure all wiring is neat and secured.
2. Run final tests, make adjustments, and record documentation for the Instructable post.