Abstract
Modern healthcare devices quantify bodily states through data, yet users rarely feel a direct bodily connection. This study introduces abdominal suppleness—the softness of the upper abdomen during respiration—as a new embodied health indicator. Integrating traditional Japanese abdominal examination (Fukushin) with physiological measurement, we examined how autonomic activity affects abdominal motion. Experiments using the ocul ocardiac reflex showed slower and deeper abdominal movement under parasympathetic dominance, suggesting that suppleness relates to relaxation. Beyond physiology, we frame abdominal suppleness as a design parameter that bridges sensation and data, enabling users to perceive internal states through reflection via embodiment. This research extends health monitoring into reflective healthcare design, linking medical sensing, embodied interaction, and experiential well-being.
Keywords
Respiration; Abdominal suppleness; Reflection through embodiment; Healthcare design
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.1163
Citation
Kato, T.(2025) Relationship between Respiration and Reflection -Design for Abdominal Suppleness as a new Healthcare Index, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.1163
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 9 - Healthcare Design
Relationship between Respiration and Reflection -Design for Abdominal Suppleness as a new Healthcare Index
Modern healthcare devices quantify bodily states through data, yet users rarely feel a direct bodily connection. This study introduces abdominal suppleness—the softness of the upper abdomen during respiration—as a new embodied health indicator. Integrating traditional Japanese abdominal examination (Fukushin) with physiological measurement, we examined how autonomic activity affects abdominal motion. Experiments using the ocul ocardiac reflex showed slower and deeper abdominal movement under parasympathetic dominance, suggesting that suppleness relates to relaxation. Beyond physiology, we frame abdominal suppleness as a design parameter that bridges sensation and data, enabling users to perceive internal states through reflection via embodiment. This research extends health monitoring into reflective healthcare design, linking medical sensing, embodied interaction, and experiential well-being.