hci Device Design: The vive headset

Fall 2023 - DEA 6520

Ambient Environment

Prof. Saleh Kalantari

Group: Dina Lin, Nina Yang, Caroline Jiang

This project presents the motivation, design, and user testing methods of a wearable device, the VIVE headset, that detects drowsiness through eyeblink patterns and awakes the user by vibration stimulations on the skin. The headset’s high portability allows users to wear it in a variety of settings that may induce fatigue, including driving, studying, and working. The device has an ergonomic design with the intention to hug the human head without blocking vision or causing wearing discomfort. Focusing on the product ergonomics and the effectiveness of vibration for alert, the user testing consists of two rounds using a 3D printed headset prototype (to test the device shape) and a remote-controlled vibration device (to test the vibration and its location). The testing of drowsy eyeblink patterns is omitted due to substantial existing evidence and time limitation. Overall, the user testing shows that vibration alerts are more effective in the un-stressing or constantly repeated learning scenarios, like lectures and long-time driving where distraction easily happens, rather than in stressful scenarios, like exams, that depend more on the users’ intellectual ability.