UBICOMP/ISWC ’16 ADJUNCT, SEPTEMBER 12-16, 2016, HEIDELBERG, GERMANY

Active “Hugging” Vest for Deep Touch

Pressure Therapy

Julia C. Duvall Lucy E. Dunne Abstract

University of Minnesota University of Minnesota Many individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
1985 Buford Ave. 1985 Buford Ave. and ADHD often seek out deep touch pressure (DTP).
St Paul, MN 55108 USA St Paul, MN 55108 USA Weighted blankets, vests and other wearable garments
duval051@umn.edu ldunne@umn.edu have been used to provide DTP, but each suffers from
significant limitations. We designed an alternative using
Nicholas Schleif Brad Holschuh shape memory alloy (SMA) springs that contract when
University of Minnesota University of Minnesota heated to create a children’s deep pressure vest that
1985 Buford Ave. 1985 Buford Ave. can constrict on command, while being simultaneously
St Paul, MN 55108 USA St Paul, MN 55108 USA low profile and adjustable. The garment can be
schle452@umn.edu bth@umn.edu controlled via wireless remote, allowing wearer self-
adjustment and enabling the child’s parent, guardian,
or occupational therapist (OT) to give a comforting
“hug” potentially from anywhere in the world.

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Ubi&omp/ISWC '16 Adjunct, September 12-16, 2016, Heidelberg,
Germany
© 2016 ACM. ISBN 978-1-4503-4462-3/16/09$15.00
http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2968219.2971344
Author Keywords
Shape memory alloys (SMAs); smart clothing; Sensory
Processing Disorder (SPD); sensory integration therapy
(SIT); Deep Touch Pressure (DTP); wearable
technology; Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Background
Ahn et al. conservatively estimated that 5% of young
children suffer from Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)
[1]. SPD, also known as Sensory Integration
Dysfunction, is a disorder where the individual affected
is unable to properly interpret sensory signals, which
can lead to anxiety, difficulty with motor control,

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 UBICOMP/ISWC ’16 ADJUNCT, SEPTEMBER 12-16, 2016, HEIDELBERG, GERMANY
Design Requirements
Remote Controllable: Can
be actuated via a phone app.
Unobtrusive and Low
Profile: Does not make noise
or noticeably change shape.
Achieves Deep Pressure:
There are no agreed upon
pressure metrics for DTP.
This needs to be determined
in future steps.
Comfortable: Does not
cause user discomfort. The
SMA wires become warm
when actuated, so insulating
the users appropriately is
important.
Apply and Remove
Pressure without
Removing the Garment:
The garment must be
actuatable while being worn.
behavioral problems and depression [2]. Ben-Sasson et
al. estimated the number of children who suffer from
SPD to be closer to 16% [3]. Many individuals with
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as ADHD also
suffer from SPD, but SPD can appear on its own [2].
Some individuals with SPD seek out deep touch
pressure, also known as swaddle therapy, to help them
process sensory input [4]. Deep Touch Pressure is a
type of tactile input received when firmly touching,
holding, swaddling, or hugging etc. [4]. Deep touch
pressure has also been shown to reduce anxiety for
individuals without SPD [5] and be beneficial for babies,
in the form of swaddle therapy [6].
Our design is the first example of a Shape Memory
Alloy (SMA)-controlled vest for this purpose. Existing
products include non-wearable products, such as a
roller machine, as well as inflated vests like Snug Vest
[7], T-Jacket [8], and the Vayu Vest [9], weighted
vests and blankets, as well as non-adjustable options,
such as tight fitting garments [10]. Other garments
exist that can send hugs for non-SPD applications, such
as Huggy Pajama’s inflatable vest [11] and
CuteCircuit’s HugShirt [12] which both record and send
hugs. There are several shortcomings of these
products. The inflated vests require a pump and are
bulky. They may make noise when inflated, which could
draw unwanted attention to the wearer. Weighted vests
and non-adjustable vests must be removed to alleviate
pressure. This needs to be done often because the
wearer can acclimate to the pressure, making it
ineffective. Donning and doffing a garment frequently,
especially on a child can be difficult and time
consuming. Weighted vests also have another
shortcoming in that they are heavy and bulky.
459
Garments that incorporate Nitinol SMAs include a self-
adjusting garment for individuals with cerebral palsy
using SMA wire [13], mechanical counter pressure
space suit applications using SMA wire post processed
into springs [14] [15] [16], and Loose and Tight which
knits SMAs into stockings to help individuals with a vein
disorder [17].

We have designed an alternative garment using shape
memory alloy (SMA) muscle wire that can create
variable lateral deep touch pressure, simulating a hug,
in a low profile garment without making any noise. The
SMAs are activated through resistive heating, which is
controlled using a Bluetooth Low Energy enabled app.
This allows the garment to be actuated remotely by the
child’s OT, parent, or guardian. Therapy often requires
varied sensory diets, which needs an adult to remove
and replace pressure garments for a child with SPD.
Doing so can interrupt social settings. An app enabled,
programmable option solves these problems and could
allow for more advanced, standardized sensory diets.
This is also an excellent option for older children who
could have control over their own garment and would
be able to discretely apply the calming pressure they
need without drawing attention to themselves.
Additionally, there is not a consensus on the amount
and duration of pressure needed for DTP therapy [7].
The process is very subjective and holistic. Our design
meets currently available products with higher
adjustability and controllability in a lower profile
discrete form factor. We aimed to create a garment
that could be the state of the art for DTP and could be
used as a research tool to develop and standardize DTP
treatments.

Our Design
Our vest has three main components; electronics
system, SMA actuators, and the physical textile
garment.
Electronics System
The SMA network in the vest can be treated as purely
resistive (electrically equivalent to a resistor). To
activate the vest compression, we simply need to pass
current through the SMA network in a controlled
fashion. With a network resistance of about 90 Ω and a
battery voltage of 22 V, a current of approximately
Vest electronics inside a 3D printed
protective housing
Figure 1. Electronics flow diagram and circuit model
460
SESSION: DESIGN EXHIBITION
0.25 A flows through the network when activated. We
have chosen to control the network by closing a relay
via a Bluetooth signal from a smartphone. We are using
an Arduino Pro Mini connected serially to a Sparkfun
Bluefruit LE breakout board to parse Bluetooth signals
and send a digital signal to the relay. This digital signal
then closes the circuit of the 22 V battery pack to the
SMA network, and activates the vest compression
sequence. The electronics were housed in a 3D printed
housing to add durability to the system. An overview of
the electronics system is shown below.
UBICOMP/ISWC ’16 ADJUNCT, SEPTEMBER 12-16, 2016, HEIDELBERG, GERMANY
SMA Actuators
The actuators were made out of 0.012” Nitinol wire.
This is a shape memory alloy that changes from one
solid state to another solid state and can remember a
shape that it is set at. The wire comes off the shelf in a
straight form. We post-processed the wire, forming it
into a spring, which was heat set at 450C. The springs
that we formed can be extended then return to their
contracted shape when heated by the resistance
created by an electrical current. The SMA spring will
then return to its contracted form [14] [15] [16]. This
creates a pulling force that when coupled with fabric
can create the lateral pressure needed for a deep
pressure garment.
Figure 2. Final garment
461
Physical Prototype
The physical garment was designed in a three-layer
system. The first layer, the layer closest to the wearer’s
skin, was made from lycra and heat-resistant textiles
for low friction, higher comfort and to insulate the
wearer from the SMA’s warmth.
The second layer is the muscle layer, which provides
the actuation resulting in the hug sensation of deep
pressure. The textile component of this layer is non-
stretch so that the actuator’s lateral pressure has a
resistive force instead of stretching out the textile. The
actuator component is comprised of the SMA springs
formed into a laced configuration through simple 3D
printed scaffolding made from ULTEM 9085 resin, which
has a high melting point. The electronics for the system
are housed on this layer on the back of the garment
where there is a large enough flat surface area.
Finally the outer layer is used both to protect the
wearer and also serves to aesthetically enhance the
garment. Because the vest was designed for a small
child the outer layer was created with a cute hugging
bear motif. This layer could be customizable and
interchangeable in order to fit each child’s aesthetic.
 SESSION: DESIGN EXHIBITION



  



 

 Cute
image

Comfortable
stretch textile

Protective Connects to the

heat-resistant SMA actuators Fasteners
textile on opposite side
of the garment

Interfaces with
electronics SMA Non-stretch textile
actuators

Figure 3. The garment has three layers, an inner layer for comfort and insulation, a muscle layer that performs the hug, and an outer
aesthetic and protective layer. The SMA springs contract when a current is applied, creating the compression need for deep pressure
therapy.

Future Directions garment. Further investigation with experts in the field

The next iteration will focus on reducing the size of the
electronics and improving the form factor, including a
removable muscle layer in order to facilitate easy
washability, and optimizing the actuator design to
reduce power usage. The electronic system should be
converted from a digital system to an analog system so
that pressure could be variable. Also a separate
fastener should be added to easily don and doff the
and occupational therapist may lead to other
requirements.
Next research steps include testing the pressure output
of the garment and testing the garment with users.
This also includes the need to determine the optimal
pressure need for deep touch pressure, which may be
variable [7]. Coming to a consensus on treatment

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UBICOMP/ISWC ’16 ADJUNCT, SEPTEMBER 12-16, 2016, HEIDELBERG, GERMANY
needs is a priority. The SMA hugging vest could be used
as a tool to determine these standards because it would
accommodate dynamic reprogrammable custom
treatments.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the University of Minnesota’s
Department of Design Housing and Apparel, the MN
Drive initiative, and Dr. Lana Yarosh for their support,
funding and advice. We would also like to thank
LouAnne Boyd and Patricia Orme for their input on the
device and its requirements from an OT perspective.
References
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(2004). Prevalence of parents’ perceptions of sensory
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