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Diego Rodriguez, Chris Kokotos & Zarif Choudhury
Professor A. Voisard
Abstract
Approximately 50% of American adults suffer from stress and anxiety. More than half of them fail to seek professional help. One of the biggest reasons people often don’t seek professional help is because of social stigma and the lack of technology on the market that tackles this specific issue. With SABER, people are able to address this tremendous problem by offering a simple solution that is personal and discrete. SABER is a “coach” wristband that helps people deal with anxiety and stress. It measures bodily signals related to stress and anxiety such as heart rate, appetite, and mood through user input, allowing SABER to improve the overall mental state of its users. SABER’s algorithm learns the behavior of its user and constantly monitors the physical data collected from the user, SABER is able to provide mental health exercises to alleviate symptoms of stress and promote more self-control and diligence. Because the collected data is personal and highly sensitive, SABER is equipped with high-security software that will ensure your data is encrypted and kept safe from exposure, malware, and other unapproved entities. You will have the option to share this data, through a secure system that is encrypted and built into SABER. SABER can be paired with its very own smartphone app that will allow its users to read a detailed analysis of collected data, possible next steps, and easily get in contact with mental health counselors and/or physicians.
Introduction
High schoolers, new parents, teachers, CEOs all have a similar problem. All of these groups are challenged by immense workloads and societal expectations leading to increased levels of stress and anxiety. Although stress and anxiety are common and in small amounts can be healthy, people still lack the ability and the necessary resources to properly manage it. The Stress Anxiety Band for Emotional Relief (SABER) offers people who are struggling with stress and anxiety with the tools to reduce and manage their stress levels. SABER provides services such as distressing and anxiety relief exercises and monitors appetite, heart rate, stress and anxiety levels to provide detailed reports and assessments on the user’s mental health.
SABER attempts to relieve stress and anxiety by not only offering personal help but also having a network of participating mental health institutions available for immediate emergency help or professional consultation which can be accessed through the SABER band or the app.
A Big Problem with a Simple Solution
Many scientists studying mental health believe that there is a biochemical relationship between long term stress and anxiety and depression. In fact, in many recent studies, long term stress has been shown to restructure the brain, changing areas that regulate emotions and memories (MQ Mental Health). Mental health issues are often interconnected and cannot be resolved through self-remedies because they require professional help. Although the United States is now more receptive to addressing mental health issues there are many older people and new immigrants who come from a background where mental health is not addressed properly. In many Asian (i,e regions such as East, South, and Southeast Asia) countries showing signs of mental illness or publicly stating it results in ostracization, and discrimination. South Asian people for example often lose marriage proposals and social standing when they are open with their mental health issues . People from these and similar backgrounds along with students, new parents and many others feel stressed from their workloads, financial responsibilities, and managing personal relationships. According to MQ Mental Health among adults in the U.S, 66% say that work related stress is their main source of stress followed by 28% saying that the main cause of stress comes from personal relationships (Fig 1). This is significant because it indicates that the main sources of stress are things that can be managed easily by an individual with the proper resources.
Fig 1: Main Sources of Stress for American Adults (from MQ Mental Health)
The problem here is abundantly clear. People face stigma and discrimination from society for mental health issues that can be linked to long exposure to stress. They do not have enough accessibility to resources that would help them manage their stress that also saves them money in the long term. Common methods to destress and relieve anxiety often involve shoddy alternative therapy, expensive yoga lessons, and therapy. Of course although there are other inexpensive methods they can be time consuming and hard to allocate time for in a society that values efficiency and is as hectic as ours. SABER offers quick and easy access and works as a preventative measure to ensure stress does not build up and there is a dedicated place where people can look too for help before encountering a situation where they have a mental break down (Photos 1 & 2).
Photo 1 (left): Stress Induced Mental Breakdown,; Photo 2 (right): Workplace Stress
(Sources : Google Images)
Our Mission
SABER’s primary purpose is to help people who are dealing with anxiety and stress. By setting up daily reminders and suggesting physical and mental exercises, SABER is trying to provide users with the necessary tools to deal with their emotional condition. Every component and feature will be designed to help users have a pleasant and effective experience.
Descriptions of Major Components
Image 1 : SABER Side View ( Source: Author)
SABER will come with a bendable display screen which provides easier readings and allows users to personalize their SABER. Since the screen is ⅓ of the wristband length, users will be able to modify the color that appears on it. Something quite similar to image 1 & 2. Also, depending on the user’s heart rate SABER will display warning and cautionary colors under emergency circumstances. This will also trigger a series of follow up notifications, reminders, and mental exercises that will help the user deal with whatever situation is occurring.
Image 2: Sensor (Source : Author)
All this is possible thanks to a ceramic covered sensor located on the backside of the wristband. The ceramic cover boots the capability for better readings of bodily signals, such as heartbeat, and increases the accuracy of it by 40% in comparison to other similar products (Image 2). SABER is able to detect the heartbeat to start up system operations.
Image 3: Microphone & Speaker (Source : Author)
Aside from the screen and sensor features, SABER will also come with a mini-microphone and speaker, see image 4. These two components serve as additional tools that will help users during moments of need. As soon as the sensor detects an anomaly, a stressful moment occurring, or if the user activates the SABER, a calm voice of the user’s choosing will take them through a series of steps that will help them calm down.
Phone Application
There will also be a compatible phone app for SABER, which will allow users to fully analyze their data and review their progress. This app will also serve as a platform for other important features such as; an in-depth description of mental and physical exercises, graphs on the user’s data and progress, recommendation to improve and other features.
Why will it work?
This new technology will offer a personal one to one interaction between users and machine. SABER’s algorithm was designed to adapt and learn from the user’s emotional experiences. As soon as the initial survey is complete, SABER will start monitoring the user’s bodily signals and occasionally suggest different mental exercises with the purpose of improving the user’s emotional state. These seemly random notifications will be subjected to the user’s condition. However, if the user wants, they can enable any of them at any time. They will also be able to restrict the number of times per day these notifications will appear. Making it less tedious and stress relieving for those users that want to personalize their own treatment even more. This system aims to empower users to take care of themselves while at the same time having SABER as a supplementary tool to improve their emotional state. In comparison to other similar products, SABER will have the edge on versatility and customization, as well as a system entirely devoted to the improvement of the users emotional state.
SABER: A Necessity in the Modern Age
Our current world is filled with new technologies which had helped us grow as an species. But at the same time these new technologies have made it more difficult to us to open up about topics such as stress and anxiety. Also, our society works in such a way that it portraits demonstrations of emotions as a sign of weakness. This shared belief dictates that we must never show our emotions nor attend to take care of ourselves emotionally in public spaces. It has become so common in fact, that some people seem it as a normal thing at this point. They blame themselves for not being strong enough to deal with their lives, and instead of seeking out for help ther isolate themselves. One of the causes might be the alarming rate at which human interaction dependency on technology has increased. We are constantly checking on what is happening online that we barely have time to stop and think about our emotional state and how we can take care of ourselves. As a combination of existing technologies and therapeutic treatments, SABER will try to improve the overall well being of people who have a hard time opening up to others. Our mission is to change the way people see technology in relation to their emotions. To turn existing technologies into tools we can use to better ourselves mentally.
What is Our Plan?
We plan on having the first SABER bands to roll out in Spring 2021. We will officially announce the product in a press conference in Fall of 2020. The bands will be manufactured at a factory in upstate New York and will be ready to ship to retailers hopefully by April 2021. The retail price of a SABER will be $360.00 with the plan to cut the price by about $50.00 three to five years after launching the product. The cost to manufacture each band will be about $255.00 so we will turn out about $105.00 profit per band. The plan is for SABER to be a successful technology that consumers will immediately resonate with. We believe we can sell about 10-15 million units per year which is around the same amount of sales of the Apple Watch per year. SABER will create a completely new market in wearable technology and our main focus is treating stress and anxiety, not making money. We will donate 20 percent of profits to Anxiety and Depression of America, or ADAA, which is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention, treatment, & cure of anxiety, depression and co-occurring disorders.
Material Sourcing and Pricing
Each SABER band will be fully equipped with the latest screen, AI, and The screen on the band is going to be a SAMSUNG Infinity Flex Display which is a display capable of bending. The screen will be able to bend and be as flexible as the entire band itself. A sensor will be placed on the opposite side of the display. The part of the band that contains the display and sensor will be encased in a flexible soft plastic material known as thermoformed plastic. This material is formed past its elastic limit into plastic deformation. It is cheap to manufacture and very sturdy. The speakers, microphone and internal hardware and software will also be encased in this part of each SABER. The band part of each SABER will be made of a woven nylon material and will latch together on each end using magnets. The SABER will be a very durable product made of materials that are cost-effective to produce, but of great quality.
To ensure SABER is affordable while using the best technology available we have looked into various materials and products that we can derive Similar technologies used in products such as the Apple watch and Royole bendable screen phone, the FlexPai, are crucial to determine SABER’s manufacturing cost. According to the article, No, the Apple Watch Does *Not* Cost $84 to Make, the approximate manufacturing cost of the Apple Watch goes around “$225 for the 42mm Sport, in the first few months. Perhaps $185 later, after build-to-order and component quality issues are resolved.” Considering that this is an accurate estimation, we can deduce that the cost of the sensors might round to $75 or less per unit.
On the other hand, Royole has a much higher price for its first flexible phone. At a alarming cost of $1,869 it is rather difficult to get our hands on one of those. However, SABER will not have such a ridiculous price, instead, we will use a much cheaper but sufficient bendable screen that can be purchased in websites such as Alibaba.com. According to the website Alibaba.com, the cost of the Flexible OLED display 6 inches 18:9 2160×1080 with HDMI controller board for flexible OLED display goes for around $200 to $500. SABER screen dimensions is smaller than that of a regular phone. Based on this information, we estimate that SABER’s screen cost per unit will be around $100 per unit. As for the rest of the hardware, software, and it maintenance, it is probably be $80 to $100 or even higher. But this number will change once the software is created. Other accessories and parts are estimated to cost $15 to $25.
| Components | Cost |
| Screen | $100.00 |
| Sensor | $75.00 |
| Internal Hardware & Software | $80.00 |
| Total Manufacturing cost | $255.00 |
| Retail | $360.00 |
| Profit | $105.00 |
Note: All prices are estimates per SABER unit and are subject to change depending on vendors
Conclusion
SABER bands are going to be revolutionary. They will completely change wearable technology and offer a completely new and fresh way to treat anxiety. Most people don’t know how to deal with their anxiety and can often let it get the best of them. With SABER, this doesn’t have to be the norm anymore. Users of SABER will basically have a personal life coach at the palm of their hands that can help them get through even the most difficult situations life has to offer. Mental health is our main concern at SABER Technologies and we believe reducing anxiety will greatly help to improve mental health. A mentally healthy person is a happy person. Owning a SABER will be a great option to find happiness for people who are often anxious on a day to day basis. SABER bands are going to change the way we as a society look at and treat anxiety forever and will be the next and hopefully final step to treating anxiety and stress.
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Self-Assessment
This was assignment was undoubtedly the most revealing assignments of all for the reason that we had to share leadership among each other. Up to this point, we were all in charge of our own individual projects, completely entitled of creative liberty to write our assignments. However, the proposal and presentation were highly dependent on teamwork and the successful exchange of ideas in order to come up with a competent structure. Personally, I like to think that I am a team player, but I have never worked with people who disagree with me so drastically. I am not implying that this was a bad thing, not at all, but it was rather interesting to discuss with my team-mates and realized that my ideas were not always the best. It helped me realized that group projects in college are not as bad if paired with responsible and dedicated people.
For the structure of the proposal, we discussed among us, suggested different approaches, consulted the course book, only examples, and proposals made by other students from previous semesters. As for the content of the proposal, we all did some research separately and then came back to a group discussion to decide which idea was going to be used. In the end, we all agreed on one and from there started adding more features to our product and discarding others. Resulting in what I think was a successful display of teamwork.
In conclusion, the presentation was carried in a way I did not expect, nevertheless, it worked flawlessly and my teammates and I could not be more satisfied with the results. Everyone worked in their respective sections, but we also looked at each other’s work to provide assistance. This part of the group project allowed me to learn so much from both of my teammates about structure and composition, as well as creativity. For these reasons and more I think this assignment was the most revealing and productive of all.
Note: Initially, we made a outline for this project, laying down all the possible product and features of our project. However, it was lost when we started writing it on top of the outline. As for the first draft, we did not create a separate document. We simply did some editing after the peer review.
