Tactile Comfort: Lowering Heart Rate Through Interactions

Children diagnosed with anxiety disorders are taught a range of strategies to navigate situations of heightened anxiety. Techniques such as deep breathing and repetition of mantras are commonly employed, as they are known to be calming and reduce elevated heart rates. Although these strategies are often effective, their successful application relies on prior training of the children for successful use when faced with challenging situations. This paper investigates a pocket-sized companion robot designed to offer a relaxation technique requiring no prior training, with a focus on immediate impact on the user's heart rate. The robot utilizes a tactile game to divert the user's attention, thereby promoting relaxation. We conducted two studies with children who were not diagnosed with anxiety: a 14-day pilot study with two children (age 8) and a main study with 18 children (ages 7-8). Both studies employed a within-subjects design and focused on measuring heart rate during tactile interaction with the robot and during non-use. Interacting with the robot was found to significantly lower the study participants' heart rate (p$<$0.01) compared to the non-use condition, indicating a consistent calming effect across all participants. These results suggest that tactile companion robots have the potential to enhance the therapeutic value of relaxation techniques.