Doctoral Candidate Develops Stress-Reducing Pen

(Delft University of Technology)

Researcher Miguel Bruns Alonso, a Ph.D. candidate at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands, has developed a pen that measures the stress levels of the person using it, and can help to reduce that stress. Bruns is expected to receive his doctoral degree in industrial design later this week.

Bruns carried out various inquiries during the course of his research that showed people tend to play with their pens in their hands when they are tense. He also observed that when some people are encouraged to check these nervous movements, or make more gentle movements, it is possible for them to gain more control over the situation.

The pen Bruns developed (pictured right) can detect commonly interpreted nervous movements and determine whether the person holding it is stressed. The pen also provides a counterweight to these movements using built-in electronics and electromagnets. When it detects the quicker movements associated with stress, the pen gradually becomes more difficult to move around. This encourages person’s hand to move in a more relaxed way, which in turn makes the pen yield more easily again.

Bruns then tested the pen in an experiment, measuring heart rate and perceived stress between those who received feedback from the pen and those who did not receive feedback. His results found people who received feedback from the pen on their behavior had a five percent lower heart rate than those who received no feedback. Those receiving feedback also experienced less psychological stress.

However, subjects in the feedback group were generally not aware that they were receiving any feedback on their behavior. They also said that they did not feel any less stress. Bruns concluded that products that seek to reduce short-term stress should intervene directly to modify that behavior, rather than just warning the user about stress levels. This could allow products to reduce stress in an unobtrusive way.

Bruns’s pen is still a prototype and not yet on the market.

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