In which module and with which objective were breathing exercises with NAO used?

The first breathing exercise with the NAO robot was used for the first time in the summer semester 2022 in the Business Administration Digital Economy degree programme under the direction of Prof. Dr Ilona Buchem. Following the positive results from the first use, further versions of the breathing exercise are currently being tested in the winter semester 2022/2023 in other modules and degree programmes in Faculty I

The ‘Breathe & Relax with NAO’ application was programmed by Emily Thomas, a student employee in the Laboratory for Communication and a student on the Bachelor's degree programme in Humanoid Robotics in Department VII.

The application was developed with the Choregraphe software (version 2.8.6). The breathing exercise implemented is called the 4-7-8 breathing technique, where the numbers 4-7-8 refer to the count of inhalation, breath holding and exhalation. This technique is used to support relaxation and stress reduction. The 4-7-8 breathing technique uses the following breathing pattern: inhale through the nose for four seconds, hold the breath for seven seconds and exhale slowly through the mouth for eight seconds. The humanoid robot NAO takes on the role of a facilitator, guiding participants through the exercise, counting the seconds and visualising the individual breathing phases by raising and lowering arms and lighting up eyes.

The aim of the ‘Breathe & Relax with NAO’ application is to use the NAO robot to integrate relaxation exercises into lessons, e.g. during breaks.