conch-shaped device uses interactive breathing to ease anxiety in kids with sleep apnea

Jiumo Wang creates an interactive device for children with OSA

Designer Jiumo Wang, together with researchers at ShanghaiTech University and Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University, develops Oneiro, an affective healthcare design project that reimagines the pediatric medical experience through emotionally intelligent interaction. Created for children aged four to thirteen diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), the project, presented during Milan Design Week 2026, addresses the fear and anxiety often associated with procedures such as nasal endoscopy, transforming the waiting period before examination into a moment of calm, agency, and creative engagement. Conceived as an early prototype for the AI companion hospital of 2050, the system explores how emotional care might become embedded within future clinical environments.

At the center of Oneiro, meaning ‘dream’ in Greek, is an interactive device shaped like a conch shell. Before their examination, children blow into a disposable mouthpiece and watch their breath transform into calming digital visuals that slowly evolve on screen in real time. Instead of sitting anxiously in a waiting room, they become active participants in the experience, using their own breathing to create peaceful virtual landscapes. The contact-free interaction is simple, hygienic, and easy to integrate into hospital environments while helping reduce stress before treatment.

all images courtesy of Jiumo Wang, unless stated otherwise

Oneiro reframes medical anxiety through breath and play

Featured at Archivi Futuri at ZONAK in Isola, the project joined a wider exploration into the future of preservation, emotional memory, and evolving technologies beyond 2050. Co-curated by Isola and Pietro Petrillo, the exhibition brought together international designers and studios investigating how cultural production, emotions, and everyday experiences might be archived through AI, craft, and sustainable design methodologies. Within this context, Oneiro contributed a softer vision of healthcare technology rooted in empathy, emotional resilience, and care-centered interaction.

Oneiro positions children as co-creators of their own emotional experience, responding to three central psychological needs: immediate feelings of safety, autonomy through predictable interaction, and long-term emotional resilience. By transforming breath into a medium for creation, the design reframes an act commonly associated with anxiety into one connected to calmness and accomplishment. Jiumo Wang aims to support families navigating stressful hospital visits while strengthening communication and trust between doctors and young patients. The system proposes a scalable framework for emotionally responsive healthcare environments, where empathy becomes part of the technological infrastructure itself rather than an afterthought.

Looking toward future applications, the innovative design student and the research team envision AI-driven personalization and the development of a digital emotional passport capable of tracking a child’s emotional journey across medical visits. Through this softer vision of healthcare technology, Oneiro suggests a future where clinical spaces operate through care, emotional intelligence, and compassionate interaction.

Oneiro transforms children’s breath into calming digital environments

the conch-shaped device is designed to reduce anxiety in children with sleep apnea

Oneiro combines interactive breathing with emotionally responsive healthcare design

the shell-like form houses the device’s internal electronic components and breathing system

presented during Milan Design Week 2026, Archivi Futuri at ZONAK in Isola | image © designboom

children create evolving digital visuals in real time through guided breathing interaction

the contact-free interface integrates playful interaction into pediatric healthcare environments

Oneiro reimagines pre-examination waiting rooms through softer and more empathetic design

project info:

name: Oneiro

designer: Jiumo Wang with ShanghaiTech University and Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University