Wearable tech project to assist children with anxiety presented at UIC Engineering Expo

Left to right: Divinegrace Nwanguma, Denisse Mejia-Gonzalez, Kegan Jones, Charles Okonma and Victoria Wojcik at the Engineering Expo 2026. (Photo: Carlos Sadovi/UIC)

Thanks to a team of UIC engineering students, children may have a new, unobtrusive wearable technology to help them and their caregivers treat their anxiety.

The project, Pediatric Biofeedback Device: Wearable Anxiety Therapy, was one of 200 presented at the Engineering Expo 2026, held at the Credit Union 1 Arena on April 24. More than 700 students participated in the expo, which featured projects from all engineering fields, including biomedical engineering.

Listen to story summary

The Pediatric Biofeedback team displayed several prototypes they had created that look like wraparound sports headphones. It was the culmination of a yearlong senior design class in the UIC Department of Biomedical Engineering, taught by clinical associate professors Anthony Felder and Emma Dosmar. Matthew Alonso, clinical associate professor, also oversaw the project from an electrical engineering perspective.

"They have to make the solution, characterize its performance technically, and then at the end of the year they're supposed to demonstrate that it meets the need," said Felder.

The team of biomedical engineering students included Victoria Wojcik, Kegan Jones, Divinegrace Nwanguma, Denisse Mejia-Gonzalez and Charles Okonma. Wojcik is earning a dual degree in electrical engineering and biomedical engineering.

Wojcik said the team was approached last fall by a TriWellness representative to develop a wearable technology tool to help treat children with anxiety. TriWellness is a Chicago-based therapy group that treats children and adolescents.

The students were tasked with developing a device that would gauge a child's anxiety level - both during and outside of therapy - and give patients and therapists immediate feedback. The idea is to help recognize heightened anxiety levels as they occur and mitigate anxiety triggers.

The project is in response to the high number of children between the ages of 4 and 17 who are grappling with anxiety, said Wojcik.

"There's not a lot of devices that are applicable to children," said Wojcik.

By contrast, the students' project is smaller and less noticeable than many typical devices.

Divinegrace Nwanguma discussses the project, Biofeedback Device for Anxiety Management. (Photo: Carlos Sadovi/UIC)

How it works

The prototype uses a photoplethysmogram, or PPG, device that clips on a child's earlobe. Light on the device transmits through the skin of the earlobe, and a sensor on the other side measures the amount of light that passes through the tissue.

As the heart beats faster in response to heightened stress, blood volume increases. The increased blood flow reduces the amount of light passing through the earlobe. In that way, the device measures heart rate and heart rate variability to assess stress- and anxiety-related factors.

The data is then sent via Bluetooth to a custom website portal, either on a phone or another device, where the patient or their caregiver can monitor the level and respond to rising anxiety.

"It's very low-profile, discreet, something that kids won't be scared to be wearing," said Wojcik. "It just looks like the kid is wearing headphones; it's not obvious that they're looking at their biometrics."

Charles Okonma and Victoria Wojcik demonstrate their prototype. (Photos: Carlos Sadovi/UIC)

Younger children would wear the device all day, while teens would put it on as their anxiety levels rise. The prototype was designed to work off a rechargeable battery that would only need recharging about once a week.

The web portal connected to the device will display calming nature scenes, such as a tree that will sprout more leaves as participants become calmer, said Mejia-Gonzalez.

"If you're more calm, more leaves pop up, and your goal is to get the tree as big and blooming as possible," said Mejia-Gonzalez.

Other scenes feature calming images and the sound of raindrops, water landing on leaves and chirping birds, which are louder or softer based on the wearer's metrics.

Mejia-Gonzalez said the project was very motivating for her because she has introverted family members who could benefit from it.

"It was inspiring," said Mejia-Gonzalez.