Designing for Homeostasis

A wearable tVNS device for neurodivergent emotional regulation — designed from lived experience, grounded in research.

The Context
00%
of the global population is neurodivergent
ADHD Autism Spectrum Emotional Dysregulation
DESIGN supports
emotional regulation
leading to
improved human
experiences
The Project

Meet the
Vagus Nerve

The Parasympathetic Nervous System is the body's physiological bridge between physical states and the brain's emotional centers. The Vagus Nerve is its primary pathway — running from the brainstem through the neck and ear, all the way to the gut.

HOMEO delivers gentle transcutaneous stimulation to two branches of this nerve: the auricular (ear) and cervical (neck). Not as a medical device — but as a designed artifact shaped by the people who need it most.

The design process combined embodied prototyping with neurodivergent adults, semi-structured interviews with medical professionals, and validation in lab settings — grounding every decision in lived experience.

Research-through-Design Wearable Technology tVNS
Stimulation Sites
Auricular + Cervical
Dual-branch approach targeting the ear and neck pathways simultaneously
Methodology
Research-through-Design
Embodied prototyping combined with participant interviews grounded in lived experience
Target Users
Neurodivergent Adults
ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder — ANS dysregulation impacts daily emotional experience
Framing
Designed Artifact
Not a medical device — a wearable positioned through the lens of design practice
Take it with you

Explore

The Designer

Rafael
Bertacini

Brazilian industrial designer and creative technologist, exploring how complex human experiences can be made tangible through objects and interactions — using wearable and interactive systems that connect perception, emotion, and physical form to translate internal states into meaningful, designed experiences.

Let's
Connect.

Interested in partnering, investing, or collaborating on research? Open to job opportunities in wearable design, neurotech, and interaction design.

rbertacini@ucdavis.edu