Heater Spiral
Heat-based body-computer interface pendant
Overview
Heater Spiral is a wearable body-computer interface that delivers gentle, programmable warmth through a spiral heater trace. I designed and assembled the circular PCB from scratch, integrating a MOSFET-controlled heater that can raise the surface temperature to around 50 °C. One application I explored was wearing it as a necklace over the heart with rhythmic warm-up and cooldown phases to anchor attention in the body—similar to metta meditation sessions I tested during retreat. I also prototyped an app that modulates heat based on how near another wearer is, and I plan to redesign the next iteration with a UWB chip for more accurate distance sensing.
GitHub Repository |
Project Tweet Thread
Technical Details
- Custom two-layer PCB with ornamental copper spiral heater and matching silkscreen art.
- MOSFET-based power stage to drive the heater element up to ~50 °C.
- USB-C for power and programming, with onboard microcontroller and status LEDs.
- Test program cycles heating and cooling periods for somatic awareness practice, plus a proximity-based heating demo for paired wearers.
- Designed pendant enclosure concepts to house the board as wearable jewelry.
Explorations & Next Steps
- Next hardware spin will include UWB to refine distance-based warming interactions. Also include fuses as failsafe in case of software failures.
- Long-term vision: scale the concept into a pixel-style thermal display that can cover the whole body.
- Inspired by meditation practice, sauna rituals, and hot stone massage as embodied, heat-driven experiences.
Videos
