About
Prana is a clinical-grade wearable platform designed specifically to support medical and academic research into guided breathing exercises. Worn around any part of the trunk, the device captures diaphragmatic and chest breathing patterns, posture data, and 15+ holistic body measurements using advanced sensors and signal processing. Researchers can build custom breathing protocols through a dedicated protocol builder, leveraging a library of 80+ scientifically validated exercises. Participants receive guidance via haptic vibration cues or a gamified visual interface — requiring no constant screen attention — which improves adherence in both supervised and home-based study settings. Breath-to-breath compliance data is seamlessly shared with research teams, enabling retrospective or real-time monitoring in decentralized clinical trials. Prana has demonstrated broad applicability across conditions including COPD, asthma, migraines, anxiety, chronic pain, and hypertension, addressing a critical gap noted in over 4,000 ClinicalTrials.gov studies. An upcoming Version 2 app introduces an immersive 3D environment where the participant's breathing shapes interactive landscapes, further improving engagement and adherence. Prana is ideal for academic institutions, hospital research departments, and clinical trial organizations seeking to standardize, validate, and quantify respiratory interventions.
Key Features
- Real-Time Biofeedback: Provides haptic vibration and visual cues to guide participants through precise breathing protocols without requiring constant screen interaction.
- Custom Protocol Builder: Enables researchers to design and assign tailored controlled breathing regimens from a library of 80+ scientifically validated exercises.
- Breath-to-Breath Adherence Tracking: Captures granular compliance data in real time, supporting both on-site and fully decentralized home-based clinical trial formats.
- Posture & Holistic Body Monitoring: Tracks posture consistency and 15+ body measurements alongside respiratory patterns to support multi-variable research correlations.
- Versatile Wearability: Designed to be worn comfortably around any part of the trunk, monitoring both diaphragmatic and chest breathing patterns.
Use Cases
- Clinical research on breathing interventions for patients with COPD, asthma, or chronic respiratory conditions.
- Anxiety and stress management studies measuring the efficacy of guided breathing protocols on mental health outcomes.
- Hypertension and cardiovascular research using standardized breathing exercises as non-pharmacological interventions.
- Decentralized clinical trials where participants complete home-based breathing sessions with remotely monitored adherence.
- Academic studies and university research programs quantifying respiratory behavior and validating breathing exercise methodologies.
Pros
- Clinically Validated & Research-Backed: Actively used in ongoing research at Harvard and featured at the American Thoracic Society, lending strong credibility to its methodology.
- Dual Training Modes: Supports both haptic and gamified visual guidance, accommodating different participant preferences and improving adherence rates.
- Decentralized Trial Ready: Enables participants to complete sessions independently at home, reducing researcher supervision burden and broadening study reach.
- Broad Condition Applicability: Addresses a wide range of conditions — COPD, asthma, anxiety, hypertension, migraines, and chronic pain — making it versatile across research domains.
Cons
- Hardware Dependency: Requires purchasing the physical wearable device, which adds upfront cost and logistics compared to software-only research tools.
- Primarily Research-Focused: The platform is optimized for clinical and academic research contexts, limiting its accessibility for general consumer wellness use.
- Pricing Not Publicly Disclosed: The website does not display clear pricing tiers, which may slow procurement decisions for research institutions evaluating the tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
What medical conditions can Prana support in research studies?
Prana is designed for studies investigating breathing interventions across a wide range of conditions, including COPD, asthma, migraines, anxiety, chronic pain, and hypertension.
How does Prana ensure participant adherence to breathing protocols?
Prana uses real-time haptic and visual biofeedback to guide participants through prescribed protocols, while capturing breath-to-breath compliance data that researchers can review remotely or on-site.
Can Prana be used in decentralized or home-based clinical trials?
Yes. Prana is built for both clinical and home-based settings. Participants can complete guided sessions independently, and data is seamlessly shared with research teams for retrospective or real-time analysis.
Where on the body is the Prana device worn?
Prana can be worn comfortably around any part of the trunk, enabling it to monitor both diaphragmatic (belly) and chest breathing patterns depending on study needs.
What data does Prana collect beyond breathing patterns?
In addition to respiratory metrics, Prana tracks posture consistency and over 15 holistic body measurements, allowing researchers to explore additional physiological correlations within their studies.
