A specialized program created by researchers at Belgorod State University aims to strengthen stress tolerance and a range of adaptive skills. The initiative centers on a device that includes a potter’s wheel, through which the user faces controlled perturbations, while sensors and indicators inform about current stress levels. The project was reported to socialbites.ca by the Ministry of Education and Science.
Biofeedback technology (BFB) enables individuals to monitor real-time internal bodily processes. Core measures such as breathing, heart rate, and muscle activity are captured with appropriate equipment, and feedback is delivered through visual, auditory, tactile, and other signaling channels (attribution: BelSU researchers and officials).
Initially, the user learns to operate the potter’s wheel while physiological indicators — including pulse and respiration, as well as galvanic skin response reflecting autonomic nervous system activity — are recorded for ongoing assessment (attribution: BelSU robotics and mechatronics team).
As training progresses, disturbing factors are introduced to challenge performance: the wheel’s rotation speed shifts, the wheel tilts, and the heating element, vibration module, and sound system cycle on and off (attribution: BelSU project team).
In the final phase, multiple stimulus signals are presented in sequence and then in combination, ranging from two to five simultaneous cues to test resilience under increased load (attribution: BelSU researchers).
When the user maintains control over the stress level while engaging with the apparatus, a dedicated LED scale lights up in green or yellow. If stress thresholds are exceeded, the backlight shifts through red, orange, blue, and finally purple, signaling physiological deviation from the target range (attribution: BelSU project documentation).
The device is positioned as a component of a broader training complex designed for psychological prevention of nervous and psychosomatic disorders that can arise from fatigue, information overload, stress, or excessive professional demands. It is also presented as a method to sharpen readiness for high-demand roles, with researchers noting the potential to monitor the neuropsychic stress level during challenging tasks (attribution: Center for Cognitive Neurosciences and Neurotechnologies, National Research University “BelSU”).