Smartphone haptics for inducing calm, an alternative to meditation
Hey HN, We've been working in neurotech over the past few years, primarily focusing on improving sleep. A friend asked if I would build her a vagal nerve stimulation device. These are devices used to improve relaxation, and “vagal tone”. She didn't want to shell out hundreds for the existing solutions. I originally said no, but then I thought, what if we leveraged smartphone haptics to achieve the same effect as these expensive devices? After some tinkering, Harbor: Immersive Calm was published to the app store last week. https://getharbor.app It’s pretty basic and very MVP, no…
In plain words
Harbor: Immersive Calm is a smartphone app that uses haptic vibrations and sound to promote relaxation as an alternative to meditation or expensive vagal nerve stimulation devices. Users select an immersion session and duration, then lie back with their phone on their chest to experience the combined sensations. The app requires no login or technique—it works by simply pressing play and allowing the haptics and audio to induce calm. It targets people seeking accessible relaxation tools without complex meditation practices or high equipment costs.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
Hey HN, We've been working in neurotech over the past few years, primarily focusing on improving sleep. A friend asked if I would build her a vagal nerve stimulation device. These are devices used to improve relaxation, and “vagal tone”. She didn't want to shell out hundreds for the existing solutions. I originally said no, but then I thought, what if we leveraged smartphone haptics to achieve the same effect as these expensive devices? After some tinkering, Harbor: Immersive Calm was published to the app store last week. https://getharbor.app It’s pretty basic and very MVP, no logins, just: 1)open the app 2) select an immersion (mix of sound and haptics) 3) select how long you want to be immersed (?) 4) lay back, put your phone on your chest, and feel the sensations. In comparison to meditation, with Harbor, there is no “doing it right”, : Lay back, Tune In & Chill Out. I initially built for Android, but the fine-grained control and consistency of haptic motors in iOS device is a better experience. Though, I’m not ruling out a future dive into Android. Here’s a video demo(https://youtu.be/gr70kY9_Abk) for a sneak peek. Though, without the haptic feedback, you can’t really get a feeling for the experience. Compared to devices the cost hundreds of dollars plus subscriptions, we’re thinking of a subscription model of $5/month. A friend who is a trauma therapist said she’d recommend it to some of her clients, and of course, there is the market of people who are looking to buy vagal nerve devices, and we can offer a lower cost alternative - and you don’t have to wait for shipping :)
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