AURA: a smartwatch designed to detect the urge to smoke before a relapse, rather than after

Researchers have laid the foundations for a watch-smartphone system that anticipates the urge to smoke, based on interviews with ten smokers and former smokers in Asia.

Quitting smoking often fails because of cravings triggered by habits, emotions or social situations. However, existing wearable devices are mainly reactive: they detect that a cigarette has been smoked, so it is too late to intervene. The authors argue for systems that manage cravings upstream, based on the theory of reactivity to signals and the theory of self-determination.

A pilot study with a population that has not been studied well

To design this type of tool, the team conducted semi-structured co-design interviews with ten smokers and former smokers from a multi-ethnic Asian population, which is underrepresented in research on wearables and smoking cessation. Participants describe habitual, emotional, and social triggers, and prioritize social accountability, personalized coaching, rewards, and timely distraction. They also emphasize trust, confidentiality, and a non-judgmental tone.

These findings serve as the basis for AURA, a commercially based smartwatch-smartphone ecosystem designed to detect cravings and intervene proactively. At this stage, this is an exploratory qualitative study, not a clinical trial.