NEZU Study—An Indigenous Designed Sensory Intervention for Stress & Anxiety

Aurora Heat, Inc. is a seasonal social enterprise that earns the bulk of its revenue during the Fall and Winter months. In order to curb seasonal influxes of cash flow, the organization has prototyped and informally tested a new to market sensory intervention product called the NEZU™. The NEZU™ is an Indigenous-designed sensory intervention made from sheared beaver fur that soothes symptoms of stress and anxiety. Wholly innovative, the design solves a market gap as natural and biodegradable sensory interventions rooted in traditional knowledge and materials currently do not exist. Offering an unparalleled sensory experience due to the velvety and cloud-like softness of sheared beaver fur, the NEZU™ is also smudged with healing intentions for the recipient. Current options are designed to distract users to bring them out of distressing sensations. In contrast, the NEZU™ offers comfort, allowing the user to fully process difficult emotions or uncomfortable physiological sensations.
An opportunity in achieving market acceptance in western-dominant cultures lies in the scientific-validated efficacy of the NEZU™. In order to achieve this, Indigenous academic partners from the University of Calgary have designed an ethics-approved study to test the sensory intervention’s efficacy.

Faculty Supervisor:

Pamela Roach

Student:

Partner:

Aurora Heat Inc

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Manufacturing; Wholesale trade

University:

University of Calgary

Program: