Beat Reader

Beat Reader is an app that allows you to take easily your own pulse – without any additional equipment. By simply placing your finger over the camera and flash light, the app accurately reads you heart rate in just a few moments. Optionally, the app can use wearables for taking the pulse.

Context:
denkwerk GmbH (www.denkwerk.com) developed this app on the occasion of „Interactive Cologne 2015“ (http://www.interactive-cologne.com) – an annual digital conference taking place in Cologne. An essential component of the interactive music event "Beats & Bytes", the app constitutes the connecting element between humans, music and technology.

At "Beats & Bytes“, a self-directed party is developing in real-time, with guests and DJ becoming one. The medium for this live experiment is the beat – the beat of the DJ is set by the audience’s heart beat.
Via the Beat Reader app, all guests are connected to a server calculating their average pulse. The DJ has to constantly adjust to his audience. What is meanwhile happening in his head is being measured via a brain interface and visualised in impressive light projections.
This interactive night full of unpredictable dynamics is a completely new experience, in the middle of Cologne’s exciting nightlife.