The Brief

Sophie Kaplan

Beat By Beat is a heart like device that tracks your heart rate, beats in time with the users heart rate, and changes color every two minutes. 

Scientists in the mental health field continually agree that the ability to change the heart rate appropriately in given scenarios will lower stress and lessen anxiety. The benefits of lower stress include improving how the immune system functions, preventing illnesses like the common cold and or physical complaints such as back aches, and increasing your energy levels. The easiest way to control your heart rate is meditation. That is where Beat By Beat comes into play. For someone with ADD or ADHD is may be difficult to sit still and focus on your heart rate. Having an external object to represent the heart beat will help the user focus better.

Beat By Beat will beat in time with users heart rate that is being tracked by the heart rate monitor the user is wearing. The heart will also change color every two minutes as a way to track how long you have been meditating. The heart is made out of milky white acrylic, pink and white 3D printed joint pieces, and bolts. The heart moves with a motor located inside the heart. The motor has a cam to make the heart move up and down. Also inside the heart is a LED strip to make the heart light up. Both the LED strip and the motor are controlled via an Arduino. The hope is that this product will help those who use it live more peaceful and stress free lives.