Heart-Bits was a workshop at the Hackers and Designers 2019 Summer Academy led by Jonas Bohatsch, Ana Jeličić, and Andrea Valliere.
Heart-Bits was inspired by the idea that we could use technology to feel more present in our bodies and in touch with our surroundings. To do that, we would use open source heart rate sensors to tap into our most vital body signal: the pulse. We guided workshop participants to route this data into sound and visual systems. Through their projects, our bodies became the interface as we tried to control the sights and sounds with only our hearts. We observed the effect of the environment and stimuli around us through our changing heart rates.
Together, we learned how to use Open Sound Control, p5.js, and Processing to learn how to route our pulse signals into generative music and art.
Participants created projects such as a pulse-powered love detector, a ticking birdhouse which captures your heart beat, an interactive guided meditation, and many more.
As in the workshop, slides and code in this repo provide a jumping off point for creating your own pulse-powered projects.