Pulse is a musical number with visuals driven by the collective pulse of an audience as captured by specially designed pulse sensors and a mobile app.  The pulse sensor technology for this piece was originally tested at Imagine RIT 2014 where audience members’ pulse rates were captured using the camera on the mobile device via an app specially designed and implemented for the performance.  The feedback received prompted further development of the project by advancing the means by which the pulse is detected.  A special pulse-sensing device connected to a Bluetooth Arduino microcontroller was designed specifically to detect individual audience member’s heartbeat, the information is visually displayed on their mobile device screens with a unique color assigned to each person.  Through the 01x mobile app, the information is collected, delivered to the pulse server, and then collectively visualized in real-time.  Imagine RIT 2015 was the second live audience test with recorded music; plans are in the works to perform this project in 2016 with live music.

Imagine RIT Performance

Rochester Institute of Technology

May 2, 2015

Pulse

Music: Solo Symphony (Symphony no.5) by Libby Larsen

A solo is a group.  The effort of many becomes the effort of one to produce a unified sound, a unified music.  This symphony is about the one and the many. 

-Libby Larsen

Pulse Team

Technologists / Artists