On August 14, Sid Lee teamed up with Aramique, a director at digital production company Tool, to design an event that combined technology with human emotion. Held at the New Museum in New York, the activation built buzz for a partnership between Intel and SMS Audio; it also drew attention to the forthcoming launch of BioSport Earbuds, which will track users' heart rates.
At the center of the activation was the so-called "Heart Bot," which Sid Lee and Tool created for the event. The Heart Bot was an installation that functioned as a drawing machine controlled by human heartbeats. As DJ J Scott spun tunes, guests placed their palms on the machine. The machine captured each user's heart rate and fed it to software that translated the heartbeats into motions for the arms of the robot, which were equipped with pens. Ultimately, the Heart Bot drew guests' individual heart beats.
The purpose of the "Bot" was to demonstrate that each individual experiences moments in very personal ways; the machine was also inspired by the aforementioned in-ear headphones.
