Sensor-laden kokoro adjusts playlist to match the rhythm of your heart

We've got to say, we're guessing both Survivor and Prince would approve here, as this is easily one of the most impressive uses of a heart rate sensor yet. Anaid Gomez Ortigoza, a bright young lass at NYU, has whipped up what she's calling kokoro, which translates into "the heart of things" in Japanese. Put as simply as possible, this prototype project allows for iPod playlists to be shuffled depending on one's current heart rate; if your heart is pumping some kind of fierce, the device will likely cue up a little M83, and if you're at rest, you just might get to hear a smooth jam from the likes of Copeland. Don't believe us, though -- hop on past the break for a demonstrative video.

[Via talk2myshirt]

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 1:44PM]

I'd rather have it detect my running rhythm and match the song so I can run in step with the beat. Or maybe even have it build a playlist that uses beats/strides per minute to give you a workout similar to a treadmill's workout settings (hill climb, fat burn, etc).

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 2:05PM]

Yamaha has a product exactly like you describe, though it only has 512MB flash memory. I have not idea how it performs, your post just reminded me of it.

http://www.yamaha.com/bodibeat/

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 2:49PM]

That is truly some hot shit to look at! I'd love to get my hands on that since when I'm working out, I hate switching from song to song trying to find something that matches my pace. (I have everything from Slipknot to Enya on my MP3 player so it's kinda o_O when I'm running along and all of a sudden have 'Sail Away' start playing. I hope that this comes out as a production model soon!

[cormin Posted May 21st 2009 1:46PM]

call 911 if it plays the blitzkrieg bob

[Wai Posted May 21st 2009 2:00PM]

No.

[ThomasK Posted May 21st 2009 1:49PM]

this is briliant idea (only i would prefer some smaller device, heart beat you can measure on e.g. watches). - i love choosing rhytms in some computer games based on the situation - when you are going to fight, the rhytm changes to something faster etc. - it realy improves the feeling. The same i know with running - running with a music which does not have the same rhytm as your legs is quite problematic (not so effective)

[expelled Posted May 21st 2009 1:53PM]

Unintentional Rod Stewart reference?

"Oh the rhythm of my heart is beating like a drum
With the words I love you rolling off my tongue..."

[jimmyrock88 Posted May 21st 2009 2:08PM]

if he can package this in a smarter way then he can probably sell some n make money!
n its perfect for people listening to music while running and then just relaxing for a bit or for people listening 2 music all the time.

[CHESTERCITY Posted May 21st 2009 2:09PM]

I've never heard of M83 or Copeland, sorry.

[FreeRange Posted May 21st 2009 2:10PM]

Are BPM of songs on an ipod normally known to the device?

I really like the idea but think I'd prefer to choose song for ranges of heart rate. Like, when at resting, shuffle the songs in this playlist, when I'm jogging (whatever heartrate range that may be), shuffle this playlist. I guess I'd just be worried that I wouldn't have that many songs that beat at my heart rate for the amount of time I want to be doing cardio and I'm not a fan of my songs repeating during a workout.

Great idea though; currently I have a generic playlist and if I wind up on a stationary bike for a while as I wait for the weight area to clear out, the songs I chose beforehand don't always match the new activity so I can DEFINITELY see this as useful.

[xxxsam Posted May 21st 2009 6:19PM]

BPM can be stored in the ID3 data, but in most MP3s I've purchased, it isn't. (I haven't used iTunes store so don't know about that.)

You can manually enter BPM in iTunes though, and I'm sure there is software that will estimate this automatically for your collection. (But it probably won't be perfect - I've got several devices with BPM meters and some plainly don't work at all, some max out at 160BPM (?!), and even the best occasionally flip between the correct value and half of it. That's in addition to songs which change BPM partway through.)

It would be pretty neat if this device would automatically change the speed of music (within reasonable range) to exactly match your heartbeat or running pace etc. :)

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 2:10PM]

Sorry for nit-picking but I'm pretty certain that Anaid is a lady rather than a lad

[ChuChu Posted May 21st 2009 2:12PM]

I think in most cases I would rather have my music drive my heart rate and not the other way around. For example when I walk into the gym to work out, my heartrate is pretty low so I put on some tunes to get me moving. If I let it match my music to my heartrate I think I would end up with some very chilled out workout sessions. ;)

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 2:15PM]

http://www.rocketboom.com/wearables-at-itp/
for a better idea who this lad y is

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 2:15PM]

Yamaha already has a commercial product called BODiBEAT DAP and it came out 2007.

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 2:27PM]

yup, but it requires you to wear a clip on your ear to detect heartbeat.

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 3:41PM]

I hardly think M83 is high-energy music. Do you have a pacemaker?

[Montpelerin Posted May 21st 2009 2:40PM]

Can somebody get the guy in the photo to cut his fingernails - that's just creeping me out!

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 2:40PM]

uh. copeland on engadget? well that's new...

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 2:45PM]

I agree with you ChuChu. Having music move to the beat of your heart...couch potato all the time. No motivation.

[Pocketfox Posted May 21st 2009 2:48PM]

Bravo for the M83 reference.

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 2:46PM]

If you have a stroke and die.... does it play "Taps"?

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 2:53PM]

that´s why you can chose a higher or lower setting. get faster or slower music.

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 2:50PM]

M83?

How is Shoegaze appropriate for high heart rates?
Unless it's intended to pacify the heart.
Or put it to sleep.
Or gather college street cred.

[rodneyha Posted May 21st 2009 3:40PM]

So what type of music plays when people are doing the "wild thing?"

[MiketheVee Posted May 21st 2009 4:31PM]

kokoro just means heart. not heart of things...
just saying.......

[Teddylikescomputahs Posted May 21st 2009 5:26PM]

have they heard of something called "playlist?"

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 7:23PM]

The very fact that they only use songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers made me watch this video twice.

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2009 8:04PM]

who turn off the music , my heart......

[(Unverified) Posted May 26th 2009 4:20PM]

Just for the record - Anaid is certainly bright, but definitely NOT a lad. Anaid is female.