Lark Buckingham
Babump
Lark Buckingham is the creator of Babump, a device posing as a business card holder that monitors heart rates. Babump picks up signals from compatible heart monitors so that employers can track employee cardiovascular data in real time. It applies unique algorithms derived from big data to help employers gauge employee health and mood during meetings, with the aim of keeping employees focused on meeting their personal goals. Wellness plans that integrate wearable devices that communicate with Babump show marked gains in employee health and engagement, lower health insurance costs, and higher return on investment.
Health Data for Employers
Discreetly posed as a business card holder, Babump picks up signals from compatible heart monitors, so that employers can track employee cardiovascular data in real time. Babump takes heart data to the next level, applying unique algorithms derived from big data to help employers gauge employee health and mood during meetings.
New in the 2016 model, Babump will feature a camera capable of measuring heart rate by reading “micro-flushes”, small changes in color on a person’s face as their capillaries dilate and constrict. With this technology, Babump will be able to pick up the heart beat of anyone seated at your desk, not just people who are already wearing heart rate monitors. Read more about Babump here.
About Lark
Lark Buckingham, Art Practice, has a background in animation and video production, often used in conjunction with live performance and music. Lark’s current research focuses on interactive media — she develops games that function as therapy tools for trauma survivors. Traumatic experience damages not only a person’s emotional landscape, but also disrupts the physical self, causing changes in structure and function across multiple systems in the body. A growing body of research suggests that the most effective treatments for PTSD begin with the body, as opposed to traditional models of talk therapy. Biofeedback is a method of training individuals how to better regulate their internal systems by feeding back data of their heart rate and respiration. Lark plans to develop more engaging interfaces for these tools, while exploring ways to introduce creative output and expand upon channels of user interaction.