Mobio Interactive Launches Meditation App with Scientific Twist

Mobio Interactive has developed a mobile app that measures heart rate without ever touching your body.

Wildflowers is a meditation app that uses an algorithm technology developed with research partners at the University of Waterloo which extracts biometric data from your skin. Hold your phone or tablet about one foot from your face and Wildflowers produces a heart rate reading.

Developed by former journalists Mark Thoburn and Peter Wall, the app teaches the basics of meditation through interactive lessons. There’s also a suggested meditation feature where users log their moods, and the app generates suggestions based on how the user is feeling.

University of Toronto professor and mindfulness teacher Dr. Norm Farb is one of the meditation guides on the app. He’s also heading up a research study on how the app can help users manage stress and anxiety.