Diagnosable mental disorders affect an estimated one in four Americans ages 18 and older in a given year.1 After working in the mental health community and meeting many students suffering with mental disorders, Betty Quinn wanted to do something to help.

Quinn is a 22 year-old master’s student at Parsons the New School for Design and Bluetooth Breakthrough Award finalist. After meeting people suffering from mental illness, Quinn was struck by their stories and struggles with rehabilitation especially when people could not identify their triggers. She also saw a great deal of frustration in people with the recovery process, as changes are often gradual and subtle. People often deal with instant gratification and expect mental illness to work the same. Quinn thought there needed to be a better, more passive way to monitor their health and research their triggers. That’s where the idea of the Spectrum was born.

Spectrum is a wearable device that tracks a person’s pulse and perspiration. The Spectrum is a wristband that collects the data, and using Bluetooth® Smart technology, sends it to a smartphone. This allows both patients and doctors to analyze the data for better insight into anxiety disorders by tracking their triggers.

Quinn double majored in art history and studio art but never did any three-dimensional or interactive work so the realm of physical computing was new. Even though Quinn had little development experience, her passion for helping the mentally ill carried her vision through. She hopes to one day create a non-profit aimed towards supporting young artists battling mental disorders. If she wins, she wants to use the funds to explore advanced technology to create an improved prototype that more accurately analyzes heart rate fluctuations and perspiration.

Other things to know about Betty Quinn:

• Enjoys filmmaking in her free time—“I’m constantly coming up with short vignettes in my head to shoot for fun.”
• Loves modern and contemporary art—“I pretty much grew up in museums and was lucky enough to work at the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) and the Smithsonian.”
• Currently interning at the MET
• Sees herself working in the interaction design field in 10 years—“My dream job would be to create interactive installations that carry a socially-conscious message.”
• Her biggest inspirations are Random International, the Lab at Rockwell Group and Joachim Sauter.

(Credit: Nanci Taplett)