Whimmill’s App Infuses Fun and Interactivity into Brains Extravaganza

BLOOMINGTON, IN [May 4, 2012] – It’s hard to miss them—the five-foot tall fiberglass brains decorated by local artists that have been installed in public spaces throughout Bloomington—but there’s much more to these brains than meets the eye. A free app for iPhone and Android devices, developed by the Bloomington-based mobile software company WhimMill, provides extensive information about each brain, an interactive map showing the location of each of the twenty-two brains, and a game that allows users to create and share a colorful brain image that evolves as they answer questions at each brain.

The Brain Extravaganza is the brain-child of Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a Bloomington resident and neuroanatomist who suffered a stroke in 1996 and went on to gain widespread notoriety talking about her experience and the process of recovery in a 2008 TED Talk. To further her interest in promoting brain health, Jill—through her non-profit organization, Jill Bolte Taylor BRAINS, Inc.—organized the Brain Extravaganza, a collaborative community art project designed to foster greater interest and awareness of brains.

After seeing the app that WhimMill created for the 2011 Lotus World Music and Arts Festival, Jill and her organization approached WhimMill to inquire about the possibility of creating an original app for the Brain Extravaganza. It was a natural fit with WhimMill’s mission to create innovative location-based applications for mobile devices. The end product, an app entitled “JBT Brains: What Color is Your Brain?” (available for free download in Apple’s App Store and the Android Market), not only provides additional information about each brain, but also offers interactive opportunities for users to compare their brain (i.e., the unique colored image they create by answering a set of brain-related questions at each brain) with local and international celebrities ranging from politicians to scientists. In keeping with the spirit of a healthy brain’s well-connected nature, the app also facilitates communication for and about the Brain Extravaganza through various social media outlets including Twitter and Facebook.

For more information about WhimMill, visit: http://www.whimmill.com

For more information about Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, visit: http://drjilltaylor.com/

For more information about Brain Extravaganza, visit: http://jbtbrains.org

Source: Whimmill