Insula Meeting Timer

The insula is a cerebral lobe that, to put it simply, is responsible for the perception of time in the brain. As part of a research and development project in cooperation with the Red Bull Innovation Office, the thesis was put forward that the ideal length of a meeting can be derived from the subjective perception of time.

The aim was to make meetings, which are usually scheduled for 60 minutes, shorter and more effective. In this way, a break can be taken to be fit again before the next meeting.

To evaluate the concept, ABIOS built a smartphone app that records the subjective time perception of the meeting participants. Everyone is individually instructed to press a button every second. Based on the average value, the "optimal" meeting duration is then calculated, which can then be started with an integrated timer.

Spektrum: How does our sense of time come about? (2014)