Valentine’s Day: NYC Gets Heart That Measures Love’s Pulse

Reported by Candace Smith and Aaaron  Katersky

About the only thing that New York’s bustling, busy Times Square seemed to lack was a heart.

But now, right in time for Valentine’s Day, this throbbing heart of the city finally got one, and it’s been receiving a lot of love.

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky caught up with some bystanders who could not  resist the rhythm of the heart’s beat.

“The more we see it, the happier we are,” said Sherri Winick of New York.

“The 10-foot high heart is made up of 400 transparent LED tubes that form an acrylic pipe around the suspended structure built to mimic the pulse of love.

If one person touches it, the heart flickers. If more and more people touch it, the harder it beats, emanating a vibrant magenta glow that seems to reflect the strength of the people’s passion.

As the members of one family gathered around the heart, they  found the effect palpable. “We’re definitely feeling the love,” they said.

A  New York  teenager, Yasmeen, seemed amazed that the sculpture could reflect her emotions.

“The heart that’s in my body is in those bars?” she asked.

The heart, in its fourth year,  is part of an annual project sponsored by the Times Square Alliance. The architectural firm Big designed the heart and said it reflected what Times Square was most famous for:  people and light.

The heart sculpture remains on display throughout the month of February, lighting up for love.