Project creator: Robin Baumgarten

Short description: Baumgarten originally built the wobble garden as an interactive installation based on LED arrays and door springs. Through an Arduino, the LEDs can be programmed in the to react to the vibrations of the door springs in various ways, including game-like controls or abstract patterns. A larger version has become part of a science exhibition about quantum mechanics. The inputs of the visitors are used to simulate and visualize a quantum phenomenon called Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage.

 

An early square grid prototype playing a game

 

The quantum garden installation

Response: I found the hexagonal array of door springs to be a very unique and interesting way of interfacing with humans. I was impressed by the many different ways of using this interface as well as the fluidity of the reactive LEDs,

If I could modify this project, I would try to make it more modular and easily programmable. I would use multiple smaller hexagons that could snap together, and maybe specify a type of notation/language to define the interactivity.