Ephemerā
Three interactive kinetic furniture pieces staging a dialogue between humans and nature — shown at Design Miami 2014.
Ephemerā is a trio of interactive kinetic furniture pieces — a large oak table and two mirrors — designed to stage a dialogue between humans and nature. From a distance, floral decorations appear animate: plants and insects move in a gentle, self-directed choreography. But as visitors approach, the plants and insects vanish.
DKIA handled electronics design and programming to mischer'traxler's specifications, including developing quiet mechanisms for the sheet-metal plants. The oak table runs on an Arduino Uno, controlling 37 motor controllers and 14 ultrasonic sensors for proximity detection. The mirrors combine projected plants on large screens with extending sheet-metal elements, driven by Raspberry Pis. Mechanics by mischer'traxler and Martin Robitsch.