Botanicus Interacticus: Interactive Plant Technology
Botanicus Interacticus is a technology for designing highly expressive interactive plants, both living and artificial. The technology is driven by the rapid fusion of our computing and living spaces. Botanicus Interacticus an interaction platform that takes interaction from computing devices and places it anywhere in the physical environment. In particular we are targeting living plants.
Botanicus Interacticus has a number of unique properties. This instrumentation of plants is simple, non-invasive, and does not damage the plants. It requires only a single wire placed anywhere in the soil. The interaction with plants goes beyond simple touch and allows rich gestural interaction. Examples include: sliding fingers on the stem of the orchid, detecting touch and grasp location, tracking proximity, and estimating the amount of touch contact between user and a plant.
Botanicus Interacticus also deconstructs the electrical properties of plants and replicates them using electrical components. This allows the design of a broad variety of biologically inspired artificial plants that behave nearly the same as their biological counterparts. The same sensing technology is used with both living and artificial plants. A broad range of applications are possible with Botanicus Interacticus technology: designing interactive responsive environments and new forms of living interaction devices as well as developing organic ambient and pervasive interfaces.
The Botanicus Interacticus interactive living plant exhibition at SIGGRAPH 2012 seamlessly merging computer generated images and sounds with living plants. The visitors communicate with living and artificial plants by reaching to and touching them and observing the plants “reply” in the form of rich computer-generated imagery and sound.
Poupyrev, I., Schoessler, O., Loh, J., Sato, M. “Botanicus Interacticus: Interactive Plant Technology” SIGGRAPH 2012 Emerging Technology Exhibition [Link, PDF of Etech Abstract].
Category: Computer Science, SIGGRAPH, Video
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
