Overview

An interactive installation based on the experience of blowing up a dandelion. As this is a personal project, the primary objective is to enjoy the process and have fun. Please note that nothing can replicate the experience of interacting with a real dandelion.

Project Type

Individual project

Tools

p5.js, Arduino, Illustrator

Role

Development and Design

Background

How Long has it been since you blew up a dandelion?

If you've ever lived in an area where the dandelion grows, it's likely that you've seen those white/gray puffballs before. As dandelions turn to seed, children everywhere rush to pick them, so that they can close their eyes, make a wish, and blow the seeds into the air. Yes, I was one of them. I haven’t done that in a while and it is not easy to find a blow-able dandelion in New York City during the winter. So I decided to “grow” one to evoke my childhood memories and maybe yours as well.

Design Research

I started my research by creating a mood board to understand how could I rebuild this experience.

How do dandelion petals fly in the air?

Do dandelion petals experience gravity continuously and go straight down? Or maybe the resistance will keep them floating around a little bit longer. It definitely won’t be like a drop of water. I did some research and watched a few videos to learn about how featherlight things fly in the air. It was way more complicated than I thought. There is a related research paper that explains how dandelion seeds fly: Dandelion seeds fly using an ‘impossible’ method never before seen in nature. Without further digging more about fluid dynamics knowledge, I decided to make seeds float through the air (maybe go up a little) before they hit the ground. When someone blows the dandelion, it will start its journey, and eventually disappear from the canvas.

Simplified Movement Sequences

The dandelion’s movement is triggered by human breath
The bigger the volume of the breath, the more petals release
Released petals float and go up in the air

Ideation and Prototyping

I took my first step to prototyping by visualizing my idea on paper.

Prototypes

Here is my first prototype. It only has one layer of petals. I moved on to building more layers after testing the functionality.

Prototype 1.0

Prototype 2.0

This is a better version. I can use the keyboard to release different layers.

02 Press key "w" to release the outer layer

01 Press key "q" to release the outer layer

03 Press key "e" to release the outer layer

Testing and Final Design

How can we control the dandelion using breath? After experimenting with various sensors like the flex sensor, temperature sensor, and microphone to detect breath and its volume, it was unexpectedly discovered that the most efficient and straightforward solution was to use a microphone. Sometimes, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication!

The dandelion comprises three layers of seeds, each responsive to different levels of input sounds. The outer layer is the most delicate, easily falling off. The inner layer requires the most force (highest volume) to detach from the stem when there is no external wind; the dandelion gently sways in response to a breeze.