Dhruv Kumar's ESP32-Powered Livegrid Turns Environmental Readings Into an Animated Aquatic Ecosystem
Look after the conditions of your house, or your virtual fish will suffer the consequences.
Former architect turned digital artist Dhruv Kumar wants to put a novel twist on an Internet of Things (IoT) dashboard — turning an LED matrix into a virtual fish pond which reacts to real-world environmental conditions.
"Livegrid [is] a harmonious blend of technology and art that brings environmental awareness right into your living space," Kumar says of his creation. "Rather than overwhelming you with numbers or requiring you to constantly check an app, Livegrid uses integrated sensors to gauge the temperature, humidity, and CO₂ levels of your surroundings. But what sets it apart is its unique representation — an immersive aquatic ecosystem."
That "ecosystem" is a virtual fish pond, complete with animated fish, turtles, and other aquatic organisms. While the display's running, the creatures and plants go about their virtual lives — but if environmental conditions in the real world degrade, so too will the virtual aquarium suffer.
Each metric has a different effect for at-a-glance reading: high and low temperatures will color the water blue and red respectively; low and high humidity causes the plants to die and over-grow respectively; and high levels of carbon dioxide cause the fish to shiver, become sluggish, and eventually begin to die off.
The hardware is based on a pair of HUB75 LED matrices with providing 64×64 RGB LEDs. An Espressif ESP32-WROOM-32D drives the simulation and communicates with a Bosch Sensortec SCD40 temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide sensor, as well as a light sensor for automatic brightness control, a rotation sensor, and three touch-sensitive buttons for basic user interaction.
A "devmode" in the firmware unlocks a built-in web app and allows for raw data display or customization. There's support for lighting control via Art-Net and sACN, and the device can be linked to Home Assistant and other home automation systems through MQTT.
The Livegrid is now funding on Kickstarter, with hardware starting at £245 for "super early bird" backers — a claimed 30 percent discount on the device's planned selling price. Hardware will begin shipping in June 2024, Kumar has claimed, at which point the controller board will be released under an unspecified open-source license.
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