This Desktop Device Displays Text and Pictograms as Air Bubbles

We may live in the information age, but we aren't robots that consume pure data. As humans, we care about the manner in which we receive information. If you need proof, look at how some iPhone users react to green bubbles in their Messages app. But even knowing that, it is difficult to conceive of novel methods for displaying information. Which is exactly why we're so impressed with Corebb's air bubble display.

bbAir is a small desktop device that is able to display simple graphics, like alphanumeric characters and emojis, as air bubbles. Those air bubbles start at the base of the device and then float to the top, like the pixels on a scrolling LED matrix display turned on its side. It has 19 columns and that limits the "resolution" in the X axis. The Y axis resolution isn't so easy to calculate, because it is a factor of the bubble size and how quickly the device can make bubbles. If the bubbles are too close together, they'll join together and will fail to act as distinct "pixels."

In order to form a word or image, the device must emit bubbles in the proper sequence with the proper timing. An Espressif ESP32 microcontroller handles that based on commands received from a connected computer. That ESP32 mounts onto a custom PCB with an array of transistors that control power to many solenoid valves — one for each column of the display. An air pump pushes air to all of the valves simultaneously. The PCB also contains RGB LEDs to illuminate the display, enhancing the effect.

That custom PCB, the solenoid valves, and the pneumatic lines all reside within the 3D-printed base of the device. To make this as compact as possible, the pneumatic lines were also 3D-printed.

Corebb had to do a lot of experimentation to get bbAir working reliably, but the result is fantastic. It still isn't perfect, as some bubbles tend to rise faster than others due to the difficulty of releasing a very precise amount of air, but it performs well enough to display simple messages and graphics in a pleasing way.