(SCOPE)
Biomimetic/Generative Design
Computational Design
An interactive talking plant. Nate reads the bioelectric signals of a living aloe and uses AI to translate them into short, humorous statements in the style of comedian Nate Bargatze.
(CHALLENGE)
Plants produce a constant stream of electrical activity that people have no way to perceive. The goal was to capture that signal reliably and make it legible, even relatable, to anyone walking by. Testing electrode materials and placements showed that copper and zinc electrodes on an aloe leaf gave the strongest readings. An amplifier boosted the signal so an Arduino could read it, and Python processed the data from there.
(OUTCOME)
I mapped the plant's bioelectric range into nine percentile bands, each assigned an anthropomorphic "mood." Every 15 seconds, the system averaged the previous 15 seconds of readings to smooth out noise, sent the resulting mood to an AI model, and displayed a new statement next to the live millivolt reading. The installation ran autonomously for two days at a design show.
