Dyah Setyaningsih

Respiring Reflections

This project is called "Respiring Reflections", a bubble machine which is connected with Pothos plants in an enclosed environment. Read below to follow the process and story behind the making of this project.

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First Experiments

In the beginning of our semester, we were given some seeds to be grown at home. This was our first experiments for this class. I was growing Chia seeds (and also apple seeds that didn't really grow into anything) on a piece of cotton and inside a plastic bag. I have not done this since school time, so it was interesting and fun. During our first experiments in growing seeds, we documented our plants' progress. I documented it in form of pictures and diary entries.

//TODO: add pics + examples of diary entries

Motivation

After attending a few sessions of this class, I started brainstorming what could my topic of interest be. Honestly it was a bit confusing and challenging to try combining/connecting plants and electronics somehow. Before this bubble machine idea came up, I had some more ideas and sketched them in my notebook. In the end, I was interested in the respiration process of my plants and decided to make a bubble machine which can visualize the respiration process/cycle of my plants. I think bubbles are fun and matches the concept of respiration, since they are somewhat transparent/translucent, and we cannot really observe the plants' respiration. With the bubbles, I was trying to simulate or reflect the respiration, hence the project name "Respiring Reflections".

//TODO: add initial sketches

Before the bubble machine idea, I already decided to grow Pothos plants from cuttlings and documented their growth. During the process, that was where I started to think: "Are my plants breathing? They seem fine, their leaves are green... but are they really okay?" The idea was that the soap bubbles quantity would be according to the CO₂ level of the plants' enclosed environment, divided into three categories: Low, Medium and High CO2 level. When the CO2 level in the plants' environment rises, then there will be more soap bubbles. In order to do so, I watched videos and read blogs/forums related to the DIY bubble maker machine, until I had a plan on the materials needed and how to make it.

You can find my initial project mood board here: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVLBm7F8w=/?share_link_id=117991010729

Materials

ESP32
CO₂ sensor MH-Z19C
Stepper motor 28BYJ-48
Stepper motor driver module ULN2003
PWM fan AMD Ryzen 7 1700
10kΩ resistor
Power supply 12 volts
Buck converter 12 volts to 5 volts
Acrylic sheets
Bubble sticks
Soap bubble liquid
Lots of cables...

Respiring Reflections - First Prototype

Respiring Reflections - Final Prototype (Winterwerkschau)

final prototype

Wiring Diagram

wiring diagram

Code

After some learning, it was decided that to make more soap bubbles, the stepper motor needs to rotate faster.

Self-reflection

self-reflection

Future Work

future work

Gallery

The Plant Plant Gallery (Nextcloud Bauhaus Uni), Password: theplantplant (CO₂ sensor first trial pictures are inside)

References