Albin Karlsson
design, construction, electronics

Alex Olwal
concept, software, electronics

Quicktime video [ 320x240, 50 MB ]
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Carassius Auratus Pop (CAP) is an aquarium, an interactive art installation and an ambient information display. The fish generate abstract forms on the surface below the tank. The slow, organic and weightless motion is reflected in a dynamic pattern that is intimately coupled with movement and information flow.

In addition to the aesthetic rendering, CAP also acts as an ambient display and information panel. CAP can be set up to monitor information on the Internet, such as e-mail. As new messages arrive, they gently fade in on the display surface, stay visible for a period of time, and then fade out. A person can browse the stored messages at any time by touching areas under CAP's front panel that act as directional buttons. This functionality allows CAP to function as a conceptual communications channel with the aquarium, as well as with onlooking people.

As an ambient display, subtle variations in the abstract visualization provide information at a glance, which could include outdoor temperature, network traffic or stock prices. CAP might also be used to store personal messages, such as reminders and notes, in a display system where accessibility and aesthetics have equal priority.

CAP uses LDR resistors illuminated by ultrabright directional LEDs to track the fish – a microcontroller monitors the LDRs, detecting fish movement by measuring the amount of light that strikes each LDR. A PC is connected to the microcontroller over USB and runs customized software (C++/OpenGL) that generates the appropriate visualizations, which are displayed on a miniature projector.