plants
scroll
Plants Scroll
Lissy & Ellen
- 08.
concept
After receiving feedback during the tutorial, Greg suggested exploring the idea of upgrade or cyber plants. This inspired us to expand our concept.
Attention, Replanted
People often doomscroll for quick dopamine hits, leaving their minds overstimulated yet disconnected. Our device seeks to replace that digital habit by using visuals and sounds to reawaken curiosity and attention through interaction with plants. Rather than cutting users off from the digital world entirely, we retain some of its engaging elements to spark interest and playfulness. Through this experience, we hope to shift the source of satisfaction, from screens to presence, allowing users to rediscover dopamine through real, sensory connection with nature.
Why you should touch your plants
Beyond breaking digital habits, touching your plants encourages a deeper awareness of their presence and needs, which aligns with our research focus on fostering meaningful engagement with houseplants. Just as pet owners can easily recognize the moods and conditions of their cats or dogs, physical interaction helps build a similar sense of mutual awareness between humans and plants. Through this system, touch becomes a form of communication, a way to care, connect, and better understand the living companions that share our spaces.
Concept to System
On the technical side, we are using a touch sensor connected to an Arduino board to collect distance-based electrical data between the plant and the participant. Conductive wiring placed beneath the soil allows the entire plant to act as a sensor. This data is sent to TouchDesigner, where custom patches transform the signals into real-time sound and visual responses. When a specific “miracle number” threshold is reached, the system activates, creating an immediate, responsive interaction between human and plant.
work in progress
In the final phase of the project, we focused heavily on learning and making. I worked on building the system to convert data into TouchDesigner and connect it to the audio, while Lissy created the digital patterns to be displayed on the screen. At the same time, we completed a soldering assessment in preparation for connecting multiple wires to the plants and measured to build a platform to conceal the wiring. What followed was an extensive period of trial and error as we worked to bring our concept to life.
