An iPhone or iPad controlled flora terrarium by Samuel Wilkinson promotes 'digital downtime', finding an alternative use for smartphones by encouraging users to consider a slower life.
A terrarium of flora"works a little like a live tamagotchi" Biome climate, level of water and nutrients are controlled by means of a smartphone or iPad.
Wilkinson said, ' The idea promotes 'digital downtime' by finding an alternative use for smartphones and encourage owners to consider a slower life. Control and care for a mini real ecosystem takes patience and care, contrasting with the immediacy of messaging or tweeting that is so characteristic of the generation of smartphone.'
The smart garden has illumination of low power consumption which can replicate the sunlight and contains sensors which return to the device when connected. Biome is designed to incorporate different types of environment; tropical, desert, including herb garden and can be 'easily controlled by even the least green fingered of users.' Biome was developed for an exhibition titled Slow Tech - Designs for Digital Downtime at trend agency Protein's exhibition space last month. The exhibition was curated by Henrietta Thompson, editor-at-large at Wallpaper. Visit + samuelwilkinson.com for more information.
