The Fairy Flowers are composed of a cord of LEDS connected to a Raspberry Pi, which in turn is linked to an Ethernet hub. The LEDs are inserted into a wooden or plastic substrate to create the appropriate aesthetic effect. In the example shown, the LEDs are organized as two daisies. Visual patterns and animation can be created freely by setting the color and illumination of each LED (see the video example).
The Fairy Flowers can be controlled via an html user interface, and via a JSON-based REST API.
The Fairy Flowers are used in the AppsGate project as a persuasive device to mirror the energy consumption in homes, or any phenomenon such as temperature, weather forecast, or events such as opening a fridge door. AppsGate provides an End-User Programming tool that allows people to define their own use and meanings of the Fairy Flowers. In the video example, the daisies are animated to attract attention when consumption increases, and are switched off progressively until the budget set up by the end-user is consumed.
