Inside Our Computers
Project Type: Data Physicalization and Electronics Sculpture
Team
- Matthew Blanco
8.5in x 28inin x 12in
Wood, Acrylic, Copper Wire, Galaxay A7 Tablet
The piece aims to explore and reveal the effort it takes to power the devices we use everyday while juxtaposing the complexity, and simplicity of computers. When rotating a hand-crank connected to the device, viewers can witness a live visualization of the energy they are generating in that moment and watch the battery attempt to charge.
Computers are complex pieces of technology and innovation and they've come to take many different forms. Often, computers can be viewed as a "window". Their use is dictated based on what apps or websites we have open and their form has been compressed to be as flat as possible.
Inside Our Computers attempts to expand and reveal the components within our device. When opening the Galaxy Tablet, it's electronics only take up a small amount of space with the battery definings the object's form. Its complex electronics are paired with DIY electronics of a bridge rectifier and analog voltage meter. The copper traces are crude and imperfect compared to the microscopic precision we're used to seeing in electronic imagery.
The deconstructed computer is attached to a simple hand-crank kinetic generator. As viewers rotate the crank, the generated electricity flows through the DIY circuit and into the tablet. Once enough current has been drawn from the tablet, at a consistent rate, the screen of the computer changes and displays a live visualization of the energy the viewer has generated.
The best way to understand the scale of energy is for someone to generate it themselves. The live visualization compares how much energy the viewer has created compared to how much the tablet is using and the current battery levels.
Process
