Charlie was produced during a 4-day school workshop. The main constraints of this project were: creating a connected object with a sensitive value, using Arduino and paper folding. We chose to evolve in the domain of virtual identity, making nature living on the web.

Charlie is a device guiding plants during growth. Thanks to several sensors present in its structure, the plant expresses its needs through Twitter APIs. With a rangefinder, the plant can tweet its height; with the humidity sensor, it expresses its thirst; with a camera, the plant can post selfies on Twitter.

Charlie has one main purpose: remembering its owners to take care of the plant. This is particularly useful in offices, because no one knows when the plant was previously watered. The second function is more about testing digital limits: by being active on social networks, the plant creates its own identify. Then, can we say it is real? What are the limits? We can observe an impact on the community: the plant is not only the office’s plant, but becomes part of the community.

For now, Charlie only speaks French, but would be glad to meet you on Twitter.

Charlie was a group project with Neha Hassanbay & Clara Tersen. My role was to create a graphic universe for Charlie, to design its logo and imagine the organisation between its structure and the sensors. Thank you for your interest in our work. Do not hesitate to share your thoughts or advice regarding this project.