Algaphon Macroalgae Aquarium by Harpreet Sareen |
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| DESIGN NAME: Algaphon PRIMARY FUNCTION: Macroalgae Aquarium INSPIRATION: Algaphon was inspired by algae sounds recorded underwater in the bay and river waters at the East Coast (East River / Hudson River) and West Coast (San Francisco Piers, Sausalito, Point Reyes) areas in the US. These macroalgae traditionally form and release oxygen near their macroalgal filaments. When this oxygen is released, the relaxation of the bubble to a spherical shape creates a sound source that rings at the Minnaert frequency. The project demonstrates that underwater cackling sounds are not just from shrimp but also from macroalgae during daytime. UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Algaphon is a macroalgae aquarium that makes algae photosynthesis bubbles audible to the audience. This enables a new interaction between visitors and these species than a regular passive viewing experience. While previously understood of be of little significance, we demonstrate that algae bubbles produce sound at a resonant frequency. This can enable acoustic monitoring of underwater environments. OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: The aquarium converts the presence of audience and people to light variation scenes, that are played over the aquarium. As a result of photosynthetic radiation variations over the aquarium, bubble variations occur at the filaments of algae species, simulating their behavior at various hours of the days. The algae audio bubbling response, recorded via hydrophones, is live streamed on our website for a deeper understanding of algae physiology. Algaphon brings the orgnanism functional understanding to the threshold of human sensing. PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project started in July 2021 in Berkley and finished in November 2021 when showcased in New York, Tokyo and Linz. FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Idea and Conceptual Design |
PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: Our setup comprises of an aquarium, programmable LED lighting mounted at a distance of 10inch from the water surface and macroalgae species in the water. Sea Lettuce and Red Ogo are used in this aquarium. Normal maintenance routine is carried out for the algae such as keeping steady water flow using wavemaker, maintaining 76F temperature and dosing micronutrients. Standard 12hour lighting routine is followed for growth of algae species in the aquarium. SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: The aquarium tank is 64cm x 36cm x 36cm, equipped with a custom fabricated remote controlled LED mounted over the aquarium at a distance of 26cm. The lights dimming and brightness is controlled through embedded electronics relayed through an Arduino microcontroller. TAGS: aquarium, macroalgae, hydrophone, interactive, sea lettuce, RESEARCH ABSTRACT: Our project demonstrates live acoustic sounds of oxygen bubbles produced by macroalgae. Sea Lettuce traditionally form and release oxygen near their filaments. When this oxygen is released, the relaxation of the bubble to a spherical shape creates a sound source that rings at the Minnaert frequency. We use special hydrophones to make these sounds audible to the public as a result of their interaction with aquarium based algae, through an online interface. Cackling sounds were previously understood to be from shrimp only. Through this aquarium, we demonstrate that even macroalgae bubbles contribute to the ocean soundscape varying at different times of the day. CHALLENGE: Ocean soundscapes are composed of sounds from algae, shrimp and several other species. When a habitat is transformed by human endeavor in some manner, it shows in its voice over time. Our creative motivation was to create a system that communicates such ambient biological sounds about hidden/submerged information in our ecosystems. The challenge was to prototype a sound system that could enable passive acoustic ecosystem evaluation. Algaphon demonstrates that through hydrophone-based monitoring ADDED DATE: 2022-02-27 04:24:28 TEAM MEMBERS (3) : Harpreet Sareen, Franziska Mack and Yasuaki Kakehi IMAGE CREDITS: Image Credits: Image #1: Harpreet Sareen Optional Image #2: Harpreet Sareen Optional Image #3: Harpreet Sareen Optional Image #4: Harpreet Sareen Optional Image #5: Harpreet Sareen Video Credits: Harpreet Sareen, Creative Direction Franziska Mack, Videography Yasuaki Kakehi, Video Content PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS: Copyrights belong to Harpreet Sareen, 2021. |
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| Visit the following page to learn more: http://bit.ly/algaphon | |||||
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NAME: Synthetic Ecosystems, Parsons School of Design PROFILE: Synthetic Ecosystems is a research center within Parsons School of Design that focusses on research situated at the intersection of Material Science, Biology and Electronics and draws on the complementary abilities of the biological and artificial worlds. The group has coined the term Convergent Design and creates cutting edge bionic materials and hybrid substrates that lend themselves for future ecological machinery, sensing systems and interaction design. |
| AWARD DETAILS | |
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Algaphon MacRoalgae Aquarium by Harpreet Sareen is Runner-up for A' Design Award in Idea and Conceptual Design Category, 2021 - 2022.· Press Members: Login or Register to request an exclusive interview with Harpreet Sareen. · Click here to register inorder to view the profile and other works by Harpreet Sareen. |
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