Overview
Plant Intelligence is an interactive installation situated in a public park, designed to offer easily accessible education on scientific subjects. This particular prototype centers around soil microbiology and employs a plant as an interface to engage with park visitors.
The installation leverages voice assistance and mobile augmented reality (AR) technologies to actively involve users in the learning experience. By combining these interactive elements, the installation aims to create an engaging and immersive environment for individuals to explore and study scientific concepts.
User experience
When the user approaches a specific distance from the installation located in the park, the voice assistant initiates a prompt to engage the user in learning new information related to plants and microbiology. The user can respond verbally to express their interest in continuing the interactive process, upon which the voice assistant proceeds to deliver a lecture on microbiology within different soil layers. To enhance the user's understanding, the glass sections of the installation allow visibility into these layers, and corresponding LED strips beneath each layer illuminate, guiding the user through the narrative logically.
Furthermore, at the conclusion of the initial chapter of the interactive process, the voice assistant prompts the user to download a mobile application. This application activates the AR-camera on the user's phone, enabling them to visually explore the world of microbiology recreated on their screen. Within the app, the user gains access to additional features such as "check content," which provides academic references for the covered material, and the ability to discover other intelligent plants marked on the map.
Research and development context
As the product is currently in its conceptual stage, further development of the object would be necessary to bring it to fruition. However, it is worth noting that we have received positive feedback from stakeholders and the general public, indicating a favorable response to the concept.