Inspired by the mesmerizing motion of grass in the wind as well as the issue of light pollution, Bloomlight will be a series of lanterns that respond to the passersbys like an organic creature. The dark lanterns curiously bend toward approaching visitors and unfurl a bloom of soft light. As visitors walk away, Bloomlight returns to its original position and goes dark once more.
Bloomlight, which is activated by nearby movement, works through a series of both low- and high-tech components. The light’s base—or stem—is made out of a very tall, bendable central tube. Six steel wires that run over the 14-foot-tall light are connected to stepper motors, which then pull the wires and cause the structure to bend.
But the lamp doesn’t just bend. It also blooms. The lamp head, made out of painted wooden slats connected by fabric, are connected to the motor, too. When it’s activated, a 3D-printed mechanism in the lamp begins to turn and pushes the slats open.
This is all triggered when a LiDAR sensor—a kind of laser technology also used by self-driving cars—detects people walking by. That triggers the motor, which causes the lamp to bend toward the person and the lamp shade to open up and “bloom.”
