Sound|Garden

Introduction

Wind chimes create an ambient soundscape that exists on the periphery of one’s awareness. They are installed outside homes to enhance the sensual experience of interacting with the natural world. My goal is to add an ambient information “display” to this experience so it is informative as well as enjoyable. I am “enchanting” these wind chimes with the ability to sense properties of their environment so they can then process data and communicate useful information back to an observer, such as the presence of moisture in the soil or the frequency of rain showers.

Once slaked, the sonorous tinkle of chimes returns and saturates the air just as desert rain refreshes the parched earth.

The technology that enables this “enchantment”:

1. Sparkfun soil moisture sensor
   
2. Arduino micro-processor
   
3. Arduino development environment
   
4. Two small servo motors
   
5. Laser cutter to produce mounts for chimes + servo
   

How it works

Moisture is measured as variable voltage current between the two prongs of the moisture sensor and the data is then sent to one of the Arduino’s analog input pins. The onboard processor analyzes the reading before sending digital signals to the servo, which is connected mechanically to the wind chimes.

The wind chimes themselves are stacked into two levels — at the top are the resonating, un-dampened “wet” chimes, and at the bottom are the dampened “dry” chimes. The servo is attached to an arm that raises and lowers the wooden knocker to activate the wet or dry chimes.

Currently, this is a binary system that “listens” for the moisture level in the soil to reach a predetermined threshold and switches chimes when that threshold is crossed. In an expanded version of this project, there might be many chimes of different timbres and each one would be controlled by an individual plant in the garden. Because plants drink at different rates, every time an observer walks through their garden they will be presented with a unique “symphony of chiming.” Furthermore, as one becomes accustomed to the unique sonic signatures of each plant, they can know simply by listening to the aggregate, which plants need water. In this way, the server can “tune” their garden to keep it in harmony.

Ambient communication

Imagine you walk outside and instead of hearing the familiar sonorous peals you’re accustomed to, your environment is filled with the percussive sound of muted tubes… These “dry chimes” are designed to be noticeably different from the “wet chimes” yet not unpleasantly strident — my goal is to inform, not to startle — and this is your cue that your garden is thirsty. Once slaked, the sonorous tinkle of chimes returns and saturates the air just as desert rain refreshes the parched earth.