(Tech Rider) Microbial Feral Computing with A Compost Computer

Below is a tech rider of the project Microbial Feral Computing with A Compost Computer (LINK to the project)

— Tech rider —

The work is a physical installation that presents a web animation that runs with the synthetic data generated by a compost-powered microcontroller, Xiao ESP32. The audience can view the animation on a screen installed as part of the installation.

The installation consists of:

-A stack of microbial fuel cells (MFCs)
-Physical computing kits for power management
-A Compost-powered computer (Xiao ESP32)
-A screen (a Raspberry Pi screen, an old phone or a tablet)
-A server computer (likely a Raspberry Pi)
-(Optional) A QR code (printed)

How the artwork operates

The web animation runs when the lithium-ion capacitor of the system is charged enough from the MFCs; the capacitors will be pre-charged so that they will last for the duration of a typical temporary event: 3-5 hours.

The capacitor powers the Xiao ESP32 to generate synthetic data (the power fluctuation of the compost bio-batteries). The drawing animation will be made as the Compost computer uploads the generated synthetic data to the server computer as a JSON file. The HTML of the web animation itself is hosted on the server. The viewer will be invited to view the work on a screen installed (either a Raspberry Pi screen or a phone screen). Optionally, the viewers will be able to scan the QR code to view the work on their phone.

Every now and again, the Compost batteries' power fluctuates. When this happens, the composition of the animation becomes disrupted and drastically changes. For a future updated version, the style of the drawing will change significantly. With the current work-in-progress version, the drawing indicates the "spike" of the energy drop, with a steep curve.

Flexibility of the setup

The installation can be modified as it suits the exhibition space and contexts. The following are possible updates/adjustments for the installation:

- The MFC stack can be rearranged to adapt the exhibition space.
- The physical computing part can be encased in a 3D printed container

Workshop setup

There is a possibility of running a drop-in workshop with the installation at an event.

This could be exploring what we can do with compost-powered small computers. For instance, uploading a photograph taken by a participant via the compost-powered computer to make a constantly changing collage (image-composting) with their photographs.