Volant

Project
Volant

Main role
Structure Design and Idea Development 

Materials

Acrylic, Washi Paper, Arduino gears, 3D Printed PLA 

Process

3D Modeling and Printing, Laser cutting, Arduino Coding

Team and Credit
Calvin Calica: Mechanism Design and Paper Structure Development

Muchen (Jude) Zhang: Coding and Machine Learning

Advisor Dr. Rebecca Stewart, Charlotte Slingsby, Andy Brand & Peter Childs GTA Chanwoo Lee & Tanguy MSc 

Innovation Design Engineering Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London

This module was funded by Design Education Trust

Recent research has shown that certain plants exhibit a form of sensory perception. For example, fungi and mushrooms have been observed to respond to their surroundings, with many researchers suggesting that these responses reflect a form of 'plant-animal interaction,' subtly bridging the behaviors of plants and animals.

Similarly, marine organisms like corals have this mechanism as a form to fortify itself from harm from others, no matter the threat.

Inspired by these findings and the biological defense movements of deep-sea organisms like corals and seagrasses, we aim to synthesize these natural patterns into a new, unified expression of life. By animating the defenses, we imbue these organisms with a sense of percipience, inviting audiences into an immersive encounter. This interaction allows viewers to engage directly with these marine-inspired, feeling their vibrancy, protected nature, and experiencing a profound connection to the essence of life itself.

As philosopher and naturalist John Muir once said, 'When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.' Through this project, we seek to showcase the interconnectedness of all living things, inviting people to reflect on the subtleties of life's movements and the often unseen interactions that weave together our natural world, both good and bad.