Keywords
Living Materials
Microalgae Cultivation
Coding
Physical Prototyping
Role
Project Lead
Duration
2 Months
01 /
Haematococcus pluvialis
This freshwater microalga stays green while growing and shifts towards red under stress, making its changing physiological state visible.
Haematococcus pluvialis is a freshwater green microalga known for its strong response to environmental change.
Under favourable conditions, it remains green and grows actively through photosynthesis. When exposed to stress, it alters its metabolism and accumulates protective pigments, creating a visible shift in colour and cellular structure.
This responsiveness makes it a useful living material for studying adaptation, interaction, and care.
Transaction is reversible in response to environmental changes.
Green growth — the cells are green and actively growing
Stress begins — strong light or limited nutrients place the cells under stress
Colour transition — green chlorophyll decreases as orange-red pigments begin to accumulate
Protective transformation — the cells become orange-red, slow their growth, and develop thicker walls
Red resting stage — the cells turn deep red as they accumulate astaxanthin for protection
02 /
Cultivation Research
Comparing BBM medium with distilled water shows how nutrients and environmental conditions affect growth, colour and pigment accumulation.
H. pluvialis was cultivated in BBM medium and distilled water, with changes monitored through spectrophotometry and microscopy.
Cells in BBM remained denser and predominantly green, while those in distilled water showed slower growth and increased orange-red pigmentation.
H. pluvialis in BBM
H. pluvialis in Distilled Water
The results indicate that algal colour reflects environmental conditions: favourable conditions support green vegetative growth, while nutrient limitation and other stresses trigger protective pigment accumulation and a shift toward red.
The experiment examined how environmental conditions influence algal colour and viability. It showed that colour change can act as a visible indicator of stress and care conditions.
This finding guided the design toward a care-based interaction system, translating the algae’s needs into everyday actions involving light, temperature, movement, and maintenance.
03 /
Designing for Care
The project turns environmental requirements into a shared care system linking observation, maintenance and response between people and the living culture.
04 /
Interactive Prototype
An Arduino-based system converts cultivation readings and care activities into visual feedback, reminders and LED guidance.
To make relationships tangible, the project developed an Arduino-based prototype that monitors key cultivation conditions and records routine care activities.
Using a XIAO ESP32-S3 as the controller, sensor inputs are translated into visual feedback, reminders, and LED behaviour, helping users recognise when attention is needed and respond more consistently to the living culture.
The system follows a simple input–processing–output structure to turn environmental readings and recorded care activities into understandable guidance. Sensor inputs are compared with predefined care thresholds, then translated into screen prompts and LED behaviour, allowing users to respond without interpreting raw data.
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5
DAYS
14:00
Day 01
Browse elements to see how it works.
05 /
Try it yourself
Interact with the prototype to see how environmental readings become understandable cues for care.
06 /
