As a senior thesis researcher at the Self-Organizing Swarms & Robotics Lab (SSR Lab), I designed, fabricated, and programmed novel human-swarm interactions in application to a self-adaptive, robotic architectural display. I focused on creating the end-to-end swarm software architecture (localization, communication, state resolution, etc.) and investigated creative applications for architectural swarms in art-making / dance. I also worked on more intuitive transient / ambient experiences designed to evoke a sense of calm and emotional well-being. The Swarm Garden has been publicly exhibited at Princeton’s Lewis Center for the Arts on April 9, 2024 and DARS 2024 @ Cornell Tech on October 28-29, 2024.

The Swarm Garden demonstrates an experimental, nature-inspired interactive architecture exhibit where 36 robotic flower modules bloom in response to human presence and can exhibit complex long-range and real-time responses through self-organization. Each module exploits the bi-stability of confinement – or the ability for a flexible sheet to buckle into flower-like patterns when pulled through a ring. Through direct interaction with the modules’ proximity sensors and a wearable device for capturing dance gestures and movement, visitors are empowered to discover emergent behaviors in the swarm through various modalities.

Made in collaboration with Yenet Tafesse, Merihan Alhafnawi, Radhika Nagpal, Lucia Stein-Montalvo, Vicky Chow, Sigrid Adriaenssens, and Azi Jones. Photography by Lori Nichols.