Eco-Sensing
Eco-system, Eco-cycle(ecological and economical) in using non-human agents for sensing, in a Posthuman context
ABSTRACT
Introduction
This project proposes that human is having a co-exist relationship with other non-human livings. Human activities are involving non-human livings without exceptional. However, with the emerging technologies, the relationship among the technologies, the culture, and the nature should be in a shred eco-cycle. While human’s research and development rely on technologies, the nature and non-human beings should not be left behind. This project uses natural sensing as a starting point, discussing that the non-human agents that are encountered as sensor mediums in human and technologies practice, are not being credited. In other words, human extracts data and information from non-human agents for private digital area without the existence of the data provider either do rewards. This proposal rises the possibility to reveal the economy relationship between human and non-human agents, using blockchain and market as references. To propose an eco-cycle – ecology and economy relationship cycle among human, nature, and technologies.
Concept
The concept of eco-cycle is to create a credit-able sensing cycle, includes human, non-human agents, and the technologies as participants. Human use technologies to run algorithm-based rules, each of the participants who contributed to the data collecting will gain rewards such as light source, nutrition, and resources based on their biological characteristics for them to grow and multiply. As such, the non-human agents with intelligence will live and growth to suit with the algorithm and help to recover the environment from deconstruction with natural elements.
The installation in this project is an example of the eco-cycle. The installation is set in an closed room without air flow, building as a connection among digital sensors, plant, and phytoplankton.
Nannochloropsis is used as a kind of phytoplankton, as its sensitivity to the light source, and as a type of algae, it produce O2 through the photosynthesis process. The multiplication of the nannochloropsis can be easily observed on the density of the green micro-organics floating in the liquid. Nannochloropsis can be used as a stable source of oxygen while it’s sensitive to the quality of the water it lives in, it can act as a bio-sensor to detect its living environment. To test the living condition of the nannochloropsis, two groups of culture liquid are set to compare the multiply process under different lighting timing, nutrition level, and temperature conditions.
The installation includes: a CO2 sensor monitoring the CO2 density, temperature, and humidity in the room; an ECG sensor detects the biological electrical signal inside the plant; three individual LED lights, and an air pump.
The CO2 sensor sends paremeters to Touchdesigner which monitoring and recording data information, and transform it to real-time graphs. Once the CO2 density in the room exceeds the threshold of 700ppm, programmed arduino board will enable air pump to pump air into nannochloropsis culture jars, uv lights underneeth each jar will be turned on, to accelerate oxygen production and multiply process to be sent into the root of monstera adasonii. The plant will produce oxygen through photothesis process that comsumes CO2 in the room. After the CO2 desity lowing down, the air pump will be turned off, LED lights be switched into red light, reward the phytoplankton for their producing of oxygens. According to the research, the red light can regulate plant morphogenesis to cature more light energy and photosythetic characteristics. In other words, it regulates plant nutrition, increases light capture capacity and reshape plant’s structure. The phytoplankton and the plant will have photosythesis process when the red lights on.
The installation follows each natural non-human agents’ biological characteristics, monitoring the environments and collecting related data from the agents. Various data information has been put into the algorithm-based rule to decrease environment pollution by reducing CO2 density. Non-human agents are working as data provider as well as environment changer. Each participant in the installation has been connected by biological economic relationships, for the reason that each participant will be rewarded by the contribution to the system, while the system is benefit from the cooperation of each participant. All the elements including non-human agents, sensors, computational algorithm, and the envrionment, are co-existing in the sam ecological economy cycle, regardless hierachy of species, so that every element is benefit by their own biological chracteristics. The cultural, technological, and even political relationships among human, nature and technologies can be reshaped.