It took me a while to find something that’s actually a simulation.

DigitalDawn, a light reactive window blind inspired by photosynthesis

DigitalDawn is a digital window blind that simulates photosynthesis by reacting to the amount of ambient light there is in a room and growing a viney flower pattern in response. The more light, the faster the digital plant grows and evolves. The brightness of the plant itself is also affected by the amount of light in the room. What interested me about this project was that instead of just being some simulation of some natural process that sits on a computer screen, this simulation is actually out in the world, indirectly interacting with people. The creators of the project said that they were interested in exploring how something like this can have an impact on people’s sense of well-being. In addition, this simulation is also responding to an actual environment, rather than just a few pre-programmed forces in the code.