This light installation is a stunning new way to look at data.
Project Edison, which was designed by a group of engineers from the IDEO Digital Shop, features a set of 100 light bulbs that can light up or move up and down according to any data stream you choose. The interactive chandelier was recently installed in the lobby at the Epiphany, a new Joie de Vivre hotel in Palo Alto.
The light bulbs can be programmed to reflect any set of information, including the weather in Palo Alto or mentions of the hotel on Facebook and Twitter.
Each of the 100 bulbs can move down from the ceiling and light up independently. It can also be programmed to mimic the physical movements of the hotel's guests, lighting up when the bar and restaurant filled with people, for instance. The constantly changing nature of this high-tech installation is meant to be a reflection of Silicon Valley as a whole.
"We didn't want to create something that would be static," IDEO design lead Brad Simpson said to Wired. "In three years, regardless of whatever's happening in the world from a data standpoint or a technology standpoint, this is something that hopefully can evolve and grow with that."
Watch the video below to learn more about the IDEO engineers' design process.