A Fountain of Art & Science!

Aquarius is a fountain lamp that manipulates water in visually impossible ways.

Users can become mesmerized watching a stream of water bend, change colors, freeze in place, rise upwards, split off into multiple streams, and even display effects such as volcanic lightning or the Northern Lights!

Gravity defying streams of water

Because of its slim profile, Aquarius can fit within a variety of indoor environments and capture audiences with its magical displays of water manipulation.

A slim profile to fit almost everywhere

Aquarius can also be placed into a water-less standby mode where it can function as an ambient mood/accent/night light.

Aquarius can function as an ambient/mood light

...or even a night light

Accent lighting our work area

Accent lighting a bedrest

The first in a series of 12, Aquarius was designed for all those who appreciate the union of art & science.

The Press Kit link contains videos (with and without markup text), images in various sizes, and GIFs for all interested media write-ups.

The Science Behind It All

Aquarius is built with 60 individually addressable LED lights. By varying a portion (or all) of these LEDs at a frequency range of 75-100 Hz against a synchronized and vibrating stream of water, we can create "snapshots" or "frames" of the water at various places in time. A set of these "frames" can form an illusion of an animation. The animated water appears to bend, freeze, slow down, rise upwards, or even split into multiple streams. By applying different LED colors, Aquarius can create even more mesmerizing displays such as gradient layering, multi colored streams, and more.

The transparent property of water allows for maximum light dispersion in outlining the stream at exact moments in time. And because it's simply water, users can touch it without affecting the visual effects (it will splash if you touch it though!).

The scientific term for this seemingly impossible visual display is Persistence of Vision. There are many resources available online where you can learn more about this, here are a few:

Close-up snapshot of the Spectrum Pattern showing the individual streams in clarity

Close-up video of the Tropic Pattern displaying 7 individually colored streams

Note: You may have noticed that there were lines in the promotional video and the GIFs here running up and down. Those are simply camera artifacts caused by a combination of shutter speed, frame rate capture, and variable LED strobing frequencies. You won't see those in real life!

Design Process

The shape of Aquarius is symbolically tied with its corresponding Zodiac Symbol, sign of the Water-Bearer.

In keeping with its motif, the Aquarius fountain was designed to resemble 2 different symbols: the water vase, and a water teardrop.

Side view showing the slim profile of the upper frame, also shown is the Charcoal gray stain option for comparison against the Walnut

Both the fountain frame and base are built with high quality Baltic Birch plywood sourced from a Canadian distributor.

Baltic Birch plywood layering close-up

There are also 4 wood dye color options available as an add-on (finished with a water-resistant gloss seal):

Wood dye options from left to right: Walnut Brown, Charcoal Black, Royal Blue, and Emerald Green

Aquarius can cycle through 11 different patterns by default. This is all controlled by the aluminum dial at the front of the frame.

Aluminum knob dial for cycling between different patterns

Off: All lights and water OFF.

All lights and water OFF. Ambiance: A water-less standby mode that acts as an ambient night/mood/accent light that slowly changes colors

A water-less standby mode that acts as an ambient night/mood/accent light that slowly changes colors Helix: A single white stream that slowly rises, freezes, falls and repeats. Clean, simple, and modern.

A single white stream that slowly rises, freezes, falls and repeats. Clean, simple, and modern. Lava Flow: A slow falling double-stream with a lava color palette.

A slow falling double-stream with a lava color palette. Spectrum: A triple-stream display of high contrasting gradient hues.

A triple-stream display of high contrasting gradient hues. Volcanic Lightning: Experience momentary lightning strikes amidst a volcanic storm palette.

Experience momentary lightning strikes amidst a volcanic storm palette. Ghost: Streams vanish and appear out of thin air.

Streams vanish and appear out of thin air. VaporWave Aesthetics: A multi-stream palette of 80s/90s throwback with a cyberpunk subculture. With momentary glitching effects!

A multi-stream palette of 80s/90s throwback with a cyberpunk subculture. With momentary glitching effects! Crossing Streams: Streams move unrestricted even against each other.

Streams move unrestricted even against each other. Northern Lights: A Northern Lights display right in your own home!

A Northern Lights display right in your own home! Tropic: 7 individual back-to-back streams with a tropic flair.

If a COMMISSIONED reward tier is chosen, then one of these default patterns will be replaced with the custom designed one (of your choosing).

We will be regularly releasing new patterns (full source code) as we discover them so that users can choose to program it themselves.

Northern Lights Pattern

Tropics Pattern

Volcanic Lightning Pattern

Unicorn Pattern

Note that all DEFAULT patterns shown here may be subject to change depending on community feedback.

Imagination Is Your Limit!

The Aquarius code was built with the FREE Arduino IDE platform. Adventurous users will have complete control of patterns by coding it to their liking. Start off easy by changing colors of the existing patterns, or alter the direction by varying their frequency! Venture into more advanced techniques such as chaining animated demos or vanishing streams before your eyes!

Easily add new patterns or edit existing ones

Custom programming Aquarius will require a mini USB cable and PC connection, and the Arduino IDE platform (or other similar supported IDEs). The USB cable is not included but can easily be found at any place that sells electronics.

The back view of the base showing USB programming port, DC jack, and water indicator window

Rewards (IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ)

There are 7 reward tiers available, 2 of them being limited early bird specials:

Thank You! - $1 CAD

Design Files/Source Code = $20

Design Files/Source Code/PCB = $40

Aquarius (Early Bird) = $249 CAD

Aquarius Commissioned (Early Bird) = $329 CAD

Aquarius = $329 CAD

Aquarius Commissioned = $409 CAD

Add-on: Wood Dyeing/Finishing Work = $50 CAD extra

All Aquarius Reward tiers by default do NOT include wood dying/finishing. This is so that users have the freedom to stain/dye/paint their fountain or decorate it with graphics and more. We made this decision due to collective feedback from the maker community. However, we highly recommend to at least finish the fountain with a water resistant sealer as any splashes may cause unexpected blemish and expansion of the wood.

If you would like us to dye and finish the fountain, you may pledge an additional $50 CAD on top of your Aquarius pledge. The dye colors are subject to change, currently we offer Charcoal Black, Walnut, Royal Blue, and Emerald Green. The colors will be sealed with a water-resistant gloss (lacquer or polyacrylic).

If you would like to have the design files and BOM list, you may pledge for the "Design Files/Source Code" Reward tier OR an additional $20 CAD on top of your existing Aquarius pledge, we will include all design files, a BOM (Bill-Of-Materials) list, and source code should you want to create one yourself. Note however that some parts will require significant investment to produce such as the PCB, 3D printed parts (SLA recommended to prevent water leaks), the wood frame (which requires a CNC), and many other internal parts.

Alternatively, you can pledge for the "Design Files/Source Code/PCB" for $40 CAD which will include the PCB and all necessary circuit elements pre-soldered for you. Note that similar investment is still required such as the 3D printed parts, LED strip, water pump, wood frame, etc.

BOM list, STL, PCB, IGES files can be optionally provided

Shipping (includes tracking) is $50 CAD for international, $30 CAD for Canada, and $35 CAD for United States.

Users can also pledge the commissioned tiers. This allows you to describe a pattern of your choice (within reasonable limits) and we will code it up and ship it. Whether you want a pattern of colors that matches your nations flag, or the feeling of a calm serene walk through a forest, or even a disco party flair, we will design it to your needs. Please refer to this UPDATE that lists what you can and cannot do with regards to the patterns:

>>Commissioned Pattern Update Rules<<

Note that due to the time and communication involved in designing a commissioned pattern, the delivery date will be a bit later than normal for these pledges.

How Will Funds Be Used?

Our minimum (break-even) goal of $22 000 CAD will cover our initial injection molding costs from ProtoLabs as well as allow purchasing all required pieces to make ~60 Aquarius fountains.

Overfunding will be used to expedite work orders with additional hand-resources and/or upgraded tools and equipment.

Any leftover funding after delivery will be used to develop infrastructure for our future projects (Gemini, Aries, Libra, etc.).

Historical Timeline & Schedule

This is a rough outline of our schedule that we intend to meet. Although we can't predict delays, we have tried to mitigate that in many ways already by securing our injection molding partner (ProtoLabs) who are a very reputable (and publicly traded) company based out of the United States. Our electronic parts are readily available from many vendors which means there shouldn't be any delay with procuring them.

We have 2 woodworking partners (one as a backup) to help cut the frames for us. Both are also local (Canadian!) to squash any problems with timely quality control (which are typically associated with offshore sourcing).

We've ensured to the best of our ability that any potential delays resulting from the project will be due solely to our own actions rather than external forces such as contract manufacturers, shipping, etc. Due to the hand-made nature of Aquarius, the long-haul bottleneck will be in how fast we can build each piece.

Future Changes

Though all the technical details of Aquarius have been finalized, there is still some leeway we have for improving upon the frame design. What you see on the images and video here may be subject to change based on collective community feedback (though not by much).

Details such as wood dye color selections and small dimensional adjustments to the base or upper frame are all on the table currently.

We will update everyone on any aesthetic changes that we plan to initiate.

Technical Specs

Power Adapter: 12V DC, 2A (US/EU/AU/UK plug option)

12V DC, 2A (US/EU/AU/UK plug option) Consumption: 2.4W maximum consumption

2.4W maximum consumption Lighting: 60 Individually Addressable RGB LEDs (APA102C)

60 Individually Addressable RGB LEDs (APA102C) Platform: Atmel AT328P on an Arduino Nano clone with custom PCB

Atmel AT328P on an Arduino Nano with custom PCB Library: FastLED (Arduino IDE)

FastLED (Arduino IDE) Frame: Baltic Birch Plywood (can be optionally dyed and finished in choice of Charcoal Black, Walnut, Royal Blue, or Emerald Green)

Baltic Birch Plywood (can be optionally dyed and finished in choice of Charcoal Black, Walnut, Royal Blue, or Emerald Green) Noise Level: 20-30 dB (sound of a light and calm water stream)

20-30 dB (sound of a light and calm water stream) Liquid Capacity: 250 ml of tap water (minimum 150 ml required)

250 ml of tap water (minimum 150 ml required) Made In: CANADA! Everything will be hand-assembled, finished, and packaged here with the exception of electronic components which will be sourced and/or assembled in China.

CANADA! Everything will be hand-assembled, finished, and packaged here with the exception of electronic components which will be sourced and/or assembled in China. Safety: Absolutely! The water stream will auto shutoff after a programmed time (~6 hours) and switch to ambient light mode. This time can be changed through Arduino programming.

Absolutely! The water stream will auto shutoff after a programmed time (~6 hours) and switch to ambient light mode. This time can be changed through Arduino programming. Dimensions: 12 cm x 22 cm x 34 cm (Width x Length x Height). The upper frame is only 3.75 cm thick!



Due to wood grain unpredictability and the hand-sanded/stained/polished nature of assembly, Aquarius fountain and base texture will not look exactly the same for every user. Every fountain will be hand-made and thus unique.

In addition, the water funnel displayed here is an FDM 3D printed version. The actual version will be a translucent white injection molded piece and much more aesthetically pleasing.

About Me

Checking out how awesome that lamp looks!

My name is Stephen Co, and I've been in the engineering industry (specifically ASIC hardware) for nearly 10 years now. I led the industry's first set of PCI-Express 3.0 graphics cards to market during my time at AMD Inc. and published a solo patent out of it which you can find here. My interests are primarily visual sensory experiences (hence my time at AMD), the maker community, and art. At one point, I stumbled upon the field of KINETIC art from the awe-inspiring Sisyphus project. I realized that by combining my love of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics with this field, I could create NEW sensory experiences for users to make them wonder in amazement and understand how things work through their own curiosity.

I started digging up interesting science experiments around May 2017 and researched how I could create a product out of those. I then saw videos about levitating water which you can find here, here, and here and I decided to turn those lab experiments into a viable product for users to enjoy in the comfort of their own home.

Some of my early prototypes

After a few months of prototyping work, I ly finished my version of the levitating water experiment and aptly called it Aquarius. The name, as you may have guessed, has alot of symbolic meaning with the art piece and helped guide its design.

I want to demonstrate through Aquarius that it is possible for art to be integrated with STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics) and to create these new experiences that take advantage of the tools of our generation. These experiences should hopefully lead people to amazement, curiosity, and eventually a proactive understanding of how the world works.

If you would like to connect for professional purposes, don't hesitate to add me on LinkedIn (button below). I welcome all mutually beneficial (and professional!) relationships.

I can also be contacted personally at stephen.co AT northern-circuits.ca.

Thank You's!

Larry Trimble @ http://www.sayitwithwood.ca

Mark and Daniel over @ FastLED and the entire supportive community there.

Mehdi Sadaghdar for his Levitating Waters video (this is the video that initially inspired me!). Check out his popular ElectroBOOM series of engineering videos.

Bruce Shapiro and Micah Roth over at Sisyphus-Industries for bringing kinetic art to a wider audience. Check out their Sisyphus table (funded on Kickstarter) over here.

Jeff Lieberman for his Slow Dance project (funded on Kickstarter), a real-time slow motion kinetic art frame. His in-lined LED frame idea formed the basis and solution for making the Aquarius upper frame slim during the prototype stages (we had previously used a base-lit strobe shining upwards which was a bit bulky). You can pre-order Slow Dance over at Wonder Machines.

Alan Gonzales for the background music. You can find more of his work at https://soundcloud.com/dj-a-gon and can get in touch with him at djagonzal@gmail.com.

DigiKey

Custom Prototypes Hub

OnShape

ProtoLabs

Prusa Research

And of course, everyone at Kickstarter!

Take a journey through Art & Science by supporting us today!