An electronic flower has been designed that blooms in tune to your household’s electricity conservation in real time.
wilting_flower_01 The Wilting Flower: from standing proud to shrinking violet
The Wilting Flower wirelessly receives information from a transmitter that’s clipped onto your mains power supply. The flower then …
How much electricity does the flower consume? I bet its more than the standby LED on my TV (which we are told is the main cause of global warming, famine and disease)
... and have a micro-generator pushing current back into the grid? Does the plant revert to a seedling?
And I could have endless fun starting and stopping seti@home on my quad-core PC, watching the flower wilt, perk up, wilt, perk up... feel a link to the lapdancing story coming on...
Cool for an undergraduate, but useless for anything other than that. If you're that carbon conscious at least get real plant that absorbs some CO2. The real solutions lie in the hands of engineers - people drive gas guzzlers and fly halfway across the world billowing CO2 because thats the technology they have access to. This is simply a gimmick. A shame actually, might have been a nice kids toy if perhaps it bloomed at sunrise, or bloomed to the sound of music perhaps.
We should all buy one and display it somewhere prominently in our homes. That way we will know we've done our part for energy conservation and we can say authoritatively, by pointing at our flower, that this whole global warming thing is somebody else's problem. I'm so excited about this that I'm going to set aside an entire circuit just for it.
Sod all that ecobollocks you could slap one in your lapel and make like Oscar Wilde. I'm sure some douchebag could jigger it so the flower reflects your friend's twitters or somesuch. Oh the horrible greasy potential of it makes my eyes itch.
This can't be a coincidence - someone's suggesting we all install flowers that can move and communicate just before the BBC makes a "futuristic and electrifying" update of the Day of the Triffids?
Seriously - most people have no idea how much power different devices use. They probably don't bother to read the 'leccy bill properly as you don't really have a choice about paying it. I bet few have any idea what is making the numbers go up.
The most scientific solution is a visable meter in the living room but only geeks will want this and your avaerage punter won't understand the numbers. The flower works because it's simple to understand and people will get an emotional attachment to it. They will be proud to see it blooming. And when they switch the spin drier on will want to fill it so the flower recovers quickly rather than use lots of half-loads.
As a method of expaling the connection between cause (using power) and effect (higher bills/global warming) to the masses, this is brilliant.
It'll be wilting all the time, and I'd end up chucking it in the bin.
Besides, stuff all this and just build more CO2 friendly nuke generators and stop wasting money on the no-so-green-as-you-think wind farms. Problem solved and we can eat up all the juice we like then.
Yeah, I know, where to bury the waste. Superman surely can just lob it into the sun can't he?
Mine's the one with the inanimate carbon rod in the pocket.
Register
Robo-flower wilts as power burns
An electronic flower has been designed that blooms in tune to your household’s electricity conservation in real time. wilting_flower_01 The Wilting Flower: from standing proud to shrinking violet The Wilting Flower wirelessly receives information from a transmitter that’s clipped onto your mains power supply. The flower then …
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Posted Thursday 27th November 2008 20:38 GMT
Luke Wells
I would like to know..... #
How much electricity does the flower consume? I bet its more than the standby LED on my TV (which we are told is the main cause of global warming, famine and disease)
Posted Thursday 27th November 2008 20:38 GMT
Gulfie
What if I'm green... #
... and have a micro-generator pushing current back into the grid? Does the plant revert to a seedling?
And I could have endless fun starting and stopping seti@home on my quad-core PC, watching the flower wilt, perk up, wilt, perk up... feel a link to the lapdancing story coming on...
Posted Thursday 27th November 2008 20:38 GMT
Peter Depledge
OK, I'll bite #
And how much power does said flower use?
Posted Thursday 27th November 2008 20:38 GMT
Andy Tunnah
reverse it! #
every geek out there is going to want this working in reverse - the more gadgets they have on, the more "bloomed" it becomes
well..thats what i want anyway
Posted Thursday 27th November 2008 20:38 GMT
Peter
Umm - little flaw #
Out of interest, how much does this gadget use? And on standby?
Just curious ..
Posted Thursday 27th November 2008 20:38 GMT
Andrew Moore
Looks familiar... #
Reminds me of the Death Flowers from Ulysses 31. If I put one of those in the house it will be guaranteed to give the eldest daughter nightmares.
Posted Thursday 27th November 2008 20:38 GMT
David Bevin
Back to the 60's? #
Groovy "flower power" concept, man?
(Mine's the one struggling to catch up with me as I run out in shame)
Posted Thursday 27th November 2008 20:38 GMT
Anton Channing
Cue the children... #
...switching everything on in order to see the flower wilt!
Posted Thursday 27th November 2008 20:38 GMT
Anonymous Coward
Can We Get it Some V1a6ra? #
Looks awphul phallic 2 me...
Posted Thursday 27th November 2008 20:38 GMT
Gordon Grant
Useless but Cool #
Looks cool but I can't see me getting one. Good idea behind it though so maybe come back in some other form later on..
Posted Thursday 27th November 2008 20:38 GMT
jai
no plans to manufactor #
damn - i would actually quite like something like that
admittedly, it'd probably spend all it's time as wilted purple, but it'd be interesting to know for sure
Posted Thursday 27th November 2008 20:38 GMT
Anonymous Coward
and does it ... #
... have a standby button?
Posted Thursday 27th November 2008 22:22 GMT
Geoffrey Summerhayes
Just as well... #
"Plans to manufacture the Wilting Flower haven’t been announced yet."
Why pay for the gizmo when I can get the same effect by rooting through the local florist's garbage?
Mine's the one with the extension cord octopus in the pocket.
Posted Thursday 27th November 2008 22:22 GMT
Pierre
Don't need #
The UPS alarm is all I need...
Posted Friday 28th November 2008 02:15 GMT
joe K
Totally useless #
Cool for an undergraduate, but useless for anything other than that. If you're that carbon conscious at least get real plant that absorbs some CO2. The real solutions lie in the hands of engineers - people drive gas guzzlers and fly halfway across the world billowing CO2 because thats the technology they have access to. This is simply a gimmick. A shame actually, might have been a nice kids toy if perhaps it bloomed at sunrise, or bloomed to the sound of music perhaps.
Posted Friday 28th November 2008 02:15 GMT
Anonymous Coward
Hmm got the colours the wrong way round #
Oh we cannot take the power with us when we go, let's use it all up now, this is a problem for a future generation and someone else's kids.
Posted Friday 28th November 2008 05:05 GMT
Andrew Tyler
I like it. #
We should all buy one and display it somewhere prominently in our homes. That way we will know we've done our part for energy conservation and we can say authoritatively, by pointing at our flower, that this whole global warming thing is somebody else's problem. I'm so excited about this that I'm going to set aside an entire circuit just for it.
Posted Friday 28th November 2008 10:09 GMT
Seán
I fucking love it #
Sod all that ecobollocks you could slap one in your lapel and make like Oscar Wilde. I'm sure some douchebag could jigger it so the flower reflects your friend's twitters or somesuch. Oh the horrible greasy potential of it makes my eyes itch.
Posted Friday 28th November 2008 10:09 GMT
Anonymous Coward
They're coming! #
This can't be a coincidence - someone's suggesting we all install flowers that can move and communicate just before the BBC makes a "futuristic and electrifying" update of the Day of the Triffids?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7753322.stm
I for one welcome our (thwack) ow! I'm blind! Aieeee........
Posted Friday 28th November 2008 12:24 GMT
Ex-IT
Like it... #
So, where can I get a "Power Flower"?
Posted Friday 28th November 2008 12:24 GMT
Phil Parker
It's a good idea #
Seriously - most people have no idea how much power different devices use. They probably don't bother to read the 'leccy bill properly as you don't really have a choice about paying it. I bet few have any idea what is making the numbers go up.
The most scientific solution is a visable meter in the living room but only geeks will want this and your avaerage punter won't understand the numbers. The flower works because it's simple to understand and people will get an emotional attachment to it. They will be proud to see it blooming. And when they switch the spin drier on will want to fill it so the flower recovers quickly rather than use lots of half-loads.
As a method of expaling the connection between cause (using power) and effect (higher bills/global warming) to the masses, this is brilliant.
Posted Friday 28th November 2008 16:48 GMT
TimM
Pointless #
It'll be wilting all the time, and I'd end up chucking it in the bin.
Besides, stuff all this and just build more CO2 friendly nuke generators and stop wasting money on the no-so-green-as-you-think wind farms. Problem solved and we can eat up all the juice we like then.
Yeah, I know, where to bury the waste. Superman surely can just lob it into the sun can't he?
Mine's the one with the inanimate carbon rod in the pocket.
Posted Friday 28th November 2008 20:24 GMT
christopher
I've got one of those. #
My wife's face wilts everytime she has to pay the fucking leccy bill.
This topic is closed for new posts.