Hardwareby Shawn Hymel · Make:Hardware · build
An IMU-driven electronic ocean you can tilt
A lighting piece that reads motion from an IMU and turns it into a moving electronic sea. The source is short, but the idea of a wave pattern that answers your hand is the hook.
Can I build this?Intermediate · AI 4/5 · $25–50
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- AI-buildability
- 4/5
- Time
- A weekend
- Cost
- $25–50
Most of the work is firmware that reads an IMU and animates LEDs with a wave simulation, and the hardware is a microcontroller, an IMU and an LED matrix or strip with light soldering and a printed case.
Tools
soldering iron3D printer
Starter prompt
Based on "An IMU-driven electronic ocean you can tilt" on Afterware: https://afterware.xyz/p/an-imu-driven-electronic-ocean-you-can-tilt
Write firmware for an ESP32-S3 board that reads acceleration and gyro data from an LSM6DSV16X IMU over I2C. Map tilt and motion to a ripple or wave animation on a strip of WS2812B addressable LEDs, with smooth easing so the light moves like water. Keep the loop non-blocking so the animation stays fluid.
Estimates based on the original write-up. How AI-buildability is scored. Building with an AI assistant? Connect it to Afterware (free MCP server).
Story
An electronic ocean lighting device that responds to IMU motion. Movement picked up by an inertial measurement unit drives the lighting, so the piece reacts when it is moved or handled.
The source gives no details on the hardware, firmware or construction, so the specific parts and method are unknown. The concept is a compact, motion-reactive light display that reads as water when it moves.
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