ProgrammableGrass: A Shape-Changing Artificial Grass Display Adapted for Dynamic and Interactive Display Features

K Tanaka, A Mizuno, T Kato, M Mikawa… - IEEE Access, 2024 - ieeexplore.ieee.org
K Tanaka, A Mizuno, T Kato, M Mikawa, M Fujisawa
IEEE Access, 2024ieeexplore.ieee.org
There are various proposals for employing grass materials as a green landscape-friendly
display. However, it is difficult for current techniques to display smooth animations using 8-
bit images and to adjust display resolution, similar to conventional displays. We present
ProgrammableGrass, an artificial grass display with scalable resolution, capable of swiftly
controlling grass color at 8-bit levels. This grass display can control grass colors linearly at
the 8-bit level, similar to an LCD display, and can also display not only 8-bit-based images …
There are various proposals for employing grass materials as a green landscape-friendly display. However, it is difficult for current techniques to display smooth animations using 8-bit images and to adjust display resolution, similar to conventional displays. We present ProgrammableGrass, an artificial grass display with scalable resolution, capable of swiftly controlling grass color at 8-bit levels. This grass display can control grass colors linearly at the 8-bit level, similar to an LCD display, and can also display not only 8-bit -based images but also videos. This display enables pixel-by-pixel color transitions from yellow to green using fixed-length yellow and adjustable-length green grass. We designed a grass module that can be connected to other modules. Utilizing a proportional derivative control, the grass colors are manipulated to display animations at approximately 10 [fps]. Since the relationship between grass lengths and colors is nonlinear, we developed a calibration system for ProgrammableGrass. We revealed that this calibration system allows ProgrammableGrass to linearly control grass colors at 8-bit levels through experiments under multiple conditions. Lastly, we demonstrate ProgrammableGrass to show smooth animations with 8-bit grayscale images. Moreover, we show several application examples to illustrate the potential of ProgrammableGrass. With the advancement of this technology, users will be able to treat grass as a green-based interactive display device.
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