Summary of Zeitfluss – Flow of Time
This project, "Flow of Time," visualizes the passage of time by printing digits onto a river's surface using food coloring. Implemented in Innsbruck in 2013, it allows observers to watch time trickle away peacefully from a bridge. The system uses an Arduino connected to a Real Time Clock Module to control pumps via shift registers, while a Raspberry Pi logs status and captures webcam images every 20 minutes for server upload via GSM.
Parts used in the Flow of Time:
- Arduino
- Real Time Clock Module
- Shift registers
- Pumps
- Raspberry Pi
- Webcam
- GSM-connection
- Server with fixed domain
About this project
Reasoning about time by printing onto the surface of a river
Maybe you know situations when time’s running up. In German there is a metaphor for that and translated it would be something like “time trickles away“. Having this saying in mind and thinking of how to ‘imagine’ time the following idea turned up:
I would like to generate a situation, where people are able to let time pass by without getting into a hurry. Therefore the digits of time get printed onto the surface of a river with food colouring, so time could be observed from a bridge in peace, while it trickles away.
This idea got realized September 2013 in Innsbruck, Tyrol.
Electronics & Hardware
How it all works
The core element is an Arduino. It receives the current time trought a Real Time Clock Module. The micro controller maps the numbers of the time onto the available 5×7 pixel grid per digit. The resulting vertical lines of drops get printed one after the other by switching the shift registers and thereby the pumps. The Arduino code and the wiring diagram were done by Albert Frisch and could be found on the projects site on GitHub.
For logging what’s going on, a Raspberry Pi receives status messages from the Arduino. Once in a while – on an average every 20min – fswebcam gets called and takes webcam images as fast as it can for about 40 seconds. Afterwards the images plus log files get uploaded to a Server with fixed domain via a GSM-connection.
Read More: Flow of Time
- How does the system print time onto the river?
The Arduino maps time numbers to a 5x7 pixel grid and switches shift registers to operate pumps that print vertical lines of drops. - What metaphor inspired this project?
The German saying time trickles away inspired the idea of letting time pass by without getting into a hurry. - Where was this project realized?
This idea got realized September 2013 in Innsbruck, Tyrol. - Can users observe the time from a specific location?
Yes, time could be observed from a bridge in peace while it trickles away. - How often does the system take images?
Once in a while on an average every 20min fswebcam gets called to take images. - How long does the image capture process last?
The system takes webcam images as fast as it can for about 40 seconds. - How are the log files and images transmitted?
The images plus log files get uploaded to a Server with fixed domain via a GSM-connection. - Who created the Arduino code and wiring diagram?
The Arduino code and the wiring diagram were done by Albert Frisch.
