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Archive for the ‘Electrolysis’ Category

While electronics and water don’t generally mix, researchers at Ochanomizu University in Japan have come up with an ephemeral display method that uses floating clusters of bubbles to show messages on a liquid surface.

The device, known as UTAKATA, utilizes a line of seven electrodes under Arduino Uno control that activate to form hydrogen bubbles via electrolysis. When arranged properly, these bubbles can be made to produce letters and words, which as shown in the video below, dissipate as they flow downstream in the container.

UTAKATA follows previous work where a static configuration of bubbles was used as the output. This water output gives a much better refresh rate, along with an interesting visual effect.

More details are available in the researchers’ paper.

Ads, notifications, and other messages surround us today, and if you were overwhelmed before, researchers at Ochanomizu University in Tokyo, Japan have figured out how to print text and images in your cup of coffee! This system, dubbed “BubBowl,” uses electrolysis to dynamically generate a dot matrix pattern of 10 x 10 pixels on the surface of beverages.

The Arduino-based device utilizes a series of shift registers to control matrix outputs, along with MOSFETs to handle current through the liquid as it produces tiny amounts of (non-toxic) gas. 

Resolution is good enough to display four characters at once — meaning it can show the time, or even very short messages. The drinks are still consumable after messaging, though touch-sensitive electrodes are implemented to cut off power when imbibing!



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