Physical Pixel Display - Motion Control Array

A physical pixel array driven by real-time data.

The array is driven by custom software that converts greyscale video to physical motion, where each pixel drives one of the rods (black pixels move the rod in, white move the rod out).

They are stackable vertically and horizontally to create any size/shape.

The physical structure was designed to be laser cut and fit together with slots for quick assembly. The motor components are meant to be used as motorized faders in large mixing consoles, so they are readily available and can be easily replaced.

Custom PCBs were designed with scaling in mind, to be ordered and manufactured on-demand by Macrofab in Texas. (The initial design was pick-and-placed and baked in my studio by hand, then the rest were manufactured.)

The firmware receives RS-485 commands for position from a TCP to RS-485 device - this allows each 8x8 array box to have an IP address that it receives data on for simple scalability