It’s a piece of jewelry that sits on you and moves like a real life-size (more or less) butterfly.
Can I Buy One?
Right now I’m still working on building the thing. I’m looking to potentially sell them in future though.
Why Do This?
I had a dream that I was covered in butterflies. I woke up and wondered how to make it a reality. Then I wondered how to ethically make it a reality. Hence this project.
Can It Fly?
No.
Why Can’t It Fly?
First of all, having jewelry that flies away from you feels like a bad investment.
Secondly, it’s very difficult. Getting something tiny to lift its own weight is tough. The battery would have to be big, which adds weight, which means you’d need a bigger battery to have the power to lift that weight, and a bigger battery adds more weight, which means you need an even bigger battery, and so on and so on.
Third, if I could make life-size flying butterflies I’d already be rich (and likely guilty from the nefarious purposes they could be put to). From what I’ve seen, the only places doing that are specialist labs building nano-drones, and even those are tethered (i.e. attached to their power source), not standalone.
Does It Really Move Like A Butterfly?
In short, it probably moves like you think a butterfly moves, more or less.
Most people’s images of butterflies are dead butterflies. So that’s what my butterfly looks like – like the mental image of a living butterfly to most humans. (Lepidopterists, I’d love to make realistic versions too).
My butterfly has two wings, not four. Most depictions of butterflies seem to have two.
Humans like regularity in mechanical things. Butterflies have an element of randomness in their flap. But it looks weird if a machine moves even a little bit randomly, like a clock with a messed up rhythm.
Note: I can happily build in randomization, and that may be an option in future. Four-wing movement might be trickier.
How Did You Get The Skills To Make It?
Trial and error. A lot of trial and error. And learning from my friends at hackerspaces.
I Don’t Like Butterflies. Can You Make An XXX?
If it flaps I can probably make it. Dragons, angels, birds, bats. Uh, sea turtles, since I guess they “fly” underwater”. If it’s a flappy thing you want, I can probably make it.
I Want A Really Big Butterfly/Angel/Bird. Can You Make That?
Definitely. Bigger is a lot easier than tiny.
Does It Use AI? Bitcoin? Internet Of Things? Bluetooth? Wifi?
To the first two, no. Forever no. For IoT, Bluetooth, wifi, I suppose they could be options, but I can’t really see a use case at the moment.
Does It Do Anything Else Or Just Sit There And Flap?
Right now, it sits there and flaps. I’ve got ideas about introducing couple’s bundles for, where the butterflies flap faster the closer you are together, or butterflies that flap to the beat of whatever music is playing, or LED displays on the wings you can control from your phone. They’re all possible, but not yet a priority.
Do You Want Any Help With It?
On the technical side, I’m having a blast learning it all myself. On production, marketing, sales, etc. That’s still a long way off, if ever.
How Many Years Of Your Life Have You Wasted Spent On This Project?
Too many. Far too many.
You Must Really Love Butterflies, Right?
Usually, yes. But some days, I think there’s no one in the world who hates them as much as I do. They’re fiddly to get right.