Zurich’s Micasa Lab, the team responsible for the iRock and Cocoon 1, has developed yet another off-the-wall concept with the Nebula 12. Like the art of Berndnaut Smilde, the Nebula 12 concept produces indoor clouds, but Micasa Lab has gone one step further by using meteorological data so that it provides a representation of the forecast weather.
Unlike Smilde’s indoor cloudworks, which are produced using standard smoke machines, the Nebula 12 combines liquid hydrogen and hot water to generate a cloud of steam. The clouds are emitted from a lamp with variable brightness that provides a backlight to highlight the clouds. The light also changes color to indicate different weather conditions, with a red cloud indicating a threatening low-pressure front is on the way or a yellow light used to indicate a sunny day, for example.
By default, the Nebula 12 pulls meteorological data from the U.K.’s Met Office via a Wi-Fi-connected Lumia smartphone, however the weather information source can be adjusted by the user. The time period of the weather predictions can also be customized, but reflects the weather for the next 48 hours by default.
Thankfully, the device’s capabilities are limited to clouds, so it won’t result in any interior downpours. However, those keen to find shapes in clouds without heading outdoors should know that the use of liquid nitrogen suggests the Nebula 12 concept is likely to remain just that, a concept – at least in it’s present form.
The video below shows some testing of the Nebula 12.
Source: Micasa Lab
