Mitxela has created the lovely Simsim Pendant concept.

It may come as no surprise that one of the projects I’m working on lately is attempting to create a real-time fluid simulation on embedded hardware. There are many applications, from volumetric virtual candles to interesting jewellery and trinkets.

Running a mixed liquid/air simulation is somewhat more complex than a fire simulation, but there’s an irrefutable appeal to having a physical item in your hand, displaying a virtual glowing liquid, that sloshes around as you tilt the contraption.

Consider a grid of LEDs arranged on a PCB. Instead of a matrix, all the LEDs are wired up to a single power rail. The other connection for each LED is on the underside of the PCB. For each pad, if it’s shorted to ground, the LED above it will light up.

We then mount this PCB a small distance away from a glass panel, seal the edges, and partially fill the gap with mercury. In essence, what we’re building is one big mercury tilt switch.

Check out the pictures and details in the post here.