Octolively modules are tileable, digital interactive LED surfaces filled with ultrabright LEDs that respond in complex and gentle ways to stimulus provided by human interaction.
Each Octolively module is 4 X 8 inches (10.16 X 20.32 cm) in size, and features eight huge (10 mm) ultrabright LEDs, spaced along a two-inch grid. Each Octolively module also has eight infrared proximity sensors-- one for every LED --to detect nearby motion, even in total darkness. The modules can be tiled edge-to-edge, seamlessly, in any size or shape of rectangular array. You can cover a full wall, or just make a long strip as narrow as 4 or 8 inches wide.
Octolively modules come pre-programmed with eight different effects that respond to motion and gradually fade back to idle when there is no motion-- ideal for making interactive LED walls, bar tops, and coffee tables. You can switch between the different effects with a button press: Gently fading trails after your motion, a "heat" mode that gets brighter as it detects more motion, simple positive and negative "shadow" effects that light the LEDs-- or darken them --wherever you touch, ripple, sparkle, and a "melting" mode where activated pixels fade only very slowly.
Each Octolively module is controlled by an on-board microcontroller and functions as a self-contained, stand-alone device. You do need to provide power (5 V DC), but no central computer nor complex communication wiring is needed. Because it's self contained, there is no trade-off between array size and performance.
Octolively is a fully open source hardware+software design, designed to be hackable.
Documentation for Octolively is at the Evil Mad Scientist page.
