Winter in Japan is a particularly dry time of year. So it’s only natural that folks who generally enjoy a humid climate tend to break out the old humidifier every once in a while.
One such simple desktop dehumidifier was one indie inventor’s inspiration for something so futuristic it looks like it came out of a sci-fi movie: a computer display made of mist.
Hatsune Miku was used for testing purposes, as is the custom with all budding technology in Japan.
The process was very simple to conceive, tricky to put together, and potentially impossible to perfect.
First, the creator, who goes by the name shige-ruuu, hacked into his desktop humidifier and hotwired it to pump out a thick volume of fog.
To compensate for the increased mist production he created an adapter so that a 500mL bottle of water could be attached. If you look closely, you’ll see him using a sex lady bottle, which he says gives the best fluid dynamics.
Then he built a rectangular box, which is meant to disperse the mist evenly, and mounted it to the wall. The box and humidifier were connected with a vacuum tube.
A projector was set up behind the box to send the images from the computer. With everything set, it was time to flick the on switch.
It wasn’t long before the screen of water vapor started gently descending and the PC’s display could be seen. Even the standard Hatsune Miku music video test was performed with adequate results.
However, the device is far from perfect. It’s easy to see from the demonstration that the mist couldn’t remain thick as it neared the bottom of the screen and produced an often flickering image.
At the end of the video shige-ruuu listed his main problems.
■ There is turbulence in the mist too soon after it comes out.
■ It is easy affected by the airflow and temperature of its environment.
■ There is water collecting in the box.
■ The droplets of water cause changes in the outflow.
Luckily, among the scores of comments saying “oooohhh” and “what’s that” were dozens of suggestions on how to improve the performance of this machine. If they lead to substantial improvements then we may see a fully functioning mist monitor in the not too distant future!