As an exhibit at the Phaneo Science Center in Wolfsburg, Germany, Niklas Roy and Felix Figus created a smartphone-operated storytelling apparatus dubbed “Smart Fairy Tale.”

When initiated, a little red ball rolls down the installation’s transparent tubing, triggering different interactions based on the interruption of light sensors along its path. 25 Arduino Nanos are used to control each individual animatronic part of the “story,” making the code manageable and allowing the overall machine to still work if there’s a malfunction in one section.

To start the Smart Fairy Tale, people can log on to its Raspberry Pi 4 server, where they can also change how it works. Animations were designed with the help of donated toys, inspirational drawings from kids, and the participation of artist Wolfgang Kowar – a truly public art exhibit!

More information on the Smart Fairy Tale project can be found in Roy’s blog post or on Figus’ website.