Reactive directional microphones.

Using directional microphones and addressable LEDs, we could create a visualization of the pattern of sound in a room. This could take the form of a small desktop model, suitable for placement on a table, or a set of microphones hanging from the ceiling of a room with a map of the soundscape being projected onto a wall.

Load Average

This project would be a physical visualization of the load average of a machine, or cluster of machines. By filling tubes of water to different levels, with one tube per core, we can display the utilization of a computing system. If the load average goes above 1 / per (i.e. the system is overloaded), the water could spill over the top of the pipes. With enough pipes, we could display the load average across a cluster of computers. This would give a physical sense for how loaded the entire cluster is.