Lyfe Geodesic Floating Planter
The zero-gravity system uses custom magnets to twirl plants in the air
A year ago, Stockholm-based American designer (and scientist) Simon Morris launched his levitating Flyte lamp and—literally and figuratively—lifted up the world of lighting design. Now, Morris and the Flyte team are taking the concept even further, as they introduce Lyfe, an eye-catching zero-gravity growing system that lets users grow plants in mid-air.
Like the Flyte lightbulbs, Lyfe’s planters rotate in the air, giving all sides of the plants the same amount of sunlight. They’re especially suitable for air plants, which already have an aspect of the supernatural about them—surviving on the circulation of particles in the air to grow. In a Lyfe planter, they do so while levitating.
For Morris, whose father was a botanist, creating Lyfe was a way to experiment not just with levitation, but also with the effect magnetism has on plants. He tells CH, “Compared with lightbulbs, we had to take into account the fact that plants are living organisms, each with different needs. They are like pets and have a different set of requirements. Learning to be patient was a lesson learned from developing this product. “
The 12-sided geodesic Lyfe planter is molded from silicon and includes a drainage system to protect against overwatering when using it for soil-based plants. The planter also features a custom-shaped Lyfe magnet that pushes up against an electromagnetic base, which causes it to levitate. It’s an intriguing blend of nature and science fiction, and Morris explains, “I see a lot of similarities between today’s technology and the natural world. I compare root systems in plants and fungi to nodes and communication architectures of the Internet. The world of technology seems to reflect the world of nature, and I wanted to bring these worlds closer together. “
Morris and the Flyte team plan to continue to roll out more unique levitating products this year, each of which will use the concept of levitation in a new way. Lyfe launches on Kickstarter today, 1 June 2016, and retails from $179 for earlybird backers.
Images courtesy of Lyfe
