Living Weights

Wait, weights? Weights. For lifting and getting totally strong. That’s what this project is all about. This is the Flourish Activity Monitor, a set of weights for exercise experience for the elderly. Each of these weights mimics the growth of a living plant in order to provide positive visual feedback for the person using the weights. The more these weights are used, the more they grow.

By using electroactive polymers (artificial muscles,) and fiber-optic lighting, the weights “grow” and turn vibrant, healthy green shades of green. Designer Brad Mitchell notes that “By utilizing the elderly’s instinctive ability to nurture, they will have an unconscious urge to take-care of their hand-weights, and in turn, take-care of themselves.”

Designer: Brad Mitchell