Pico World
Pocket-sized digital ecosystems
- Hardware
- RP2040
- OLED display
- Single-button input
- Software
- Arduino
- C++
- Focus
- Creative coding
- Generative behavior
- Interaction design
- 3D printing
What:
Pico World is a collection of small observable ecosystems reinterpreted from movements in the natural world. Each sketch focuses on a different environment, using simple animated behaviors to suggest ponds, terrariums, and the creatures living within them.
Why:
The project is a way to practice creative coding, electronics, animation, and object design through a single evolving platform. Its handheld form is inspired by the nostalgic charm of early-2000s gadgets: small, chunky, focused devices that felt playful, personal, and alive.
How:
An RP2040 microcontroller runs multiple sketches through a monochrome OLED screen using a shared launcher and one-button interaction system. The software explores procedural environments and autonomous creature behavior, while 3D-printed enclosures provide a practical way to learn prototyping, assembly, and design for repeatable production.
A World of Small Behaviors
Pico World brings several independent experiments together in one device. The launcher makes each environment easy to select and enter while preserving the sketches as separate projects that can continue to evolve on their own.
Current Sketches
- PicoPond explores fish movement, lily pads, wakes, and changing surface ripples.
- PicoVarium studies frogs moving through a generated terrarium of terrain and vines.
- PicoKato follows the inhabitants and life cycle of a small aquatic ecosystem.
Physical Direction
The screen, controls, and enclosure are treated as part of the experience rather than as a neutral container. Iterating with 3D printing makes it possible to test proportions, ergonomics, assembly, and material use while developing a more efficient and engaging object around the software.
Ongoing Exploration
Future iterations will deepen the behavior of each ecosystem, improve the character and environmental animation, and refine the electronics and enclosure into a cohesive family of pocket-sized devices.