Demo Video

Project Idea Building Process

I had heard that the development of mobile devices (AR glasses, compact VR headsets, high-performance multi-display smartphones, etc.) is often limited by battery technology. The high-speed and high-performance technologies already exist, but scaling them down into mobile form always depends on battery performance. Because of this, I strongly believe that the development of batteries is one of our most important future goals for technological progress.

The government sees how dramatically productivity increases through body-implanted batteries. If unsafe underground markets appear, or if citizens refuse to use their batteries, national growth would be seriously threatened. Especially because every country in the world is using batteries to boost productivity, falling behind is not an option. For this reason, the government establishes the BMD (similar to the DEA in our world but instead of controlling drugs it controls every citizen). The BMD monitors battery levels, usage tendency, and issues mandatory replacement orders.

This is the narrative contained in the current project. However, because the world is so interesting, I imagined further possibilities. Some citizens will definitely resist government control. They might escape to places beyond technological reach (such as caves) and form their own communities. These communities would no longer join the government’s extreme productivity system, instead living with primitive but functional technologies. From here, two futures might unfold:

1. The government strikes or controls these communities.
2. The communities grow, survive, and eventually become an independent nation that opposes the government and the BMD.
   
   

Whether the community wins or loses becomes another imagined future. Through the idea of the battery, we can explore many possible futures.

Project Composition

BMD Database (Webpage Side)

The BMD website monitors both your own battery status and the status of other users. Here, you can check annoucned replacement orders and any penalties applied to your account. A panel at the top shows your battery information, while the lower section shows the tendency trends of other users.

BMD Webpage Link

BMD Replacement Facility (Hardware Installation)

This is the physical BMD replacement facility that replaces participant's batteries. When a participant receives a replacement order, they must tag their battery at the hardware to identify themselves. The participant places their battery-holding hand into an assigned area, and the machine automatically removes the old battery and installs a new one.

As a participatory project, the installation requires the following from all participants:

1. Submit personal data: name, date of birth, visa status, and activity tendency(Are you hardworker? Or not).
2. Wear the battery holder on their hand.
3. Continuously check their battery status through the BMD website.

Based on this information, the BMD system determines when the participant must replace their battery, and penalties are displayed on the website in real time.

Protocol Process

Webpage Side

1. Participants submit their data thorugh BMD webpage
2. Connect BMD website with Firestore database
3. Render the infomations depends on the participant's name
4. Webpage will keep update the current states
5. If the participants receive the estimated battery replacement date, go to the BMD replacement facility(the hardware installation)
   
   

Hardware Side

1. Put the right hand(battery holder attached) on the hand area
2. Press the display panel
3. It reads the NFC tag info and indentify who the current participant is
4. If that participant needs to replace the battery, it proceed the replacement protocol
5. After the replacement, it automatically update participant's battery state on the database

Project Aesthetic/Technology

BMD Database Website

The website is designed to feel like a government platform, clean, minimal, and clearly organized. Because the BMD site focuses on delivering information, I avoid unnecessary decoration.

The database uses Firebase Firestore. Firestore handles the data comfortably and makes it easy to detect changes in user data and display updates instantly.

BMD Replacement Facility

The installation uses two MCUs:

1. ESP32 LVGL 3.5-inch display
2. Arduino Nano
   
   

The ESP32 connects to the database via Wi-Fi and displays information on the touchscreen. Because the ESP32 LVGL board has limited digital pins, it communicates with the Arduino Nano through RX/TX.

The Arduino controls four MG90S micro servos, one large 20kg torque servo, and a PN532 NFC read/write module. Based on data sent from the ESP32, it performs the battery replacement sequence and writes updated user information onto the NFC-embedded battery.

I intentionally divided the hardware into multiple stages. Technically, a simple box with one servo would be enough to “swap” a battery, but I wanted participants to visually experience the replacement process. Watching their battery leave their hand and a new one attach reinforces the meaning of the project. It also recreates the feeling of visiting a government-controlled facility in the imagined future so that audiences in 2025 can feel that world.

Future of This Project (What’s Next?)

There are 3 directions I want to focus on:

1. Making the penalties more real.

Currently, penalties only appear as text on the website. They do not create any real inconvenience to the participant. To fully express the dystopian feature, the project needs a more physical or emotional sense of penalty. I feel the current version doesn't solve this issue enough.

2. Expanding the scale of the installation.

The current hardware installation is miniature-sized. If the installation was larger, louder, and more mechanical, it would create a stronger sense of intimidation and better express the dystopian world. The limitation of scale is something I still need to improve.

3. Auto-setting the last battery replacement date

Current Battery percentage is based on the 'Last Replacement Date' and 'Battery Due Date'. And 'Battery Due Date' is always depends on 'Last Replacement Date'. It means, experiences are coming from the Last Replacement Date, and currently, I'm asking participants to set it up manually. It has to be automatic for instant world diving.

Component List

Circuit Diagram

Making Process Record