TerraSync.

An ambient desk object that adapts to its environment and turns focus into something you can cultivate.

Role
Product Design Engineer

Duration
3 weeks

Team
Solo build

Skills
Physical computing, Rhino 3D, interaction design, Arduino, C#, Unity, serial communication, systems thinking, rapid prototyping

Build Process Product walkthrough

Brief Overview

Calm technology for focus and motivation

For my Physical Computation class final project, I was challenged to design and build a functional product that integrates both physical and digital interaction.

TerraSync is a dome shaped ambient desk lamp inspired by a terrarium, soft, living, and quietly responsive. Instead of demanding attention like most productivity tools, it stays peripheral and supports focus through light, subtle feedback, and a gentle sense of progress.

The object pairs a physical environment with a synchronized Unity ecosystem on the user’s laptop. Ambient light in the room influences both the lamp brightness and the terrarium day and night state, creating a cohesive relationship between the workspace and the digital world.

TerraSync also introduces a focus interaction. A single button begins a growth cycle in the digital terrarium that visually represents sustained focus. Pausing requires confirmation to avoid accidental interruption. If the user confirms a pause, the plant withers, creating a soft but clear consequence that encourages intentional breaks.

Initial Model Design
A compact integrated form with a translucent dome for light diffusion and an opaque base that conceals the electronics, creating a clean and cohesive prototype.

The Problem

Most focus tools compete for attention

Timers, notifications, and “productivity dashboards” often pull users out of flow. They treat focus as something to track and optimize, rather than something to nurture. I wanted a system that supports focus without becoming another distraction.

I also wanted the physical environment to matter. Lighting and atmosphere affect motivation, but most tools ignore the workspace and live only on a screen. TerraSync reframes focus as an ecosystem: shaped by the room, reinforced through gentle cues, and guided by intentional interactions.

The Solution

A synchronized physical + digital ecosystem

TerraSync combines three elements into one coherent experience:

1) Ambient adaptation: a photoresistor senses room brightness, and the lamp responds with a soft, diffused glow that fits the environment.

2) Digital synchronization: the Arduino sends sensor data to Unity via serial communication, mapping the workspace into a terrarium simulation (day/night shifts based on real light or time).

3) Intentional focus interaction: the button toggles focus states that drive plant growth, pause requests, and withering, making breaks deliberate and visible.

Research

What focus support should feel like

I started with lightweight discovery: self-observation during deep work sessions, quick conversations with peers about what breaks focus, and a scan of common focus tools (pomodoro timers, app blockers, ambient lighting products). A consistent pattern showed up: people want support that feels calm, non-judgmental, and easy to re-enter after a break.

Top pain points (what breaks focus)

Tools are too “loud”

Notifications + timers disrupt flow

Progress feels abstract

Hard to feel momentum building

Breaks happen accidentally

Context switches without intention

Workspace isn’t part of the system

Tools ignore environmental cues

Design goal: keep feedback peripheral and motivating—supporting focus without adding cognitive load.

Core Value Proposition

Make focus feel cultivated, not measured

TerraSync is designed around a simple belief: focus improves when progress is felt, not forced. Instead of alerts and streaks, it uses a living metaphor of growth, light, and ecosystem states to encourage sustained attention.

Every design decision mapped to three questions:
• Is this calm enough to stay in the background?
• Does it reward focus without pressuring the user?
• Does it make breaks more intentional?

Value proposition

Support deep work through ambient, environment-aware feedback so focus feels like something you grow, not something you chase.

Build Process

Growing the system

The project began with rapid prototyping on a breadboard to test the core interaction between physical inputs and digital feedback. I started by wiring a photoresistor, an RGB LED, and a push button to an Arduino and verifying that each component could be reliably read through simple test sketches.

If you're intereted in the technical implementation details such as circuit schematics, resistor calculations, or bill of materials, they are documented on my GitHub page found here.

Breadboard prototype
Verifying these behaviors early made it much easier to write the Unity scripts later, since I already knew the hardware inputs were working and sending consistent data.

Once the sensors were functioning independently, the next step was connecting the Arduino to Unity through serial communication. The Arduino continuously sends sensor data over USB while a C# script inside Unity reads that data in real time. This allows physical inputs in the environment, such as ambient light or a button press, to directly influence the digital terrarium on the user’s screen.

Early Unity tests focused on implementing the four state button interaction that would later control the focus system. I built this early because I wanted pausing a study session to be intentional rather than accidental, which required more than a simple button press. I also mapped the photoresistor to the shading of a sphere in Unity so ambient light changes would visibly affect the scene. These quick tests helped confirm that the serial communication could reliably support the interactions I planned to build later.

From Arduino to Unity
By establishing this basic feedback loop, I ensured the connection was stable before layering in the more complex terrarium behaviors later in development.

After the interaction pipeline was stable, I began integrating the electronics into the physical enclosure and refining the prototype based on practical testing. Several adjustments were made to improve usability and the overall design.

The button was originally placed on the side of the base, but the enclosure was too light to support a side press without sliding across the desk. I moved the button to the top of the lamp so it could be pressed downward more naturally and reliably. The dome filament was also changed from clear to white so the internal wiring would not be visible while still allowing light to diffuse softly through the enclosure.

I also replaced the RGB LED with three separate LEDs in white, yellow, and blue to create softer ambient lighting that remained visible through the dome without feeling overly saturated. To keep the lamp compact, the final electronics were organized onto a mini breadboard and paired with an Arduino shield, allowing all wiring and components to fit neatly inside the base while maintaining a reasonable overall size.

Final Enclosure Design
The final prototype uses a 3D printed base and white dome to diffuse the light and hide the electronics. The button is exposed due to time constraints, but a future iteration would integrate a cleaner cover for the interaction point.

Visual Direction

Making the prototype read like a product

TerraSync’s form is intentionally minimal. The goal is a cohesive desk object that feels quiet, warm, and visually consistent with a focused workspace. On the screen, the Unity terrarium mirrors the same tone with subtle motion and a widget sized footprint so it remains peripheral rather than distracting.

TerraSync form, dome diffusion, and Unity terrarium

Designing the visual system.
The interface uses a soft, desaturated color palette to communicate focus states without feeling urgent or distracting. Rounded button shapes and simple typography reinforce the calm tone of the system. I also selected stylized Unity plant assets that match this aesthetic so the digital terrarium feels cohesive with the physical lamp and overall visual language.

Gentle movement in elements like plants and foliage adds a sense of life and progression while remaining soft enough to stay peripheral within the workspace. As a final visual touch, I also hand designed glowing mushrooms to add a subtle point of interest during the night scene.

Designing the digital environment.
I chose soft, stylized Unity assets and a bright natural color palette to create a calm, approachable environment. The placement of plants and objects was intentionally layered to feel immersive without distracting from the overall sense of quiet focus.

Prototype Walkthrough

How TerraSync behaves

Physical inputs, responsive states.
The interaction is driven by two physical inputs: a button and a photoresistor. The button controls the focus states of the system, allowing the user to start focus mode, request a pause, and confirm that pause so the interaction feels intentional rather than accidental.

The photoresistor reads ambient light in the room and sends that data to Unity, allowing the digital environment to respond naturally to changes in lighting. Together these inputs connect the physical workspace with the digital terrarium, creating a system where both user actions and environmental conditions influence the experience.

Reflection and Next Steps

Opportunities for iteration

This prototype focused on validating the interaction between the physical lamp and the digital terrarium through rapid prototyping. By testing components on a breadboard, building simple Unity interactions, and iterating on the enclosure, I was able to quickly evaluate ideas and refine what worked. The process strengthened my ability to move between hardware, software, and physical form while improving details like button placement, lighting diffusion, and interaction timing.

If development continued, the next steps would include a competitive analysis of existing ambient focus products and digital environments, along with usability testing to observe how people interact with the focus states and plant feedback. Insights from this research would guide refinements to the interaction model, visual feedback, and physical design.

Viewing the full system.
The digital terrarium was designed to function at a widget sized scale so it can live quietly on the user’s screen without competing with other work. Keeping the scene small reinforces the idea of calm technology, allowing the system to remain peripheral while still providing gentle visual feedback that complements the physical lamp.