In one of my classes at RISD, we are doing a small physical computing project using an IPAC controller and ActionScript. I’ve been working on a field of mechanical tulips that fill with water when it rains and knock against one another, releasing the water and setting them upright again. When a gust of wind blows through, they activate in a neat wave pattern. A sketch I did for the visual representation of this switch is seen below - click on the applet and play with your keyboard to check it out.