Leave it to the Japanese to refine the perfected process of growing a bonsai into an even more magical object using technology. A startup based in Kyushu, Japan has developed a mechanism that lets bonsai trees levitate and spin endlessly, recalling the out-of-this-world bonsai concepts found in Hayao Miyazaki animations. The project could make its way to your your home since it has been launched as a campaign on Kickstarter.
The "Air Bonsai" floats through a magnetic base, which is 15 cm in diameter. The technology used is the same as the magnetic levitation system used in the OM/One speaker, which allows an object to float an inch above the base. The use of this mechanism, however, with something organic and artistic like the bonsai plant is quite clever. The developers managed to incorporate the technology, with wee plants and the Japanese traditional "monozukuri" (craftmanship), according to Engadget. Watch the bonsai levitate in the video below.
The Hoshinchu Air Bonsai Garden startup has already achieved its $80,000 funding goal and it still has 36 days remaining on Kickstarter. Those interested can still back the campaign and, for $200, they will receive an Air Bonsai set, which will begin shipping in August. The startup can only ship the base and the "little star," the floating orb where the bonsai is planted since it is barred from exporting certain plants outside Japan. To solve this problem, it has partnered with bonsai makers out of the country such as in the U.S. to provide the actual plant in the kit, Mashable reported.
