AbigCUS is a colossal physical text display medium shaped like an abacus. It consists of 12 rows of beads, each containing five beads of distinct colors on each side. Each bead contains an inner magnet, and by moving a single-axis plotter electromagnet installed behind the display, each bead can be flipped to the appropriate color, completing the text or image. In essence, each bead functions as a pixel in the display. Although AbigCUS adopts the form of an abacus, it offers a unique experience by not moving its beads up and down but rotating them front and back to render content.
As a co-main designer of this project, I participated in all processes, including ideation, concept design, hardware manufacturing, and software development. In particular, I took the lead in exploring and designing the hardware mechanism.
