False-Nectar-Flower
3D-printed orchid with an Arduino-controlled feeding mechanism that conditions live bees through a Pavlovian liquid-detection circuit.
A 3D resin-printed orchid fitted with a silicone tube feeding mechanism for live honey bees. The tube contains a sensor measuring liquid volume; when a bee feeds, the sensor detects the decrease and reactivates a pump, simultaneously illuminating a blue LED. The circuit conditions the bees to associate the light with the presence of sugar water. Components: Arduino, stepper motor, LED, silicone tubing. The work applies a Pavlovian conditioning structure to the relationship between insect and flower, using the orchid — a genus already known for elaborate deceptive morphology — as its form.
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