A three piece set, representing three of my neighborhood "adoptees" - all sisters. While they appear to be somewhat familiar static turnings, they in fact are dynamic - changing their appearance over time.
In addition to their differences in appearance, each sister also has a unique behavior, two of which are dependent on what's going on around them - specifically in the amount of light falling on them.
Each piece uses a micro-computer/controller to which hidden components are connected and controlled. The Middle and Youngest sisters have light detectors incorporated in them, along with Light Emitting Diodes which are triggered by the light detector. The one on the left also has a small speaker inside which puts out sounds - based on how much or how little light is falling on its light detecting sensor.
To convey what these pieces DO requires video. I hope including a link to their videos doesn't violate any rules here/
The Youngest Sister's youtube vid
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=charlieb1946#p/u/12/QZJL
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The Middle Sister's youtube vid
http://www.youtube.com/user/charlieb1946#p/u/12/Uo4xLYxGGG4
The Oldest Sister's youtube vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp4NZDfjp60
More about two of these pieces here
http://web.hypersurf.com/~charlie2/Turning/Arduino/Arduino3.html
Questions, comments, constructive criticism, suggestions all welcomed.