This challenge comes from Robin Baumgarten 🌱🛠️ (@Robin_B), an Experimental Hardware Game Maker and blinkenlighter in Berlin who has supported some of our past events. Robin writes: "The [Graffathon] sounds awesome ... I've been reading a bit about cellular automata again recently, might be fun to try to adapt them to the LED strip arrays!" 🎄

Also known as Conway's Game of Life, this is a relatively simple algorithm to implement, that creates complex and visually intriguing dynamics. Check out the excellent introduction with sizecode by Inigo Quilez at https://iquilezles.org/articles/gameoflife/

Take a look at the OpenProcessing sketch running above, and the official P5.js Game of Life example for a great way to get started. Versions of this exist in pretty much every language, like Python and Rust. The more advanced P5 + Javascript project by Adrien Fabre (@statox) has interactive features.

We will have some LED strips on site which you're welcome to hack on. If you want to build an LED matrix, like the famous Biowall in Lausanne or maybe just a wee bit smaller.. the parts are best ordered online. You can find instructions and sources for an Arduino-based LED array here.

Check out also this multiplayer version: http://lifecompetes.com/