Fleeting States + Measured Values

Design Problem

How can we make invisible quantum phenomena—like the Bloch sphere, superposition, and entanglement—accessible to human senses through physical, interactive experiences while giving the audience a deeper understanding of quantum concepts?

Concept

We used a two-world concept to explain quantum computing phenomena—one world showing the invisible aspects, the other showing the visible. Science often operates at a scale too small for the human eye to perceive. This project explains the science behind invisible forces like superposition and entanglement through interactive human experiences.

The separation between worlds is analytical. On one hand, we have measurable values and probabilistic results in units—the way we're trained to interact with phenomena. On the other hand, superposition and entanglement are neither accessible to our senses nor measurable. So how can we depict both the visible and invisible aspects of quantum computing?

How It Works

The project has two components: a touchscreen interface and LED-mapped qubits. In the fleeting states world, qubits react to user interactions through changes in light and sound.

In the measured values world, users manipulate qubits by dragging quantum gates—like Hadamard, Rotation, and CNOT—onto individual qubits. A qubit is the basic unit of information in quantum computing. Gates alter the state a qubit exists in. As users drag gates, they can read about how each gate changed the qubit.

These changes appear immediately in the fleeting states world as shifts in color, intensity, and light movement. In the measured values world, changes appear only as statistical probabilities after measurement, revealing classical probability values. By exploring the interface and interacting with the physical installation in real time, users playfully gain insights into quantum principles.