Making Programmable Mist Makers: Mist as a Creative Medium
What if mist was a creative medium you could quickly prototype, shape, scent, and network? In this hands-on workshop, you’ll build a Programmable Mist Maker from scratch using a custom open-source PCB (OSHWA #US002742) and a Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-C6 microcontroller.
The Mist Maker uses a piezoelectric disc driven by an LC resonant circuit to generate ultrasonic mist, the same core technology inside household humidifiers, but fully open and programmable. You’ll solder the board, assemble the mist module with a piezo disc and cotton wick, and write Arduino code to control mist timing, intensity, and patterns. You can also add scent to the water reservoir, turning your mist maker into a programmable fragrance diffuser.
Because the board is battery-powered and the ESP32-C6 supports Wi-Fi, BLE, and ESP-NOW, the real possibilities open up after assembly.
Place one on your desk as a humidifier that responds to room conditions, pair one with a soil moisture sensor for automated plant care, or use it as a tangible notification device that puffs scented mist when you get a message. Connect multiple mist makers together over ESP-NOW and they can respond to each other across a room, creating an ambient, atmospheric sense of connection between spaces and people. Mist becomes a programmable output just like light, sound, or vibration, but one you can feel on your skin and smell in the air.
This workshop is suitable for beginners with no soldering experience. All components and tools are provided. Participants keep their completed Mist Maker kit and can start building their own misty projects right away.
About the Workshop Leaders
David Yang is a creative technologist devoted to crafting meaningful, joyful experiences that reveal the subtle ways people connect and communicate. His practice centers on building open hardware tools for artistic and scientific exploration, with work created in collaboration with artists and studios including MORAKANA for NEW INC Demo 2025 and Shop Cat for the Macy’s Holiday Windows.
Shuang cai is a multimedia artist, creative technologist, and curator born in Beijing and currently based in NYC. Shuang holds a graduate degree from NYU Interactive Telecommunications Program and a dual bachelor’s degree from Bard College Computer Science and Studio Art program. Their art practice is often concerned with philosophy, logic, interactions, and interpersonal dynamics. Currently, they are writing and curating for LATITUDE Gallery New York.
