We may be moving into Autumn, but this project will put a "spring" in your step and proves that there are still some cool Raspberry Pi projects that are blossoming in the community. Today we’ve got a beautiful project to share with you by maker and developer Hannu Hell. Using the Raspberry Pi Pico, they've created a mechanical light sensitive flower that relies on solar panels for power.

The idea was to create something similar to a sunflower but totally mechanical. When the flower detects light, it actives servo motors to rotate and position itself toward the light source.     According to Hannu Hell, the flower can last quite a while in a well-lit area without the need to be manually recharged.

The flower has 6 petals fitted with RGB NeoPixel LEDs and the petals are capable of independent movement. It also has a stem consisting of three components, two of which can move. When light is detected, the pieces with solar panels automatically orient so they receive as much light as possible from the source.

The body was designed by Hannu Hell in Fusion 360 and 3D printed. The main board behind the project is a Raspberry Pi Pico working alongside a custom PCB Hannu Hell developed just for this project. Connected to the Pico is an ST7735 TFT display module that serves as a simple interface for the flower that can display the date and time thanks to a DS1307 real-time clock module. It also relies on 8 servos and a couple of servo driver boards to handle the motion.