There are different types of challenges when it comes to product design. Explaining how a quantum computer works is definitely not one of the easiest. However, this is exactly the task that was brought forward: Together with Lucid, a design agency, we were commissioned by ETH Zurich to design an object for the WEF that would give exhibition visitors an understanding of this complex topic.

While a normal computer operates with 0 and 1, a quantum computer does so on several levels simultaneously and overlapping. Waves illustrate this very well. When several waves meet, it is precisely this kind of overlap that occurs. The pond of possibilities, an interactive light and water installation, makes it possible to understand these so-called interferences in a playful way. When visitors step into the circle of light, they trigger waves via sensors. When adding obstacles such as a triangle or a bar (double-slit experiment), the effect of the waves can be further illustrated.