Humans seem to be obsessed1 with things that float, like hoverboards, UFOs and levitating2 Bluetooth speakers. A Kickstarter project wants to extend that love for the defiance3 of gravity to plant life. Air Bonsai4 uses the power of magnetic levitation5 to float small trees grown and groomed6 through the Japanese art of bonsai.
从悬浮滑板、飞碟，到悬浮音箱，人们往往对浮在空中的东西很是着迷。这股“悬浮风”甚至吹到了植物界：圆梦网上就有个名为空中盆栽的众筹项目。这种源于日本的盆栽艺术利用了磁悬浮原理，能让植物浮在空中。
Air Bonsai uses the same principle we've seen before in this floating chessboard and this UFO-inspired levitating speaker.
Repelling7 magnets push away from each other, allowing the plant container to float above the base. The creators refer to the floating plants as "little stars."
The effect is magical. The tiny trees float gently and spin slowly like imaginative creations from an anime. Some of them look like dainty planets with
cratered8 surfaces. Small pines are what most people are familiar with when it comes to bonsai, but the Air Bonsai can also be used to grow other
flora9 like
mosses10 and flowering plants.
Shipping11 live plants can be a challenge. Air Bonsai plans to use locally sourced plants for backers in the US. Backers in most other countries will have to provide their own bonsai.
There seems to be a lot of interest in magnetic gardening. The project blew away its original $80,000 funding goal and has attracted over $185,000 in funding so far with one month left to run.
A basic Air Bonsai set that includes the growing container, "energy base," a cushion, a box and an AC adapter starts at a $200 pledge price. Keep in mind that not all crowdfunding projects deliver on time or as expected.
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