Today we were lucky enough to have a visit from a Makerbot and his maker, Tiago Rorke. Besides giving a demonstration of the 3D printer, and a run down on digital fabrication techniques, Tiago also brought in what he is probably best known for, his latest project that has been traveling the world quite a bit lately, his Tardigotchi.

To paraphrase Wired UK who explains, the Tardigotchi is an artwork that features two pets: a tiny living organism and a virtual representation of that organism that behaves analogously, known as an artificial-life avatar. Both are encased within a portable computing enclosure comprised of a brass sphere housing the avatar on an LED screen and a tardigrade within a prepared slide.

Owners tend to a real and virtual creature simultaneously. By pushing a button, the virtual pet is fed, which in turn will feed the tardigrade with a watery medium clouded with atomised moss particles — delicious nectar to the moss-dwelling mortal.

For the uninitiated, a tardigrade is a common and hardy microorganism measuring less than half a millimetre long and commonly (and wonderfully) known as water bears or moss piglets. They are water-dwelling, segmented animals with eight legs and they apparently walk in a way that resembles a bear’s gait, hence the “water bear” nickname.

The on-screen avatar is a caricature of our little water bear, which behaves partly autonomously but partly triggered by its real-life counterpart’s activities.

If you want to share some virtual love with Tardigotchi try sending an email to the virtual creature, tardigotchi@tardigotchi.com, which will trigger a heating lamp, to temporarily warm the tardigrade and prompt his pixelated avatar to soak up the animated sun. He also has a Facebook page.

Tiago will be running a NearLab workshop with us at the end of March in Lisbon. Stay tuned or refer to the eventbrite events page here.

NearInteraction was lucky enough to spend a day with Pedro Santos from StartUp Coffee Lisbon right here in our offices in Chiado. Amongst the multiple cups of, you guessed it, coffee, we strategised customer relationships, customer segments, cost structures, revenue streams, output channels, key partners, resources and activities and value propositions – fascinating stuff, and soon our walls were covered in post-its and ideas.

Pedro has an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship, is currently organising i9 Conference a technology innovation conference that will bring together leading entrepreneurs, thinkers, influencers and investors from Europe and the United States to inspire innovation and entrepreneurship, and can be otherwise found facilitating StartUp Weekends and StartUp Coffee in his spare time.