I Love Things Aquatic,

fish, invertebrates, and plants,

and thought I had seen examples of most groups,

 until I saw these, 

 they are called Hydrophytes, (a plant that grows only in or on water), also known as an aquatic macrophyte, they must either be completely submerged in water, or in some cases be allowed to float on the surface of the water,

 and they are big,

 and colorful,

and can, dependent upon the species, really move,

so how come I had not heard of them before? because they are not real! using modeling software and multi-material 3D printing, industrial designer Nicole Hone created a series of 4D-printed futuristic aquatic plants, or Hydrophytes, while working on her Master of Design Innovation thesis at Victoria University of Wellington, Hone learned about plans to redesign the National Aquarium in New Zealand. She thought that it would be interesting to develop a “future-focused exhibition” with moving models as an interactive installation for visitors. She began making test prints and discovered that the models moved best in water, which eventually became the pieces used in Hydrophytes, I have resized the above video, if you want to see the full size version have a look here, what an amazing series of creatures.