Overview
Zwerm ("swarm") is a visual ecosystem created by artist Nick Verstand, built from a set of Rotators: compact cylindrical light fixtures that behave as a single, coordinated flock. Each unit pairs one extremely bright industrial LED with a continuously rotating head, so even a small array can paint a space with sweeping beams, razor-sharp strobes and slow, breathing washes of light. Zwerm made its stage debut inside Verstand's audiovisual performance Within Without II. It was developed by a multidisciplinary team: Nick Verstand (concept and direction), Daniel de Bruin (mechanical and hardware), JDT Engineering (electronics and firmware), Wes Broersen (interaction and software), Wout Panis (production) and Robert-Jan Zuur (project and communications).
JDT Engineering's contribution
JDT Engineering designed the electronics and firmware at the heart of every Rotator. A custom controller PCB, built around an ARM Cortex-M7 (STM32H753) microcontroller, drives a 174 W industrial LED at 24-bit resolution and update rates above 1000 Hz. That headroom lets a single fixture move seamlessly from crisp stroboscopic effects all the way down to smooth, flicker-free dimming and near-invisible fades. A closed-loop encoder and servo system rotates the LED head with precise, continuous 360-degree control, so beams can be aimed and swept with repeatable accuracy. Each fixture also carries a low-latency gigabit-Ethernet switch, allowing units to daisy-chain onto one network and respond to industry-standard OSC, Art-Net and sACN. Beyond the design work, JDT managed production, on-site installation and ongoing field service and repair for the touring units.
Key features
- Custom ARM Cortex-M7 (STM32H753) controller board in every fixture
- 174 W industrial LED with 24-bit dimming at 1000+ Hz, from strobe to invisible
- Closed-loop encoder and servo drive for precise, continuous 360-degree rotation
- Built-in gigabit-Ethernet switch; daisy-chainable OSC / Art-Net / sACN control
- Compact cylindrical housing (~140 mm diameter) engineered for touring
Watch
Video: Koninklijk Theater Carré (via YouTube)
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