Genetically Engineered Babies is an interactive installation that simulates the selection and purchase of a genetically engineered child. Combining five apple-baby sculptures, embedded electronics, sound, touchscreen interaction, and receipt printing, the work examines medically assisted reproduction, designer babies, and surrogate parenthood through the language of consumer culture.

Visitors begin by picking up a baby-shaped apple sculpture from a basket, triggering a touchscreen interface that reveals the baby’s genetic profile, projected traits, and assigned market value. They are then guided through a fictional checkout process ending with a printed receipt containing their name and the selected baby’s information. The apple babies respond physically to interaction—breathing softly when untouched, giggling when gently handled, and crying when moved roughly—blurring the boundary between product and person.

The project relates to the theme Speculative Futures by imagining a near future where reproductive technologies become fully integrated into market systems and consumer choice. By turning parenthood into a transactional experience, the work questions how biotechnology, optimization culture, and eugenic thinking may reshape ideas of value, care, and which kinds of lives are considered desirable.

Each apple sculpture contains an Arduino Nano ESP32 microcontroller, an MPU6050 accelerometer, a DFPlayer Mini audio module, a speaker, and a battery. Motion data triggers the speaker inside the apple form to play breathing, giggling, or crying sounds depending on how the sculpture is handled. The system operates through a local Wi-Fi network connecting the sculptures to a central touchscreen kiosk running a custom HTML/CSS/JavaScript interface hosted on an ESP32 web server using LittleFS and ESPAsyncWebServer. Visitors complete a simulated checkout process and sign digitally through an HTML5 canvas interface, producing a printed thermal receipt with their name on it.