Good questions / Honest answers
A little
more clarity.
The idea is taking shape. Here’s what the prototype can do today, and what is still on the horizon.
Where things stand
Curiosity,
with context.
LiveSky is in development. These answers describe the current prototype, not a finished product or a promise of availability.
What is LiveSky?
LiveSky is a circular, touch-responsive aviation display in development. The idea is simple: bring the movement of nearby aircraft into your space as an ambient piece of desktop art, with more detail just a tap away.
Is it available to buy?
Not yet. LiveSky is a working software and hardware prototype. The final enclosure, price, availability and shipping plans have not been announced.
Are the aircraft on this website live?
No. The large display illustration is a design study with synthetic aircraft. The prototype image is an actual SDL/LVGL renderer capture using a synthetic test fixture. This website does not fetch live aircraft data.
What can the current prototype do?
The prototype is built for a Waveshare ESP32-P4 with a 720 × 720 circular touchscreen. Its software supports nearby aircraft, tap-to-open aircraft details, pinch-to-zoom, panning and recentering. Physical-board validation is ongoing; this is not a finalized consumer product.
Where does the flight information come from?
The prototype connects over Wi-Fi to the LiveSky service for aircraft observations. Coverage, available details and freshness depend on the data source. Delayed or unavailable data is marked; fictional traffic is never substituted when a live source fails.
Can I use it outside Greenville?
A custom home location is supported in the prototype configuration. The bundled map and airport overlay currently cover the Greenville, South Carolina area. Other locations show traffic without that regional basemap.
Does it show the weather?
Weather is a possible future direction, not a current feature. The present prototype is focused on aircraft and the experience of exploring the sky.
Is this an aviation instrument?
No. LiveSky is for enjoyment and curiosity. It is not suitable for navigation, air traffic control or safety-critical decisions.
Does the prototype need an internet connection?
Live aircraft observations require a configured Wi-Fi connection and access to the LiveSky service. The map is bundled locally. When data is delayed or unavailable, the display marks that state instead of replacing the missing observations with made-up flights.
What has been tested on the actual device?
The project includes shared-renderer tests, desktop interaction checks and firmware builds. Those checks do not by themselves prove the physical display, touch controller, Wi-Fi pairing or finished-product reliability. Physical-board validation remains ongoing.
A closer look
See the idea
in more detail.
Explore the aircraft view, touch controls and the way LiveSky makes room for the unexpected overhead.
Explore the product