ELSIE — Budget & Implementation

Whitepaper — v0.1 — 2026

Budget & Implementation Plan

Layer 01 — Physical Production

The Objects

Two machines. Budgeted separately — the production unit is the extended version; the claw machine is the core.

01A

Production Unit extended

Where the Puppet Is Made

Puppets — 100 Units Materials + production

€500 – 2,000

Print / Marking Station Device for remote customisation output

€200 – 800

Production Unit Hardware Cabinet, screen, input interface, network module

€300 – 1,000

Sublayer Subtotal €1,000 – 3,800

puppet enters the tube

01C

The Passage

Pneumatic Transit

Transparent Acrylic Tube — Custom Fabrication Diameter sized for puppet, length depends on venue

€300 – 1,200

Compressor + Valve System Pneumatic mechanism, controllable trigger

€200 – 600

Structural Mount + Installation Ceiling or wall rigging — venue dependent

€150 – 500

Sublayer Subtotal €650 – 2,300

puppet arrives — contestation begins

01B

Claw Machine

Where the Puppet Is Contested

Claw Machine — Custom Build Cabinet + mechanism + electronics + network module

€1,500 – 3,500

Installation Infrastructure Transport, power, on-site setup

€200 – 800

Sublayer Subtotal €1,700 – 4,300

objects built — token logic is written

Layer 02 — Blockchain Integration

The Token Infrastructure

Smart Contract Development ERC-721 with governance weight logic

€800 – 2,000

Technical Audit / Consultation 1–2 sessions with a Solidity dev to validate before deploy

€200 – 600

Pre-minting 100 Tokens Gas fees — depends on chain and timing

€50 – 300

IPFS / Metadata Hosting Pinata or similar — annual plan

€0 – 120 / yr

Layer Subtotal €1,050 – 2,920

Chain recommendation: Base or Polygon — low gas fees, EVM-compatible, increasingly adopted in cultural/art NFT contexts. Avoid mainnet Ethereum for v0.1.

tokens exist — interface is built

Layer 03 — Web Application

The Interface

Remote Participation App Claw machine control + waiting list + governance UI

€4,000 – 8,000

Hardware Interface (claw → web bridge) Raspberry Pi or Arduino + WebSocket layer

€80 – 200

Hosting + Domain elsie.world — already active; server costs annual

€100 – 300 / yr

Layer Subtotal €4,180 – 8,500

system is live — campaign begins

Layer 05 — Installation & Logistics

The Move

Freight — Local / Vienna Specialist art transport, three custom machines

€300 – 800

Freight — Within Europe Crated transport, insured, door to venue

€1,500 – 4,000

Assembly & Deinstallation Labour 2–3 people, 2–4 days per show

€600 – 2,400

Venue Adaptation Power supply, rigging, wall or ceiling mounts for tube

€300 – 1,500

Storage Between Shows Climate-appropriate unit, three machines — per month

€150 – 400 / mo

Layer Subtotal — per show €1,200 – 4,700

Transport and installation costs are per show.

Layer 06 — PR & Campaign

The Launch

Documentation / Photography Installation shoot + process documentation

€200 – 600

Printed Matter Zine, cards, or physical collateral — optional

€0 – 400

Opening Event Venue (if not covered by host), drinks, comms

€0 – 800

Press & Outreach Via existing network — no paid PR for v0.1

—

Layer Subtotal €200 – 1,800

totals

Total — Two Scenarios

Budget Range

Minimum Viable

Lean Launch

≈ €8,500

Claw machine only. No production unit, no tube. Puppets pre-made, no customisation layer. Proof of concept — the governance logic works but the full arc is absent.

Full Launch

Production-Grade

≈ €28,000

All three machines, full app, polished fabrication, contract dev, audit, documentation, opening event, printed matter.

The ranges reflect external costs only. Development, contract work, and outreach are not costed here — they represent the project's own contribution, which can be documented separately for grant applications.

budget set — phases unfold

Implementation — Phase Plan

The Sequence

Foundation — Contracts + Concept Lock Write and audit ERC-721 contract. Finalise puppet design and production spec. Lock governance ruleset v0.1. Duration: 3–5 weeks.

Build — Machine + App + Tokens Fabricate claw machine. Produce puppet run. Develop web interface and hardware bridge. Pre-mint 100 tokens on chain. Duration: 6–10 weeks.

Integration Test — Private Run Full system test: physical + online simultaneously. Token transfer on claim. Governance override tested. Bugs documented. Duration: 1–2 weeks.

Venue + Context — Placement Decision Confirm first venue: gallery, festival, or institutional host. This shapes PR strategy and opening format. Can run in parallel with Phase 02.

Launch — Installation + Campaign Open installation. Activate online channel. Begin token distribution. Document everything from day one. PR via network: Web3, art, governance communities.

∞

Iteration — Governance Evolves First override event triggers v0.2 ruleset. Budget for iteration factored into subsequent funding rounds or revenue from token sales.

No fixed deadline is a feature, not a gap. The installation runs until the community changes it. Milestones are internal — the public-facing timeline is the governance log.

€

Funding — Potential Sources

Where the Money Comes From

Grants

Token Sales

Institutional Co-production

Collector Acquisition

Grants Austrian Cultural Fund (SKE), Netidee, European Media Art platforms, Web3 Foundation small grants. ELSIE fits "experimental media + governance" categories well.

Token Pre-sale / Collector Edition A numbered edition of tokens sold before the machine is active — buyers receive governance weight before anyone else. Funds production directly.

Institutional Co-production Gallery or festival hosts the installation in exchange for co-production credit. Reduces venue and PR costs significantly. Serpentine trajectory makes this viable.