Haute Tech Keyboard Jeans

Erik De Nijs designed jeans with an integrated soft keyboard, called Beauty and the Geek. The pants have a softkeyboard integrated across the front so when you sit, it is naturally located where you would place an external keyboard. A mouse is conveniently connected to the back pocket and there are a pair of "crotch rocking" speakers located in the knees.

The absurdity and humor of the keyboard pants capitalizes on "Geek" culture and fashion. Described by Vous Pensez, It "is the perfect solution for Googling quick exits while running from the fashion police." The most hilarious function is a gamers joystick located behind the zipper. By placing it there, Nijs forces the wearer to put their hand down their pants to control the game, making a comment on game culture and the persona of gamers.

Nijs could have prototyped this garment by attaching hard plastic controllers to a pair of pants. Instead, he used a variety of soft-switches and controllers that are becoming more readily available on the market, such as Fibretronic's wearable remote control and ElekTex's fabric keypads, to seamlessly integrate into the garment. Aside from the humorous implementation, the result offers a new platform for interaction that is soft, flexible, and technically functional.

Additional info at talk2myshirt.

Touch-Sensitive Apparel

Yasmine Abbas and Cati Vaucelle are currently working on a project called Touch-Sensitive. Through their low-fidelity prototypes, they are asking the question: "What if objects that people carry with them and even carry on them could offer this sensory comfort that they seem to seek? ... Touch·Sensitive allows the diffusion of tactile information through computational and mechanical technologies. It is a computerized touch therapy apparel whose modular pieces can be integrated within the clothing... [and] provides individuals with a sensory cocoon."

What intrigues me about this investigation is that they aim to seamlessly integrate the technology directly into the fabrics so that it's hidden but functional. The technology then informs the aesthetics of both form and behavior, without feeling like an add-on.

Digitally printed fashion

Mashallah Design and Linda Kostowski have created incredibly beautiful garments using an unfolding polygon method that is commonly used by industrial designers to explore dimensional forms through paper models. It's a terrific example of an innovative use of technology that directly informs the aesthetics of the garment. Here's how they describe the process:

"Three people are portrayed digitally by scanning their bodies. The output of this scan is a 3D file, which resolution is defined by the amount of polygons, similar to pixels in a bitmap. ... The 3D data is turned into 2D sewing patterns by the use of the unfolding function which is a common tool in the industrial design process to make paper models with, the single fabric pieces and the inner interface which defines the edges are cut out by the help of a lasercutter."

Source via Makezine.

Skin as the electronic platform

Philips Design has a series of projects that explore the body and skin as the platform for electronics. One of the project called SkinTiles by Lucy McRae, consists of electronic sensing jewelry that adheres directly to the skin. As described by Philips, "It is a new genre of product; a generation of wireless, stick-on body sensors that re-define traditional body adornment."

In another project called Skin:Tattoo, the technology is directly integrated into the skin to form a reactive tattoo. The tattoo responds to touch, which changes and morphs the shape and design. Together, the projects make a statement on the sensuality and intimate aspect of technology that we wear as our second skin, and in this case, as our skin itself. They also explore an implementation of technology that is directly integrated into the aesthetics of our own bodies.

Dressing in technology

Jean-Baptiste Labrune, Dana Gordon, Michel De Meere, and Dirk Van Oosterbosch hosted a workshop called Designing Hybrid Wearables at Mediamatic in Amsterdam. The workshop aims to focus on merging communication technology with the things you wear. Here's how they describe it:

"More and more objects are being connected to networks, and become carriers, collectors, and transmitters of various kinds of data. ... We're not just talking about pimping your outfit - we're investigating the electronic extrapolation of the role of clothing and fashion. And we're looking at transferring possibilities of other communication devices to clothing, where they may find a more natural home..."

The topics they explored ranged from clothes as media, social possibilities of RFID technology, tangible interfaces, conductive materials, and seamlessly integrating communication technology into garments.

Girls hacking footwear

The growing Do-It-Yourself (DIY) culture is a terrific platform for designers to innovate and explore new designs for wearable technology without having to rely on engineers and developers to build proof-of-concepts. Norene Leddy hosted a workshop called Project Walkway at Eyebeam that invited teenage girls to create their own technology-infused footwear. The workshop was inspired by Leddy’s Aphrodite project, which is a DIY kit that allows you to electronically enhance platform shoes.

What’s great about this workshop in additional to using DIY techniques to explore potential designs, is that Leddy aims to introduce teenage girls to electronics and wearable technology by hacking an electronics kit originally targeted to boys called a “Macho Meter”. Here’s how they describe it:

"A foam platform shoe is outfitted with the "Macho Meter," an electronics kit designed for young boys that uses basic circuitry and LED lights. The Eyebeam Center's Girl Eye View program adapted the Macho Meter into a technical fashion statement during the Project Walkway program."

More info can be found on the Project Walkway blog.