Liquid crystal textiles

Fashion designer Joshua Hupper of AlphaMicron is working with liquid crystal technology that he's applying to garments. The technology is similar to that found in many flat-panel HDTV displays. AlphaMicron originally applied the technology to sunglass lenses, which tint when exposed to sunlight or with a push of a button.

But Hupper wanted to go beyond just eyewear by asking: "How could we use [liquid crystal technology] to serve sort of an aesthetic that people hadn't really seen before?" (source). So he began experimenting with the technology by applying them to fabrics. The fringe on the above skirt gradually changes color. And in the dress below, the sequence gets darker when the sunlight shines on them.

 (image source via CNN)

I've seen a lot of experiments with color-changing textiles using thermochromatic inks that change color when heat is applied. However, integrating liquid crystal technology into fabrics could result in a beautiful aesthetic that offers new opportunities for reactive textiles.

Sources via CNN and Business.

Reacting to positive touch

Alison Lewis created Closer, a project that reinforces values of kindness, fun and play through positive touch. The project consists of two garments that she completed for her thesis work at Parsons in New York.

As described by Lewis: "Current technologies lack the larger social and emotional languages of our senses: touch, taste, and smell. Of the basic senses, direct human touch is fundamental to our well being. Touch gives and receives comfort and joy; it also expresses love, care and support. The physical and emotional disconnect which occurs with the lack of positive touch denies us of the richness of the human experience." As a response, Lewis created two garments. The first is Patsy, a pullover that translates touch to sound. It responds to gestures such as hugging or gently holding the wearer. The second is Filly, a garment that translates touch to light. The light changes and represents the number of positive touches. It even reacts to a lack of touch.

What is intriguing about this is the concept of using technology to affect social behavior. Not only is the technology aesthetically integrated into the garment, the function is used to express and reinforce positive behavior between people.

Copper-woven antennae

Christy Matson is a designer investigating the interaction of textiles and the possibilities when electronics are woven into them. Her recent project called Plain Weave Variations explores copper that is woven directly into the fabric to act as flexible antennae. As described by Matson, "When a viewer touches the weavings, the scores generated from the patterns on the weavings will be played for the viewer through speakers mounted on the wall." Matson is turning a simple fabric into a soft sonic material by weaving the copper directly into it.

What I love about this piece is that she adopts Martin Thompson's geometry-based aesthetics into her copper weaving, resulting in an interface that is seamlessly integrated into the fabric. And even the speaker is beautiful.

Exploring Smart Textiles

CuteCircuit hosted a workshop at Interface-University of Ulster, Belfast, that explored smart textiles and soft circuits. The workshop included textile designers from Interface Research Lab and resulted in some beautiful color-changing, shapeshifting, and light pattern textiles.

Rather than simply attaching displays to clothing, imagine a line of garments with gorgeous ambient displays like this integrated into the patterns that react and change depending on input from your environment or the people around.

Additional photos via Francesca [at] CuteCircuit's photostream.

Spray-on Solar Cells

(image source via Solar Power Technofix)

PYRON SOLAR INC., in cooperation with Boeing-Spectrolab has invented miniature spray-on solar cells that can be dissolved and printed onto flexible material and there's a lot of buzz about the opportunites that this new alternative source of power introduces.

Solar-Cells.com envisions the cells sprayed directly into garment textiles: "A sweater is already absorbing all sorts of light both in the infrared and the visible," said Sargent. "Instead of just turning that into heat, as it currently does, imagine if it were to turn that into electricity."

Xiaomei Jiang of the University of South Florida says: "I think these materials have a lot more potential than traditional silicon," Jiang said. "They could be sprayed on any surface that is exposed to sunlight — a uniform, a car, a house." (Source via MSNBC) And even our clothing.

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.