I met with Desney Tan at Microsoft Research today, who walked me through a few mind-blowing demos and prototypes he has recently developed. One of his prototypes demonstrates the capabilities of using on-body musclecomputer inputs that can be integrated into garments. Listening to Tan articulately describe a bloom of possibilities and how he sees the evolution of interfacing was incredibly inspiring. Just imagine the potential.
Read Tan's publication for more info.
This project, sent in from one of my colleagues, makes it clear that there are no boundaries to how technology can be integrated into textiles to create beautiful, useful and richly tactile experiences. Car Design News shows off Toyota's FT86 concept car. Here's an image of the interior dashboard. It includes traditional garment hardware, red zippers, located at each corner of the passengers side dash that control airflow and integrates the stereo controls directly into the leather. Hot.
Click the image to zoom in.
Hannah Perner-Wilson of Pulsea has been exploring knitted stretch sensing. She's got a great photoset here that documents her experiments. I wonder how accurate the sensors ended up being. She is also exploring a circular knitting machine. I can't wait to see if and when she'll make some machine-made knitted stretch sensors.
See related post: Stretch Sensing Creates a New Aesthetic
DIY wearable technology expert Diana Eng has launched a site called Fairytale Fashion in collaboration with Eyebeam. Here's how she describes the work: "Fairytale Fashion is using technology to create a collection of magical clothing in real life (with blooming flowers, transforming shapes, changing colors, etc.) for Feb. 2010. We share our work in weekly research and development web videos. You can help us create the designs by answering the design question at the end of each video."
Check out some of her interesting videos here and start getting some hands-on experience with some of the materials that she's exploring.
This review by the folks at Innovation in Textiles of the 5th annual Smart Fabrics Conference that took place in Rome this year is definitely worth the read for anyone who is interested in wearables. In a nutshell, the newly forming eTextile business sector is rapidly developing legs outside of research, educational institutions, and DIY enthusiasts toward consumer products and mass markets. Read the full review ›
I ran across this project while researching stretch sensing technology that is all the buzz right now. This gorgeous project, Aeolia, integrates stretch sensing directly into fabrics. "Each of the back forms incorporates the Merlin stretch sensor into an aesthetic exploration of textile technique mapped to the body." source What's interesting about this exploration is that the circuitry itself is integrated so beautifully and seamlessly into the fabric, that it creates a completely new aesthetic that also has the potential to fit comfortably and flexibly against the body. I would love to get my hands on a sample!
Whatch videos that demonstrate the material here.