Cushion controls by Droog Design

[gallery] I love these playful and simple cushion controls created by Didier Hilhorst and Nicholas Zambetti at Droog Design a few years ago. The project consists of different cushions each with its own function: one for the channels, one for the power, one for the volume and so on. The project aims to transform the fights over “who has the remote” into playful cushion fights. Like most of Droog's work, the project is conceptually strong as they change our perspective on the core interaction by re-imagining it and turning it into play.

Continue reading on didierandnicholas.com and droog.com. Images from didierandnicholas.com.

Energy-producing wellies that charge your devices

[gallery] Wearable technology has its challenges, especially with how they get powered. Here's a great energy-harvesting solution created by orange in collaboration with gotwind. Together, they created energy producing wellie boots that enable users to charge their phone or other mobile gadgets. The prototype wellies "use a unique ‘power generating sole’ that converts heat from your feet into an electrical current. This ‘welectricity’ can then be used to re-charge your mobile phone." Continue reading on gotwind.org.

Images from gotwind.

3lectromode aims to commercialize wearable technology

[gallery] Canadian designer Valerie Lamontagne of 3lectromode has a vision to innovate in the field of wearable technology with the aim to commercialize. Her latest creation, the Asymmetrical Dress focuses on making wearable technology accessible via her online store. The dress includes LEDs designed to respond to changing luminosity data. At the whopping price of $500 for ready-to-wear, the garment is experimenting with an audience but is still a bit  expensive for broader markets. She also offers a kit for $250 so you can make it yourself.

What's interesting about this project is the idea of commercializing a technology-embedded garment. Overall, we still have a ways to go to reach a broader audience.

Read more about this project on talk2myshirt.com or 3lectromode. Images from 3lectromod.

Smart textiles integrated into your dashboard

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.

Low-resolution modeled footwear

I girl can never own enough footwear. So, in my never-ending quest for shoes that I can't live without, I ran across these beauties created by United Nude founded by the drooling-ly fabulous architect Rem Koolhaas. What's interesting about these shoes is the way in which the surface was designed. The designers at United Nude have been pushing the limits of 3d modeling techniques. The surface pattern of this shoe named "Lo Res" was created by scanning in a 3D model of a shoe, then reducing the model's polygons down to the lowest resolution and smallest file size. As a result, the surface celebrates the model's minimal polygons as if it was stolen from a Second Life avatar.

Related posts: Digitally Printed Fashion

Vital Jacket monitors heart rate

"All sorts of huge machines are used by hospitals to monitor a patient’s vitals, but with the pace in which technology is miniaturizing, there are no real doubts about fabrics becoming the next genuine machines...

We’ve seen wearable technology on a maturing track, and the Vital Jacket is yet another case in point. Combining textiles with innovative medical diagnostic technology, BioDevices has unveiled this wearable vital-signs monitoring system." source

I love how this concept is both functional and aesthetically beautiful. They weren't shy about hiding the sensing materials and circuitry and use it as the main aesthetic element. As a runner who uses a hard-cased heart monitor, I would replace that with this product immediately. It provides freedom of movement and it's gorgeous.

For related postings, The Future of Things has a couple of interesting articles about bio-sensors integrated into clothing and the challenges inventors and designers are facing: