Artist creates themed dress sculptures in all 50 states

Nevada's Casino Chip Dress

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Intelligent Textile Pants for the Elderly

Physorg published an article describing the work of a Virginia Tech engineering team which designed pants that contain various sensors and transmitting technologies which integrate the monitoring and motion activity of the wearer. The pants are built specifically to detect motion patterns indicative of someone falling.

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DJ Hoodie

Developed by Mika Satomi and Clemens Pichler, DJ Hoodie is a pair of conjoined wearables that allow two performers to engage in a DJ battle.

Mixing the old with the new, the hoodies function as a wearable interface used to sample and alter sounds from cassette tapes.

The performers are linked to each other via a knit stretch sensor that connects the hoods of the two garments. As the performers bow and tilt their heads tugging on the sensor, the parameters for the filters are changed thereby effecting the sound.

video here

Cute Circuit Galaxy LED Dress

Cute Circuit has its Galaxy Dress on display aat the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. This dazzling dress features 24,000 LEDs and is a truly stunning piece of tech clothing. The dress is made with 2mm by 2mm LEDs woven into a silk chiffon and organza crinoline fabrics. This makes the dress more flowing and wearable. Power comes from several

iPod batteries that are hidden into the garment itself. This is perhaps the most tasteful LED garment to date.

See it here

The little black dress with a built in mobile phone

The little black dress is an essential part of any girl’s wardrobe. And if this design from CuteCircuit is any indication it could soon also be essential for staying in touch too. The M-dress is a little black number that has a mobile phone built into it. The wearer answers the dress by lifting their arm to their head as if they were holding one of those passé mobile phone handsets and disconnects once they lower their hand.

Full article here

Sewing Machine as Musical Instrument

Conductive textiles have been used to create a number of novel interactive

musical instruments but Lara Grant's use of the sewing machine as a musical instrument is by far one of my favorites.

Lara modified a sewing machine so that the needle and conductive piece of fabric that is being sewn functions as a switch. Every time the needle makes a stitch it also plays a note.

Additionally, the machine can record and play back musical loops.

see video here

Charming Burqa

CHARMING BURKA

Markus Kison (http://www.markuskison.de/)

The Charming Burka deals with Freud's idea that all clothes can be positioned between appeal and shame. The Burka was chosen because it is often positioned on the side of shame. Then a digital layer was added to it so that women can decide for themselves where they want to position themselves virtually. The Burka sends an image, chosen by the wearer, via bluetooth. Every person next to her can receive her picture via mobile phone and see the woman's self-determined identity. The laws of the Koran are not broken, so the Charming Burka allows the possibility of living a more western life, which some Muslim women desire today. The Charming Burka is realised with the bluetooth marketing solution Bluebot developed by Haase & Martin, the mobile marketing company in Dresden/Germany.

*Read about the French burqa ban

Fabrican: Spray-on Clothing

"A Spanish fashion designer has developed the world's first spray-on clothing that can be worn, washed and worn again.

Manel Torres joined forces with scientists at Imperial College London to invent the spray, which forms a seamless fabric on contact with the body."

read the article and watch a video here
check out the Fabrican website