ablackbu – Looking Outwards – 01

Fabric Keyboard:

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I came upon this video a bit by accident. I am very interested in wearable technology in soft-lines and this project by the Responsive Environments team at the MIT media lab. They created a device using a touch and stretch sensitive fabric to create sound. The fabric device can detect touch, proximity, pressure, stretch, and position. The implications for a soft, light and packable/wearable musical controller are endless.

As a designer interested in soft-lines, i deeply admire people that can push the bounds of how we think of fabrics. Adding technology to textiles (something that has been around for thousands of years) pushes and improves our experiences with clothing and personal objects.

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Embedding a musical device in clothing as they have started to explore has implications beyond the field of musical expression. Looking around my dorm room I am thinking of another example of this technology being put to use. Think about putting these sensors in your pillow in bed. Maybe when your head hits it it starts playing rain noise to help you fall asleep.

This is truly an amazing step in wearable and soft-line technology.

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