With the integration of soft circuits into textiles, apparels are changing its role from just covering a person’s body to changing visual characteristics with the physical movement of the wearer.
The latest development in the field of e-textiles is a project “Karma Chameleon” which aims at developing a collection of interactive electronic garments that will change their visual characteristics, their color and their shape, in response to physical movements of the wearer. Karma Chameleon is a project by Ms. Joanna Berzowska, founder & research director of XS Labs – a design research studio with a focus on innovation in the fields of electronic textiles and reactive garments, in collaboration with Maksim Skorobogatiy, professor in the Department of Engineering Physics at École Polytechnique de Montréal, Canada.
Speaking to fibre2fashion, Prof. Joanna Berzowska said, “The project aims to develop a collection of interactive electronic garments constructed out of a new generation of composite fibers that are able to harness power directly from the human body, store that energy, and then use it to change their own visual properties. The core technical innovation involves shifting this functionality entirely within the fiber itself.”
“The technologies and techniques of craft-based practices - weaving, stitching, embroidery, knitting, beading, or quilting - and the exciting possibilities afforded by modern materials with various electro-mechanical properties,” form the background for the work, according to Prof. Berzowska. This involves the development of enabling technologies, methods, and materials in the form of soft electronic circuits and composite fibers.
“Our projects often criticize the traditional task-based and utilitarian definitions of functionality in Human Computer Interaction (HCI). We consider the soft, playful, and magical aspects of these materials, so as to better adapt to the contours of the human body and the complexities of human needs and desires,” she explains.
