focused, or nervous students generating
the vibe of the space.
A “typical” day in our lab is filled
with lively, inspirational, often
unexpected events and activities. The
range of activities varies from cutting
and pasting scientific submissions
or knitted fabrics, to soldering and
sewing haptic pillows, to sketching and
prototyping bed sheets or storytelling
services. Throughout the day, questions
from others and visits from guests
shift people’s attention from current
activities to new opportunities.
In a self-maintaining and open lab,
everybody shares skills and knowledge,
helps fix the machines, and introduces
new materials and best practices.
These material explorations,
prototypes, and sketches are openly
tried out and discussed to get
collaboration going in a critical and
constructive way. For example, the
final results of a fashion shoot lead
to a strategic discussion on how to
visualize embodied wearables in
research. Meanwhile, the fashion intern
is discussing the details of a sewing
pattern with a researcher, who wears
the garment herself to optimize
the position of the vibration motors in
relation to the silhouette of the garment.
As the lab is also an inspirational test
bed for the regional industry, we often
welcome visitors and show them our
prototypes to inspire them and inform
them about the opportunities and
challenges of integrating computing
and smart textiles.
What is one feature of your lab that
you could not do without? We are
convinced that developing valuable
wearables requires a hands-on
approach that actively involves all
stakeholders, including the intended
user, from a very early stage. It was
only through this approach, working
on smart textiles in the context of
wearables, that we became aware of the
bottlenecks that we need to resolve in
order to make progress. Actually, we
found that creating an approach for
the design of smart textiles is almost a
design process in itself. In this process
the whole context of the development
of smart textiles for well-being is
created and becomes alive, leading to
a community of practitioners who help
and challenge each other. From this
process we gained a better awareness
of the real challenges within this
field. We are sure we have identified
some necessary ingredients, such
→ Construction and finished detail on Vibe-ing, a merino wool garment that invites the body to feel, move, and heal through vibration therapy.
Moreover, WS has developed a
strong network of industry partners
(regional, national, and international)
and in this way receives support
on different levels from both the
textile and the electronics world.
The composition of the staff reflects
our relation with industry. Industry
professionals have an important role
in coaching students and extending
the network by involving clients from
industry who can propose design briefs
for students. For example, Marina
Toeters, who combines her work as a
fashion designer with student coaching
at WS, developed the design brief
Worn Identity, where students have
to think about the societal impact of
customizable and interactive fashion
and design product-service systems for
these opportunities. By having industry
and other stakeholders involved in
setting up these design briefs, we make
sure the projects have a level of societal
relevance. Finally, industry collaborates
with WS on the realization of projects
developed by students and researchers.
Describe a day in the life of your lab.
The general rhythm and mood of the
lab is vibrant. Depending on the phase
of the semester, we have either curious,
INTERACTIONS.ACM.ORG 18 INTERACTIONS JULY–AUGUST2014
DAY IN
THE LAB
