Deformable Interactive Wearables – Creative Interactions Lab

We investigated novel ways a particular device and object can be deformed and be attached to garments and the body. In one project, we examined the potential of a novel deformable wearable device that embeds interactive technologies into garment buttons (on the right) and seek to enhance the form factor of buttons to incorporate deformation and motion as inputs. We surveyed garment buttons in everyday clothing to inform an exploratory study, where we investigated social acceptance and elicited interaction gestures using mockups. Our results indicate people mostly prefer smaller sizes, and regard sleeves as the most comfortable area to operate and look at when seen by others.

In another study, we proposed a simplified rapid fabrication technique that utilizes multi-material 3D printing for developing customizable and stretchable surfaces for mobile wearables with interactive capabilities embedded during the 3D printing process. Our prototype is called FlexiWear (on the left); it is a dynamic surface with embedded electronic components that can adapt to mobile body shape/movement and applied to contexts such as healthcare and sports wearables. Our approach aims to support rapid development and exploration of deformable surfaces that can adapt to body shape/movement.