Embodied Deformations

Wearable Interaction research Using Conductive Elastomers

HCI / Wearables / Soft material ecology / Soft interactions / Material affordances / Speculative design

Mentors: Lukas Franciszkiewicz, Robin Hoske, Felix Rasehorn, Frank Clemans

Collaborator: Christopher Bascucci

Embodied Deformations is an applied material research project that speculates on new forms of Human computer interaction through motion sensing using conductive elastomers synthesized at the High Performance Ceramics Laboratory[↗] at EMPA. Building on the outcomes of the applied material research[↗] , the project explores the interaction affordances of soft wearable interfaces fabricated using FDM-printed conductive elastomers laminated with textile and adhered to different parts of the body, providing embodiment. The research focused on understanding the material's behavior, translating its properties into wearable interaction designs, identifying meaningful contexts for their application, and communicating their potential through visual speculation. The resulting concepts reveal the untapped possibilities of soft technological materials for embodied interaction, highlighting future applications in sports science, dance, movement analysis, motion capture and gestural interfaces.

Wearable designed and speculated for sports science

Wearable designed and speculated for gestural interaction with technology

Wearable designed and speculated for dance science

Prototype used to detect wrist - angle and angular velocity

Pellet based elastomer 3d printing (FDM)