I filed reports for NPR "Day to Day" and Wired News today on the fourth annual Cyberfashion show at SIGGRAPH, the annual design convention that took place this week in Los Angeles. Both reports are accompanied by beaucoup photos — my eyeballs needed expansion cards, there was so much to see. Here's a snip from the WN story.
Wearable Environmental Information Networks of Japan, or WIN, showed several notable designs, including Report-the-World, a get-up designed for future stealth journalists. A retro trench coat hides 10 hidden cameras for capturing 360-degree panoramic images. The front pocket holds a small computer, a ring-embedded speaker transmits location-based audio instructions, and a head-mounted display is stylishly encrusted with Swarovski crystals, like an electric tiara.
WIN also demonstrated Dog @ Watch for children. The plushy-form device for the wrist hides a GPS sensor, a cell phone for voice-dialing parents and an alarm sensor to monitor the wearer's safety.
Kirsten McCall, a 9-year-old model, acknowledged the value of safety features to "protect against bad guy kidnappers," but was more excited about other potential features.
"I'd like a jacket that has a TV on the sleeve, so I can watch shows all day — but mostly, I want clothes that do my homework for me."
Link to Wired News story
Link to NPR "Day to Day" segment, audio online after 12PM PT.
Image: "Cyborg Host" Isa Gordon, shot by Jeff Koga.
And blogger Jonah Brucker-Cohen did a writeup here: Link. Mack Reed at LAVoice has more general SIGGRAPH coverage: Link.
If this stuff floats your boat, you should check out the 21F mailing list for more discussion about wearable technology and future couture. Among the group's members are people from companies who participated in this week's show, including sponsor Charmed Technology.
