openMaterials

InnTex is doing some pretty interesting work on interactive textiles. First they developed a matrix pressure activated fabric: it uses knitted fabric for textile structure, tin copper or stainless steel/polyester for augmentation, and is made out of an inner non-conductive layer and two outer conductive layers, allowing for the circuit to close when the outer [...]

Royal College of Art students Becky Pilditch, Matt Johnson, Isabel Lizardi and Bibi Nelson took the concept of skin-as-the-new-interface to a new level with “Bare,” a body paint that conducts electricity. The non-toxic ink transforms skin into a highly conductive surface, providing a low resistance contact between the surface of the skin and an electrode. [...]

Greg Saul and Mark D. Gross describe their paper devices as “small paper interactive objects that use nitinol shape-memory alloy wire for actuation, gold leaf printed circuits, embedded microchips for control, and paper outer shells for form and structure.” Their gold leaf circuits applied directly on the paper allow for a light weight, beautiful, and [...]

One of our main research interests here at openMaterials is pulp-based computing, an approach that involves embedding electronics, electro-active inks, conductive threads and other smart materials directly into handmade paper pulp. Marcelo Coelho and Pattie Maes are doing some very interesting and beautiful work at MIT’s Fluid Interfaces Group.