The ISWC 2024 Juried Design Exhibition is a captivating showcase of original works focusing on wearable technologies and innovations related to the human body. This exhibition celebrates the intersection of technology and the human form through a diverse array of creative contributions.

Featured works will incorporate elements such as on-body sensing, sensor networks, responsive fashion technologies, body enhancements like bionic limbs and smart prosthetics, and wearables designed for professional use, mobile healthcare, entertainment, and more. Submissions that seamlessly combine functionality and aesthetics will be highlighted.

The exhibition categories are:

1) Functional: Highlighting wearables designed with a strong focus on practicality, addressing specific problems or needs through technological solutions.

2) Aesthetic: Showcasing wearables that prioritize visual appeal and artistic impact achieved through innovative technology.

3) Fiber Arts: This category encompasses non-wearable innovations that incorporate textiles or fibers, with an emphasis on either functionality or aesthetics.

Designing a Virtual Death VR Experience

Stefan Greuter, Deakin Motion Lab
Gerard T Mulvany, Deakin Motion Lab

Virtual Reality (VR) exhibitions are becoming increasingly popular for creating immersive and interactive experiences. One particular use case in research is death simulations in VR, where users can experience or explore the concept of death in a controlled environment. Death is a profound theme that offers opportunities for emotional growth, empathy, and deep reflection. This project presents Passing Electrical Storms, an innovative virtual reality art installation by Shaun Gladwell, designed to evoke the human experience of dying and an out-of-body journey through the universe. The installation combines VR, sensing technologies, and tactile feedback to create a visually stunning and emotionally immersive experience. Participants journey from a simulated cardiac arrest to brain death, moving through inner-body experiences and vast cosmic expanses, provoking contemplation on mortality and the sublime nature of the universe. This work demonstrates the potential of VR to engage users with complex emotional and existential themes, providing valuable insights for future VR design in the field of HCI.

EchoVision: A Handheld Mixed Reality Mask for Experiencing Bat Echolocation

Botao Amber Hu, Reality Design Lab
Jiabao Li, University of Texas at Austin
Danlin Huang, China Academy of Art
Jianan Johanna Liu, China Academy of Art
Xiaobo Aaron Hu, Independent
Yilan Elan Tao, Reality Design Lab

What is it like to be a bat? “EchoVision” is a mixed reality interactive experience that immerses participants in the world of bats through sound visualization and mixed reality technology. With a custom-designed, handheld, bat-shaped, optical see-through mixed reality mask based on the open-source HoloKit project, participants can simulate echolocation, the natural navigation method bats use in the dark. Participants use their voices and interpret the returned echoes. The visual feedback is dynamically adjusted based on the user’s voice pitch and tone, as well as the 3D shape of the surrounding environment detected by LiDAR on the mask, offering an interactive and dynamic depiction of how bats perceive their surroundings. Compared to other mixed reality headsets, the pop-up exhibition in the bat habitat demonstrates that this unique mask design can effectively accommodate a large volume of audiences in-the-wild, offering them scientific education with empathetic engagement. This work promotes an ecocentric design perspective and fosters understanding between species, educating and cultivating a deeper appreciation for the unique ways non-human creatures engage with their ecosystems.

Design of Thermal Earring: A Low-Power Wireless Earring for Longitudinal Temperature Monitoring

Qiuyue (Shirley) Xue Paul G, University of Washington
Yujia Liu University of California
Vikram Iyer Paul G., University of Washington
Professor Shwetak Patel, University of Washington

We present Thermal Earring, a pioneering smart earring that offers a practical and comfortable solution for wearable health monitoring. Unlike watches and other wearables typically worn loosely on body extremities, earring’s proximity to the head enables unique sensing advantages. This research aims to provide design guidelines for developing smart earring and jewelry. Our Thermal Earring prototype is designed to resemble traditional earrings in size (11.3 mm in width and 31 mm in length) and weight (335 mg). Thermal Earring consumes only 14.4 uW and enables a battery life of 28 days, making it suitable for real world use. We demonstrate that its compact and lightweight design allows it to seamlessly integrate into fashionable jewelry.

Deakin Breathes Data
Julio Andres, Deakin University
Luke Heemsbergen, Deakin University

Deakin Breathes Data (DBD) rethought and rethreaded radio surveillance on a university campus into a material, fibrous aesthetic. We used university-captured Wi-Fi data to present how shared knowledge threads the modern university experience. Laser cut silk mirrored how Wi-Fi’s photonic wave-particles slice through spaces, mapping knowledge channels in and between buildings as they vary with student presence. Its contribution considers physical and metaphorical fibers, showing how a campus-as-organism breathes data, through student knowledge sharing-both consensual and surveilled. We hook the material fibers together in a knit of organizational surveillance, knowledge creation, and campus life, reimagined through tactility, fabric, and laser, while aesthetically referencing the invention of frequency hopping itself, which Wi-Fi depends on.

Soft Ro-bra-tics: Adaptive Bra Design Using Integrated Shape Memory Materials

Heidi Woelfle, University of Minnesota
Anna Keith , University of Minnesota
Gina Marie, University of Minnesota
T-jay Yang, University of Minnesota
Xin-Ting Liu, University of Minnesota
Dr. Lucy E. Dunne, University of Minnesota
Dr. Brad Holschuh, University of Minnesota

Garment-based soft robotics is an emerging domain which seeks to integrate compliant mechanical actuators into textile/clothing form factors. There exists a significant opportunity to develop and deploy these garment-based technologies to overcome accessibility challenges in everyday clothing, providing a suite of adaptive solutions that can support and assist with the daily challenge of tightening/loosening or fastening/unfastening a garment. In this paper, we present two embodiments of adaptive bras with embedded shape memory materials to provide robotically-assisted adaptive / customizable fit – one embodiment is designed for individuals with dexterity limitations that are typical in conditions such as arthritis, and another embodiment is designed to be fully usable with one hand. This approach, which we define as ‘Soft Ro-bra-tics’, represents a novel solution to overcome bra-related accessibility issues.

Motor-Skill-Download System Using Electrical Muscle Stimulation for Enhancing Piano Playing

Arinobu Niijima, NTT Corporation
Yukio Koike, NTT Corporation
Hironori Ishikawa, NTT DOCOMO

This paper presents a motor-skill-download system to help beginners learn the basic piano playing techniques such as staccato and legato. This system uses electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) to induce involuntary movement of the user’s muscles so that a beginner can experience firsthand the muscle coordination of expert pianists. To download motor skills, we first use electromyography (EMG) sensors to record multiple muscle activities of experts playing pieces using staccato and legato. Then, we analyze the data from each EMG sensor and design EMS parameters to reproduce the coordination of muscles used when playing the techniques. The data are stored in the Human Augmentation Platform. Finally, the user selects the technique they want to learn from the platform, and then EMS is used to activate the user’s muscles to train them to play the technique. The developed system facilitates wrist movements with EMS applied to the extensor and flexor muscle groups to help beginners learn to play pieces using staccato and legato.

The Fabric of Sustainability: HCI and the Fight Against Textile Waste

Dr Tonya A Meyrick, Deakin University

The ‘Perpetual Pigments’ project originated from a discovery by researchers at Deakin University’s Institute for Frontier Materials, who extracted pigments from discarded natural fibre textiles. In- stitute for Frontier Materials collaborated with design academics to explore applications of this breakthrough using design thinking and Indigenous Design Charters. Prominent Australian First Nation artists tested the recycled pigments through painting, drawing, and screen printing. The project’s success relied on ubiquitous com- puting and digital design techniques. This initiative, inspired by the circular economy and research through design, merges science, design, and art to address cultural, economic, and environmental challenges. By adopting a circular economy mindset, textile waste can be repurposed, reducing waste and conserving resources. This approach highlights the principles of functionality, sustainability, and storytelling. The exhibition and findings are valuable to design and Human Computer Interaction researchers and industry repre- sentatives interested in addressing textile waste through successful circular economy projects.

Invisible to Visible: Alternative Human Interaction with Sensory-Enhancing Wearables

Mengke Lian, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

This paper explores the transformative potential of integrating technology with human sensory and emotional experiences through the “Outward Bound” idea. By utilizing responsive wearable devices, specifically the Sensitive Wing and its iterative developments, the project aims to externalize internal sensory experiences, bridging the gap between personal and external empathy. The fusion of traditional practices like Nüshu and ruffs with modern technology underscores the importance of preserving cultural heritage while embracing technological advancements. This study highlights the complex interplay between gender, culture, and technology, visualizing the otherwise invisible tensions. Ultimately, these innovative approaches invite us to continuously and creatively reimagine our relationships with each other and the world, promising new perspectives on human interaction through technology.

Exploring the Affordances of Bio-Electronic Nails ​

Mirela Alistar, University of Colorado Boulder
Eldy S. Lazaro Vasquez, University of Colorado Boulder
Latifa Al Naimi, University of Colorado Boulder
Shira David, University of Colorado Boulder
Julia C Tung, University of Colorado Boulder
Sepideh Mohammad, University of Colorado Boulder

We developed bioplastic nail extensions that integrate Near-Field Communication (NFC) chips to facilitate hands-free interaction with the phone. Using bioplastics as a scaffolding material for electronics, we aim to address existing sustainability challenges regarding disposal and recycling while also exploring the affordances of this material, such as customization and material exploration. We outline the low-tech fabrication process for our Bio-e-nails, followed by a demonstration of how to wear and program them. Subsequently, we present three applications utilizing tag-based interactions: medical or emergency contact information, navigation setup, and automated text or Short Message Service (SMS) communication. We designed the fabrication process for designers at large while enabling expression through fashion by embracing the temporary nature of the bioplastic.

A Wearable Haptic Sleeve Interface for Spaceflight Robotic Arm Operations

Kihun Hong, University of California, Davis
Ruoyu Zhang, University of California, Davis
Kaylin G. Lee, University of California, Davis
Peyton R. Young, University of California, Davis
Wilsaan M. Joiner, University of California, Davis
Stephen Robinson, University of California, Davis
Gozde Goncu Berk Design, University of California, Davis
Jonathon S Schofield, University of California, Davis

During spacecraft robotic arm operations, haptic feedback has the potential to display rich streams of relevant data to the user, such as trajectory information and velocity. One promising strategy to encode such information is through tactile stroke illusions, which create the sensation of vibration moving across the skin. This study highlights the design and feasibility testing of a haptic wearable in- terface worn on the user’s forearm in a sleeve form factor that elicits tactile stroke illusions, using an array of vibration actuators in a timed sequence. By manipulating the temporal aspects and devel- oping two rendering algorithms to convey end-effector movement information, we demonstrate the feasibility of our haptic sleeve wearable by human testing to measure how accurately participants perceive the conveyed information (trajectory and velocity).

BiliOnesie: A Phototherapy Garment for Treating Neonatal Jaundice

Olaitan Adeleke, University of Minnesota
Heidi Woelfle, University of Minnesota
Dr. Lucy E. Dunne, University of Minnesota

Neonatal jaundice is the most common medical condition in newborns, affecting more than 80% of infants. The common forms of phototherapy treatment for jaundice are uncomfortable for the infant and caregiver, disrupt important newborn support practices like holding the baby and early breastfeeding, and lose efficiency in shadowed body areas. Here, we present a phototherapy device in the form of a soft, stretchy, close-fitting full-body garment (a ‘onesie’). Our device uses surface-mount stitched e-textile fabrication methods to preserve the softness of the e-textile structure for next-to-skin applications. The prototype successfully produces 450-460 nm blue light at approximately 30 µW/cm2 intensity at the garment surface, the recommended irradiance dose, and by nature of its close, conformable fit, it reaches more of the skin surface than traditional methods.

Self-Tightening and Self-Fastening Belts and Shoes:  Shape Memory Adaptive Apparel to Assist Individuals with Physical Limitations

Xin-Ting Liu, University of Minnesota
Heidi Woelfle, University of Minnesota
Dr. Brad Holschuh, University of Minnesota

People with physical disabilities face significant challenges in basic activities like dressing and undressing. The CDC reports that 3.6% of U.S. adults have self-care disabilities impacting dressing or bathing. Adaptive clothing, designed to facilitate dressing, includes features such as zip-off sleeves, Velcro shoes, and side-opening pants, which enhance autonomy and quality of life. Current adaptive shoes primarily use Velcro straps and wide openings with zippers. We seek to expand the adaptive clothing solution space by exploring garment-based soft robotics, such as shape memory alloy (SMA) springs, to offer advanced solutions. In this study, we developed and tested self-tightening and self-fastening belts and shoes using SMA actuators as tightening mechanisms and both hook-and-eye and electromagnetic components as fastening solutions, to improve accessibility and independence for individuals with physical limitations.