 Why limit yourself to a few beads or earrings when you can slip on a full-body 'living jewelry' suit that also changes in response to your behavior and mood? Introducing Fractal, the latest expression of the Philips Design SKIN Probes program …
Fractal is a stunning, figure-hugging outfit consisting entirely of huge imitation jewels augmented by pulsing LEDs. By incorporating sensors that measure movement, excitement levels and proximity of others - and using this input to alter the intensity of its integrated lighting - Fractal essentially becomes an extension of the body. It also serves as a platform for exploring emotional sensing.
Harnessing light
Of course, body adornment using eye-catching objects is nothing new. Attaching stones and metals to the ears, as well as wearing necklaces, wristbands and ankle bracelets, has been taking place for thousands of years in many different cultures throughout the world. "The interesting thing is that the choice of materials was often based on the ability to interact with light," says Clive Van Heerden, head of the Probes program at Philips Design. "Metals like silver, gold and platinum reflect light, while precious stones seemed to actually create it. Given the importance of lighting to Philips, we thought this would be a very interesting area to explore."
Morphing apparel and jewelry
Fractal therefore investigated ways in which plastics and other synthetic materials can attain the qualities and value of these 'noble materials' while breaking down traditional boundaries between apparel and jewelry. "Basically we wanted to see what would happen if you morphed these two areas into one," says Van Heerden. "What we came up with was something completely new, 3-D 'living jewelry' that is far more prominent than something like a necklace, and which uses biometric sensing so it can respond to the wearer's moods and levels of social interaction."
Valuable business input
The last point in particular is crucial. The relationship between the human body, apparel and the near environment is seen as one of the next big challenges. That is why explorations in this area can help build up essential knowledge that could serve as valuable input for future business activities. There could even be shorter-term spin-offs. "In Fractal we’re taking LED light, which can feel harsh and cold, and experimenting with it," says Van Heerden. "We pulse it at different speeds, making it appear quickly and fade slowly, and also diffract it through various materials. The result is warmer and more comforting, something that could be very interesting to our Lighting division."
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