TEXTILES.ORG
Pavels Hedström has introduced the Gaia Communication System, a vest and a pair of gloves with sensors so that users feel the health of plants, insects, soil and air. Unveiled under his design practice Inxects, the Swedish architect has installed multiple haptic sensors around the vest and gloves, each of which correspond to a natural object.
The Spectral Sensor detects early signs of plant stress; the Bioacoustic Sensor hears communication between insects and animals; the Water Sensors measure the pH levels and turbidity of any kind of water; the Air Sensors track the carbon emissions in the winds, as well as the humidity and temperature levels; and the Soil Sensor monitors its moisture.
These sensors around the Gaia Communication System vest and gloves detect and provide real-time data. They translate them into vibrations that users can feel on their chest, back, and the sides of their body. At the center of the vest, there lies a dynamic LED light. It plays colored animations – green, orange, and red – depending on what the users feel, so they can also visually see the health of the ecosystems.
Sunlight powers up the vest and gloves with sensors through four mini solar panels on the back of the vest, with five haptic motors around the vest. The front of the Gaia Communication System vest has an LED light with animations, the Water Sensor below it, and the Bio Acoustic Sensor beside it. The left glove has the carbon emission, Celsius, and humidity sensor, as well as the Soil Moisture and the Spectral ones. On the right glove lies the Turbidity Sensor and the Somatosensory System.
The Swedish designer says the wearables have long expanded applications, suitable for urban planners and policymakers. H hopes that people can experience an extended sensory system that allows them to understand and feel the current state of nature.