Inflatable Fabric Prism responds to light

July 8, 2016  |  Out There

An inflatable and immersive-color installation in Providence, R.I., called “Fabric Prism” is built around the fundamental properties of light and color. The domed structure, made from an architectural double membrane, was designed and built by Pneuhaus, a design collective based in Providence. …
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High-tech Baggizmo bag incorporates several textiles

June 24, 2016  |  Out There

Sometimes the best ideas “repurpose” existing ones. The new Baggizmo textile bag is a lesson in how to take advantage of the properties of several performance textiles to create an ingenious new product. Baggizmo offers a unique way of carrying your personal items. The carrying bag is organized …
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Robot weaves a carbon-fiber pavilion

June 10, 2016  |  Out There

A new, biologically inspired, carbon-fiber pavilion in the courtyard of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum was woven by … a robot. The installation was designed by architect Achim Menges with collaborators Moritz Dörstelmann, Jan Knippers and Thomas Auer. According to a report on the online de…
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Internet of pants?

May 20, 2016  |  Out There

You may love your fitbit, but one day your clothes could monitor your fitness levels or even boost your smart phone reception. Developed by researchers at Ohio State University, a new technique using ultrathin electronic thread to embroider circuits into fabric could make this possible. Computer Wor…
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Prototype smart skin for robots developed

May 6, 2016  |  Out There

Smart, synthetic skins have the potential to allow robots to touch and sense what’s around them, but keeping them powered up and highly sensitive at low cost has been a challenge. Scientists report in the journal ACS Nano, that a simpler and less costly self-powered transparent smart skin has …
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MAD Architects’ ‘Invisible Border’ at Milan Design Week alters perception of space

April 28, 2016  |  Out There

Italy’s Interni magazine’s Open Borders exhibition, running through April 23, gathers a series of interactive installations, macro-objects and micro-constructions that explore ways of getting beyond disciplinary borders: According to the magazine, the subject addresses an expansion of design vis…
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Nano-enhanced textiles clean themselves with light

April 25, 2016  |  Out There

Australian researchers have developed an inexpensive and efficient new way to grow nanostructures on textiles that can degrade organic matter when exposed to light. The work paves the way toward nano-enhanced textiles that can spontaneously clean themselves of stains and grime simply by being put un…
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Built-in virtual reality for wearables is possible

April 8, 2016  |  Out There

Adaptive virtual reality (VR) hardware by technology designers Artefact Group includes a hood and shoulder cloak with a computer and battery built into them. Called “Shadow,” the project is a series of wearables designed for gamers for an immersive virtual reality experience that includes intera…
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A natural sleep solution

March 18, 2016  |  Out There

A small Nebraska-based company is committed to helping you sleep better—and saving the monarch butterfly at the same time. The Ogallala Comfort Co. in Ogallala, Neb. says they are the largest supplier of wild-crafted, sustainably harvested milkweed products and raw materials. Parent company Monarc…
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Aluminum fabric skin wraps Malaysian hillside home

March 4, 2016  |  Out There

A design firm based in Singapore has wrapped a home near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in an aluminum fabric skin with dramatic effect—and addressing practical considerations. The home, a project of OOZN+, is located on a hillside in the exclusive suburb of Lorong Pantai. The flowing, pearlescent alumin…
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