Work from FSAD 3990 Smart Clothing Design and Programming
As ubiquitous computing and data-driven decision-making becomes part of the daily routine in modern society, the primary utility of clothing has evolved from mere necessity to wearable digital interfaces used to communicate with the world. Smart clothing is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the apparel and textile industry, and the global smart clothing market is expected to grow into a $24-billion market by 2024, with key applications such as protective clothing for first responders, wearable healthcare products, active sportswear, and fashion products for the general public. FSAD 3990 Smart Clothing Design and Programming, was designed to help fashion design and management students through project-based learning experiences to build confidence in designing and programming smart clothing, with an understanding of soft circuits, human factors and comfort, ease of use as a wearable product, and a conductive interface. FSAD 3990 was offered in the Fall 2020 in hybrid mode due to the pandemic. To see videos of the two design projects, click on the following links: developing sound responsive surface design and an interactive wearable interface that responds to environmental and human conditions.