XS Labs and MIT’s Media Lab are doing research on paper based computing. The following examples show their hands-on craft oriented approach to the subject.

Pulp-Based Computing: A Framework for Building Computers Out of Paper by Marcelo Coelho and XS Labs.

The following example of paper circuitry comes from MIT’s High-Low Tech research group and is made by Hannah Perner-Wilson. The video shows the process of painting and drawing circuitry and buttons with conductive paint and pencil (graphite). What I like about this video is that it makes scientific research look easy. I bet you will also think ‘hey, I can do that!’, which I think is probably what they’re aiming for at High-Low Tech.

Also from the High-Low Tech group is a prototype of an interactive wall. What you see here is a product of the technology which was illustrated in the previous video. Through touch you can play with the wall and manipulate the ambience of a room by turning on music, altering the light or making small elements of it move.

Perhaps my favourite application is the electronic pop-up book by Jie Qi.

The material on everybodies wishlist seems to be Shape Memory Alloy or muscle wire. I made a test for the E-Textiles Workspace at V2_ that seemed to breath. The same evening Dorith I made a circle that curled in on itself. To get an overview of what kind of effects other people have achieved with this material I collected some videos.

The first video shows a page from the electronic pop-up book by Jie Qi at the High-Low Tech departement at MIT. On the page are six interactive flesh eating plants made of paper, SMA and custom electronics:

This textile is called Tentative Architecture of Other Earth. It is made of felted wool, SMA and a Lilypad. The structure mimicks the breathing of its wearer. This project was made by Xárene, a PhD student at UCLA Architecture and Urban Design, in collaboration with Joshua Hernandez, a PhD student at Math UCLA.

Paper flowers blooming by Jie Qi.

Shutters by Marcelo Coelho. This project is an example of how muscle wire can be used in interior and furniture design.

This is the Enleon dress and a collection of tests by XS Labs. The videos are good examples of movement that can be realised by sewing muscle wire into a fabric or (felted) knit.

 

Sprout I/O - Spun yarn sensing and motion by Marcelo Coelho. I’m impressed by the interactive possibilities of this test. I imagine you could combine the input and output to have a textile that strokes you when you touch it, similar to the paper Venus Flytraps we saw earlier.