fabcell

Fabcell: Fabric Element

Fabcell is a flexible, non-emissive, and multi-color fabric module. In Fabcell, fibers dyed with liquid crystal ink and conductive yarns connected to electronic components are woven into a square textile. By applying voltage to the conductive yarn, and changing the fabric's temperature, the color of fabric surface can be changed. Arranged in matrices, Fabcells display images on the curves of flexible textiles. And used for clothing or with soft objects, it enables them a new expressions of visual imaginary.

clothing

The Fabcell system consists of Fabcell modules, a black piece of cloth, and a controller for changing the color of the modules. The face of the piece of cloth has male and female snap-on hooks attached to them in a matrix-style manner. Similarly, in each of Fabcells, several hooks are attached. The wearer can form shapes using the piece of cloth, by attaching Fabcells to it using the hooks. The wearer can also assign the color in each of Fabcells, controlling color by programming microcontrollers. Using Fabcells, one wearer may be able to make skirts that dynamically change color, while another can make shawls of arbitrary, static colors. With the system using Fabcells, the wearer can combine the shape and colors of clothing in his or her taste. The system allows wearers to easily construct and to reconstruct clothing without needlework. Therefore, it is possible to make original clothing even without special knowledge of them.

display

When Fabcells are arranged in matrices, they become a non-emissive and flexible display. A Fabcell is a fabric element, a textile version of pixel in a computer display.

Publications

Design Team

Midori Shibutani lestari@sfc.keio.ac.jp
Akira Wakita wakita@sfc.keio.ac.jp

Copyright(c) 2005-2006 Wakita Lab. Keio Univ, SFC. All Rights Reserved.