Symbios is a concept study about new smart materials for clothes and how to use them in the near future. We started by searching for innovative materials that could help humans in their daily life. With that in mind, we found three materials. The exosuit fabric supports your movement and helps you with daily physical activities. The smart textile generates energy out of the movement and the gecko tape uses the Van-der-Waals powers to create a unique amount of adhesion.
Through multiple prototypes, we developed the concept of a garment that uses all the benefits of the materials to support you in the best way possible. We called it the symbios suit. The idea was to create a soft, exoskeleton-like garment that makes life more comfortable and supports and trains you. Our goal was not to develop a concept for a multi-functional sci-fi exoskeleton that gives you enough power to throw Godzilla through a skyscraper. No, we wanted it to be the exoskeleton suit for the little people. Light, easy to use and hopefully not too deadly.
One of the most interesting challenges of this project was the interface question. Our idea was to design a multi-functional interface located on the forearm. I loved working out that interface. The smart textiles generate energy if you move, so we used that energy to charge the interface. The user would not need to carry a heavy battery, which is nice. And the textiles are also touch sensitive so you could use the interface simply by touching and moving it.
A design and function prototype was developed. It was interesting to design a concept that could exist in the near future if the materials were ready and I had a lot of fun creating some „sci-fi“ gadgets that you otherwise see in futuristic movies and video games. It was a great experience.
- Interaction Design 3, SoSe 2017
- Invention Design 1 by Prof. Jörg Beck
- Group members: Marcel Muffler, Constantin Casper, Stefan vom Bruck
