A groundbreaking convergence of fashion and technology will captivate the world at the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria. The Dutch FashionTech designer Anouk Wipprecht is preparing to unveil her latest creation, the 3D Printed ScreenDress, a masterpiece that responds to the wearer’s brain activity through a brain-computer interface (BCI). This cutting-edge wearable artwork represents a fusion of neuroscience and fashion, showcasing the potential of technology to transform how we interact with our clothing and our environment.
At the heart of this remarkable innovation is the 3D Printed ScreenDress, a wearable canvas interwoven with screens that establishes a dynamic, subconscious connection between the person wearing the dress and their surroundings. It signifies the emergence of a novel form of interaction, one where the wearer’s brain dictates the display. This symbiotic relationship is made possible through an advanced EEG sensor, aptly named the Unicorn Headband, a 3D printed BCI headset developed by NeuroTech company g.tec in collaboration with Anouk Wipprecht. The headset captures the wearer’s brain signals, allowing machine learning algorithms to gauge their mental workload in real-time.
The 3D Printed ScreenDress: A Technological Marvel
The 3D Printed ScreenDress translates the wearer’s cognitive load, or the volume of information their working memory can process, into a mesmerizing visual spectacle. Six circular displays elegantly emanate from the dress’s sculpted neckpiece, akin to an avant-garde jewelry collection. As the wearer’s cognitive load intensifies, the displays respond by depicting iris and pupil dilation, creating an otherworldly panorama of expanding eyes around the wearer. This ethereal transformation serves as a visual representation of the wearer’s mental state, bridging the gap between inner thoughts and outward expression.
Anouk Wipprecht, the visionary designer behind this marvel, envisions the ScreenDress3D Printed ScreenDress as a conduit for exploring the profound implications of merging technology and fashion. Over the past two decades, Wipprecht has been on a quest to unite the human body with electronics, robotic fashion design, and wearable interfaces. The ScreenDress epitomizes this quest, prompting us to contemplate the possibilities that arise when technology-infused garments connect with our bodies, interpret body signals, and even respond to our emotions.
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The Creative Journey: From Design to Reality
The creation of the 3D Printed ScreenDress relied on state-of-the-art technology and collaboration. PTC’s Onshape software served as the design platform, facilitating the meticulous modeling and rendering of the dress components. This cloud-native product development platform offered a comprehensive suite of tools, including mixed modeling, generative design, render studio, and in-context design, to bring the concept to life in the digital realm. It allowed Wipprecht to experiment with embedded LEDs and understand how light interacts with the dress and its surroundings.
HP Inc. played a pivotal role in materializing this ambitious project. Using their Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solution, HP 3D printed the ScreenDress with the new HP HR 3D PA12 W material, a high-quality nylon optimized for engineering-grade functional parts. This collaboration between designer, software, and 3D printing technology bridged the gap between imagination and reality.
A Global Sensation
Even before its official debut, the 3D Printed ScreenDress prototype has captured the imagination of people worldwide. Notable figures like Bionic Pop Artist Viktoria Modesta and Miss Universe Thailand 2022 contestant Perpetua Smith have donned the dress in high-profile photoshoots. The dress has been featured extensively online, in magazines, and in museums. The Museum voor Beeld & Geluid at the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision proudly displays the prototype as a “wearable computer” in its “media devices” exhibit, highlighting the ScreenDress’s significance at the intersection of fashion, technology, and art.
The 3D Printed ScreenDress represents a pioneering leap in the realm of FashionTech. Anouk Wipprecht’s creation blurs the boundaries between fashion and neuroscience, offering a glimpse into a future where our clothing becomes an expressive extension of our inner thoughts and emotions. As technology continues to shrink in size and expand in capabilities, the ScreenDress serves as a testament to the endless possibilities of merging fashion with cutting-edge technology. The Ars Electronica Festival in Linz promises to be the stage where this mesmerizing fusion of art and innovation takes center stage, captivating the world with the ScreenDress’s unique blend of style and substance.
