In other words, the ISB should facilitate the following:
1. The generation of ideas: by making each textile sample fun, aesthetic and surprising, by making it tell a story and stimulate the senses, the ISB will stimulate new ideas.
2. The conviction that smart materials can be used: by providing a technical insight into smart materials and interactive textiles, it will facilitate their actual use.
Concepts for 5 interactive textile samples have been developed. The concepts are based on the following sensors: pressure sensors, sound sensors, strain sensors and light sensors; and actuators: Shape memory alloys, light emitting diodes, electroluminescent materials, photovoltaic cells, optical fibres, thermo chromatic and photo chromatic inks. Some materials are both sensors and actuators, such as thermo and photo chromatic inks. The Interactive Sample Book is made of 5 textile pages that all demonstrate a particular aesthetical and interactive functionality. The 5 pages are as different from each other as possible, and show something extreme in relation to the used technology. Each page tells a story. The senses that are stimulated by each page, as well as their input and output, are therefore different from one page to the other. All the pages are fun, aesthetical and surprising. The scope is to inspire! All the pages show dynamic effects as response to different kinds of input.
Torben Lenau, who is supervisor on the project, is Associate Professor at the Department of Management Engineering at DTU, and has a broad experience with materials, among other smart materials and their use in product development. He has worked on The Beetle project, which investigates and tries to imitate the colourful surfaces of beetles, and has developed the material website www.designinsite.dk.
Priya Mani is a professional Indian textile designer, based in Copenhagen. Trained at the NID (National Institute of Design) in India, she runs her own design studio in Copenhagen
Marija Andonovska is doing her master thesis at meddialogi, Aalborg university.