Functional Fashion
Maha Adel
functional_design1.pdf
Awakened Apparel: Embedded Soft Actuators for Expressive Fashion and Functional Garments
Laura Perovich MIT Media Lab
Philippa Mothersill MIT Media Lab
Jennifer Broutin Farah MIT Media Lab
1ABSTRACT Each morning we select an outfit meant to suit our mood
and our plans. What if our clothes could seamlessly morph
with us as our attitudes and activities change throughout the
day? We created Awakened Apparel; one of the first
shape-changing fashions to employ pneumatically actuated
origami. Our prototype draws from diverse disciplines
including soft robotics and fashion to present a design
vision that advances the growing field of dynamic
interactive garments. We explore technical and fabrication
approaches for shape-changing technology held close to the
body and identify areas for further innovation.
Author Keywords Interactive fashion; origami, pneumatics; soft mechanisms
ACM Classification Keywords H.5.m. Information interfaces and presentation (e.g., HCI):
Miscellaneous
INTRODUCTION Fashion is closely tied to identity and functionality. Our
clothes affect our feelings and express them to the world—
we put on loose pajamas when we need to be comforted and
dress up in tailored suits for job interviews. They also can
constrain or empower us—a bulky winter jacket protects us
from the cold while a tight skirt inhibits our ability to walk.
Yet interaction with our clothing is limited—beyond the
functionality offered by zippers and buttons, few garments
fundamentally change their function and aesthetic.
As part of our design vision for the future of transformable
clothing we created Awakened Apparel—a pneumatic folding, shape-changing skirt that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional. This work draws on diverse
research in soft robotics, folding, and fashion.
BACKGROUND Pneumatically actuated shape-changing objects have been
developed most recently in the field of soft robotics. Key research in this area [7,12] combines the varying material
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properties of stretchy membranes (e.g. silicone) and non-
stretchy membranes (e.g. inextensible fabric or paper) to
create inflatable actuators that bend in a prescribed
direction [14]. The natural flexibility of fabric particularly
befits this developing field of soft-bodied robotic actuators,
such as OtherLab’s Ant-Roach Pneubot [4].
Shape-changing garments have used many forms of
actuation technology to transform: from electronically
activated smart-memory alloy wire to inflatable actuation
[3,11]. Garments such as Diana Eng’s Inflatable Collar
[11] use plastic air bladders encased in a fabric covering to
create clothing that transforms shape while being worn.
Ying Gao’s Walking City dresses [11] use origami folds in
the fabric to give additional structure to the inflated shape.
Awakened apparel builds on advances in soft robotics and transformable fashion by fusing pneumatics and folding with garment design to create aesthetically and tactilely pleasing shape-changing mechanisms for clothes.
MOTIVATION What does a future of interactive shape-changing fashion
offer us? Fashion’s close connection to both identity and
functionality affords many possible triggers for
interaction—from changes in weather [11], to altered
emotional circumstance [11], to safety concerns [6].
In this future of shape-changing clothing, a single garment
can embody several functional states. Awakened Apparel
presents a shape-changing skirt as an inspirational storyline that spans some of the use cases for shape- changing clothing. Motivations for state transitions can be:
informational: acts as an ambient device [13] conveying abstracted information about the self or the world; e.g.
shorter length with positive stock market performance [2]
emotional: reacts to the emotion or situation of the wearer; e.g. more conservative under unwanted attention
functional: allows the user to perform specific tasks, preserve safety, or maintain comfort, e.g. bicycle riding
Figure 1: vision sketch of skirt in its many forms
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SOFT MECHANISMS FOR SHAPE-CHANGING FASHION
Mechanism, materials and actuation With the design storyline and values defined, we
provisionally tested mechanisms, materials, and actuations
that satisfy these constraints in order to determine the
primary path of fabrication. Our work adds to this fruitful
research space by combining pneumatics, folding, and aesthetics with the exploration of suitable materials and actuation in order to create a novel mechanism for shape changing clothing.
Pneumatic folding was selected over scissor linkages, nitinol wire [3], drawstrings, direct material folding [11]
and other more traditional mechanical approaches to size
and shape changing. Origami served as a basis for
geometric construction; though other mechanisms can be
very attractive [1], origami’s thin form factor more closely
satisfies the design values required for fashion garments,
while pneumatics offer an organic and subtle shape change.
Materials must be carefully considered in developing shape-changing garments. Transformable fashion presents
constraints not often found in mechanism design, as
clothing must feel human, move with the body, and look
pleasant. In order to ensure that Awakened Apparel
remains wearable, materials used must be within the range
of typical clothing in their:
Texture: limit unpleasant textures such as extreme stiffness, sliminess, metal; use fabric whenever possible
Aesthetic: colors must be pleasing and piece assembled to be complementary
Robustness: materials must not be excessively fragile or unsuited to daily life
Mechanical actuation was selected over electronic in order to fit with the design goal, since it limits hard fragile parts
and creates an intuitive and immediate interaction. In this
demonstration, a foot operated pump eliminates the need
for bulky batteries or tethered power supply. In the future,
electronic pneumatic actuation will be achievable using
advancements in soft robust electronics that will be
incorporated into our design to provide precise airflow
control and shape-changing detail.
PNEUMATIC FOLDING MECHANISM
Experimentation: origami pattern design Design of the base origami pattern for the shape-changing
skirt was informed by the following parameters:
Naturally curve around the body when folded
Decrease in length and width when folded
Simple enough for repeatable construction
Early designs were based on the Miura fold, a simple non- orthogonal fold that can create up to 90% vertical and
horizontal size change [8]. We also tested the spiral pinecone fold pattern [9], a conical shape that can decrease in length by 80% when compressed. Exact design
dimensions were tested in paper to optimize the shape-
changing effect and aesthetic. The Miura fold satisfied
design parameters 2 & 3 and the spiral pinecone fold
satisfied parameters 1 & 2 but neither performed all desired
functions, leading us to develop a combined design. Select
geometric pattern experiments are shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: origami pattern experimentation
An A-line skirt was selected as the primary form as it
satisfies the design values and technical constraints: it has a
pleasant aesthetic, is simple in form, and contains enough
surface area to allow for versatility.
Experimentation: pneumatic folding & textiles We tested several approaches to inflation-based folding and
assessed them based on the following parameters:
Maximization of shape-changing effect
Allows mechanical inflation through hand or foot pump
Alignment with material design values (texture,
aesthetic, robustness)
Figure 3: folding inflation mechanism
Using inspiration from soft robotics mechanisms [12],
initial experimentation into creating pneumatically actuated
textiles showed that fusing a long rhombus-shaped inflation channel to one side of a piece of fabric caused it to bend towards the channel when inflated. The limited
deformation in the inextensible fabric, combined with the
greater moment force at the mid-length corners, causes the
textile to fold towards the side of the more extensible
inflation channel. This inflation folding mechanism is
visualized in Figure 3 and applied in further investigations.
Material explorations first built on soft robotics techniques
[7] by casting silicone inflation pockets directly to the garment fabric. This method led to flexible pockets that
were easily inflated and could fold over 40 o
from their flat
deflated state (Figure 4). However, due to the thinness of
the silicone layers the approach was deemed insufficiently
repeatable and durable to meet the design goals.
A more successful technique was heat-sealing plasticized
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sheet materials and fusing them to fabric. Layers of Mylar polyester film and paper fuse the Mylar edges when ironed,
leaving an airtight inflation channel in the shape of the
paper layer. This inflation channel is affixed directly to the
fabric using double-sided fabric fusing material.
Figure 4: select pneumatic experiments: silicon (L); Mylar (R)
FINAL DESIGN
The final design for the Awakened Apparel pneumatic
folding skirt incorporates the following elements:
A body-fitting shape created from a modified Miura fold origami pattern that curves when folded. Heat-fused, laminated Mylar inflation channels embedded into the fabric of the garment.
Shape-change throughout the skirt generated from the
multi-sided mountain and valley inflation channels and activated through use of a single foot-pump.
Unique aesthetic inspired by the underlying origami pattern and a clothing-appropriate texture.
Figure 5: inflation folding pattern—red channels are affixed to the underside of the fabric, blue to the topside
The final origami pattern is based on a Miura fold with curved radial fold lines, and varying angled vertical fold
lines (Figure 5). The ‘mountain’ folds (undersides fold
together) have angles 30-110% greater than the ‘valley’
folds (topsides fold together). This results in a curving
conical shape, which decreases in length by over 90% and
increases in curvature by up to 40% when folded. The
simple repeated pattern enables easier construction.
Figure 6: inflation channel layers heat-sealed in fabrication
Heat-fused laminated Mylar inflation channels (Figure 6) satisfy all of the approach parameters as it provides a
reasonable level of shape-change when inflated by foot-
pump (folding up to 23 o ), is repeatable and robust, and
provides an acceptable softness and pleasing aesthetic.
Figure 7: final Awakened Apparel prototype
Figure 7 shows the modified Miura origami used with heat-fused laminated Mylar channels. Due to the single folding direction when inflated, the alternating mountain
and valley fold inflation sections were distributed on the
underside and topside of the fabric respectively to create the
alternating directions of folding.
For maximum robustness, each air channel had its own inlet
and is connected to the foot pump via a tubing system in the top of the skirt.
DISCUSSION We created Awakened Apparel, a pneumatic folding skirt that values aesthetics and functionality, serves to motivate material explorations, and defines key dimensions for future shape-changing fashion.
Design goals, including material texture, aesthetic, and robustness were largely achieved. The piece was
constructed primarily of clothing fabric paired with small
sections of Mylar film that slightly increased material
stiffness but were not offensively unpleasant. Texture
could be further improved by limiting tubing sections used
to connect skirt to the foot-pump. Careful selection of skirt
form and colors—inspired by architectural examples and
stormy sky palate suggested by pneumatic actuation—led to
a fitting aesthetic. Materials displayed acceptable
robustness, and automation of the assembly process would
minimize leakage caused by human error. Satisfaction of
the design goals lead to a truly wearable garment that serves
as an initial embodiment of our vision.
LIMITATIONS Basic actuation was achieved within the constraints of the design parameters, though further development is required
to reach the full desired effect. Pneumatic folding was
highly successful on small samples (up to 40% curvature
increase), but the weight of the overall garment limited
movement in the larger piece (8% curvature increase; 8%
length contraction). Further work to improve the extent and
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detail of this shape-changing technology will explore
additional techniques from soft robotics such as lighter
materials, improved geometries, and soft electro-pneumatic
control systems [4].
FUTURE WORK A second prototype, which embodies the full storyline of
our vision (Figure 1) and implements transitions between
the various expressive states, remains as future, yet fully
achievable, work. Currently, pneumatic actuation operates
through a foot-pump and depends on manual intervention
by the user. Through future addition of electronics—e.g. bluetooth, basic sensors—we will be able to acquire the
information needed to make our vision of more fluidly
responsive clothing a reality. Information-based transitions
can rely on readily available open-source APIs to access
data such as stock market results or weather conditions to
transform clothing into an ambient device. As the field of
affective computing advances, sensors could be
incorporated into the design to achieve emotion-based
transitions [5, 10]. Functional changes will be situational or
temporal by calling on GPS location or time of day. They
could also remain mechanical, controlled exclusively and
unobtrusively by the user. Our vision for interaction serves
as a launching point for further collaboration with the HCI
community on shape-changing fashion.
CONCLUSION Awakened Apparel is one of the early examples of fully embedded, pneumatically folding, shape-changing fashion. It draws on diverse fields to propose a framework for creating shape-changing garments that fuse the pleasing
aesthetics of fashion with the functional inflation
technologies of soft robotics. Awakened Apparel uses
materials suited to the body and an inflatable structural
design to truly embed shape-changing actuation into the
fabrics we use in our everyday clothing. We hope our
prototypes and design vision can serve as a launching point
for future work in this multidisciplinary area of embedded
textile actuators for expressive and functional shape-
changing garments.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work began as part of the course Mechanical Invention
Through Computation led by Chuck Hoberman, Dr. Erik
Demaine, and Dr. Daniela Rus.
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