We introduce a novel method for fabricating functional flat-to-shape objects using a large computer-controlled sewing machine (11 ft / 3.4m wide), a process that is both rapid and scalable beyond the machine's sewable area. Flat-to-shape deployable objects can allow for quick and easy need-based activation, but the selective flexibility required can involve complex fabrication or tedious assembly. In our method, we sandwich rigid form-defining materials, such as plywood and acrylic, between layers of fabric. The sewing process secures these layers together, creating soft hinges between the rigid inserts which allow the object to transition smoothly into its three-dimensional functional form with little post-processing.
We introduce a novel component for smart garments: smart interlining, and validate its technical feasibility through a series of experiments. Our work involved the implementation of a prototype that employs a textile vibration sensor based on Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENGs), commonly used for activity detection. We explore several unique features of smart interlining, including how sensor signals and patterns are influenced by factors such as the size and shape of the interlining sensor, the location of the vibration source within the sensor area, and various propagation media, such as airborne and surface vibrations. We present our study results and discuss how these findings support the feasibility of smart interlining. Additionally, we demonstrate that smart interlinings on a shirt can detect a variety of user activities involving the hand, mouth, and upper body, achieving an accuracy rate of 93.9% in the tested activities.
Ceramics provide a rich domain for exploring craft, fabrication, and diverse material textures that enhance tangible interaction. In this work, we explored slip-casting, a traditional ceramic technique where liquid clay is poured into a porous plaster mold that absorbs water from the slip to form a clay body. We adapted this process into an approach we called Resist Slip-Casting. By selectively masking the mold’s surface with stickers to vary its water absorption rate, our approach enables makers to create ceramic objects with intricate textured surfaces, while also allowing the customization of a single mold for different outcomes. In this paper, we detail the resist slip-casting process and demonstrate its application by crafting a range of tangible interfaces with customizable visual symbols, tactile features, and decorative elements. We further discuss our approach within the broader conversation in HCI on fabrication machines that promote creative collaboration between humans, materials, and tools.
The increasing emphasis on sustainable practices in HCI requires the development of new materials-based approaches for fabrication, which consider degradation and recycling. In particular, textile products containing rigid elements are usually hard to recycle since they are assembled from different materials, which must be disassembled before recycling. We introduce a novel method for fabricating knitted textile objects containing both soft and rigid segments using PVA (Polyvinyl Alcohol). PVA is a biodegradable synthetic material that dissolves in water. When exposed to a controlled amount of water and dried, the textile hardens and becomes rigid. We contribute a hardening method and protocol. Additionally, we present methods to achieve selective hardening by using intarsia knitting with two types of PVA. After being subjected to the hardening protocol, one type of PVA hardens while the other remains soft. To illustrate the potential, capabilities, and applications, a series of selectively hardened knitted objects are presented.
Recent work in Generative AI enables the stylization of 3D models based on image prompts. However, these methods do not incorporate tactile information, leading to designs that lack the expected tactile properties. We present TactStyle, a system that allows creators to stylize 3D models with images while incorporating the expected tactile properties. TactStyle accomplishes this using a modified image-generation model fine-tuned to generate heightfields for given surface textures. By optimizing 3D model surfaces to embody a generated texture, TactStyle creates models that match the desired style and replicate the tactile experience. We utilize a large-scale dataset of textures to train our texture generation model. In a psychophysical experiment, we evaluate the tactile qualities of a set of 3D-printed original textures and TactStyle's generated textures. Our results show that TactStyle successfully generates a wide range of tactile features from a single image input, enabling a novel approach to haptic design.
Displays are crucial in modern smart devices, conveying information visually. Wearable displays have gained increasing interest due to their ability to integrate into everyday environments while maintaining an unobtrusive presence. Textile-based displays, in particular, offer extra advantages of comfort, lightness, and natural feel. We present LuxKnit, a design and fabrication pipeline for textile-based displays with integrated sensing using digital machine knitting. LuxKnit employs electroluminescent (EL) yarn for displays and conductive yarn for sensing. We offer an interactive design interface for users to customize the display’s color, shape, position, and size. We evaluate display luminance and sensing performance across various knitted layouts, deformations, and conductive yarn types. LuxKnit offers a scalable, deformable, stretchable, washable, and interactive display textile system with applications in assistive wearables, interactive educational interfaces, interactive input devices, and common display formats like the seven-segment display.
We present BioTube, a sustainable and highly accessible DIY fabrication approach for creating hollow tubular alginate, and demonstrate its potential for making biodegradable transient devices. This technique involves extruding alginate into a calcium solution, initiating a progressive crosslinking process that starts from the outer shell and progresses inward. This controlled process removes the uncrosslinked core before complete gelation, yielding hollow alginate fibers. To further enhance the capabilities of BioTube, we explored three further crosslinking strategies to customize the fiber shape, local cross-sectional geometry, and stiffness. The versatility of this method is demonstrated through three key functional primitives: shape, morphing, and sensing. These capabilities are further illustrated through five application examples, including transient wearables, edible shape-changing interfaces, experimental gastronomy, underwater grippers, and sacrificial casting molds. We believe that BioTube will expand the design possibilities for alginate, enabling the creation of innovative biodegradable devices.