Context
This is the blog of the project module “Interactive Costumes – E-textiles made for the Stage” taking place in the faculty of media at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar in summer term 2014. It’s organized & held by the HCI group that belongs to the department of Computer Science and Media.
Students of Computer Science and Media, Product Design & Media Art and Design work collaborative during the classes. They form the whole process together in teams, the project depends on the cooperation between creative and technical development. More information about the students can be found here.

Description
In this course, we explore e-textiles and wearable computing that have potential to be staged at theater houses. The content of teaching in this field of human-computer interaction are versatile, they range from physical computing over interaction design to performance arts. In the main part of this project, students design and develop an own interactive costume in smaller groups. They explore technologies like the LilyPad Arduino in order to integrate several sensors and actuators into the textiles.
At the end, we will conceptualize a user study for evaluating the effects of such costumes. Research questions are for instance how the clothes feel like for the one who wears them, how robust are they, or what do observers think about their interactive appearance.

Contact
Please write to michaela.honauer @ uni-weimar.de for further information!