esearchers involved in the program are working on developing intelligent textiles, that comfort the wearer by evoking memories of absent loved ones. Wearable Absence is part of the 2010 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. It involves two teams of researchers, led by Professor Barbara Layne of Concordia University in Montreal, and Professor Janis Jefferies of the University of London. They have developed garments that are embedded with wireless sensors and bio-sensing devices that measure the wearer’s body temperature, heart rate, galvanic skin response and rate of respiration. The data is sent to an Internet database, which in turn sends back previously-recorded messages from an absent person. Those messages could include audio files played through speakers sewn into the clothing, or text, photographs or video displayed via a scrolling LED array woven into the fabric. Layne and Jeffries believe that the technology could have applications in fields such as health care – if a patient’s clothes detected that the person was upset, for instance, they could deliver comforting messages from family members. If Wearable Absence technology did make it into everyday clothing, however, it could make for some interesting scenarios. Imagine, for instance, if that hypothetical boss of yours was reading you the riot act, when his mom suddenly appeared on his shirt and told him to calm down. Definitely a brilliant way to defuse a tense situation. Please visit the website below to have more information about.
www.wearableabsence.com
