This week CuteCircuit presented a 2 day event at the University of Ulster in Belfast. The talk, the first in the Kinetic Spaces Lecture Series, highlighted the work of CuteCircuit and discussed the future of interactive fashion, wearable technology and textile innovation. The first day, Monday the 13th, an evening event was held where Francesca and Ryan talked with designers and researchers of University of Ulster. The following day, was dedicated to an intense creative workshop with the students and researchers focusing on how to design creatively with wearable technologies.

This event follows the successful collaboration between CuteCircuit and the University in developing a wearable technology system and interactive environment to aid pre-school children in learning to read.

In October the wearable system called “Jump, Skip, Learn” was tested in a workshop by Christine Blaney and Liam McComish at University of Ulster. The children enthusiastically played in a colorful and whimsical environment digitally projected all around them. This environment had very special properties; Children wearing a smart textile wristband were able to magically control many activities and objects inside this environment. When the children raised their arms it caused the sun to come out (see below), but dropping their hands repeatedly caused the rain to fall, and clapping their hands brought resounding thunder and lightning!

Photograph by Chris Martin.

CuteCircuit will be presenting new concepts of mobile technology at MobileCampLondon on September 29th and 30th, 2007. True to the slogan, “Hack, Design, Debate” we hope to take an in depth look at the opportunities provided by mobile tech and how this is going to change the fashion world forever. We will be highlighting and discussing the latest prototypes that were unveiled at Wired NextFEST in Los Angeles, such as the Hug Shirt, the M-Dress (mobile phone dress) the SkateHoodie, and talking in detail about the CuteCircuit’s unique approach to mobile technology.

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Thanks to everyone who attended MobileCamp. It was a stimulating and inspiring discussion!

CuteCircuit presented a whole series of new prototypes at Wired NextFEST 2007 in Los Angeles. These included a new version of the Hug Shirt and the new never-before-seen prototypes of the M-Dress and SkateHoodie. The reaction from visitors was enthusiastic and very exciting. Visitors to the exhibition got to try on Hug Shirts and each received a variety of hugs from soft subtle hugs to intense all-around hugs!

To see how people reacted when they tried on the Hug Shirt check out this gallery of happy people trying them on! If you were actually at NextFEST and tried one on, you might even get to see yourself!

In 3 days members of the CuteCircuit team gave a series of interviews for magazines and television interviews for MTV, NBC and even late night comedy shows!

Following Wired NextFEST in Los Angeles, the Hug Shirts became Hollywood stars as they were chosen to appear in a Warner Brothers Movie production! The movie is a super-spy/comedy and will be released in theaters sometime in 2008. With stars in their eyes The Hug Shirt team was very excited to bring the shirts to Hollywood where they were treated to an on-set breakfast at the Warner Brothers Studios! Thanks Warner Brothers! And thanks WIRED NEXTFEST!

We arrived at Campus-Party in Valencia, Spain to show Hug Shirts in a performance/demo in the afternoon but we soon learned that we were also scheduled for a big press conference starting almost immediately! The mannequins were already in place and quickly we put the Hug Shirts on them. With only a few minutes to go until the press arrived, we realized that mannequins wearing only shirts look a little… well, naked! We needed to find a way to clothe them and of course no one had extra clothes on hand.

However, in a moment of inspiration Francesca asks our hosts, “Do you have some extra CampusParty t-shirts?” Naively I wondered, “What are we going to do with shirts?” But, Francesca had a plan :) Literally within seconds she transformed the cool black t-shirts into really stylish looking skirts for the mannequins. During the press conference they complimented us on the design of the Hug Shirts and also on the skirts that went with them!

So, since really cool and affordable t-shirts are popping up every where these days (and really cool, affordable skirts are not), we thought you’d also be interested in how to make this kind of instant skirt! So, you ask, how can I make a snazzy skirt from a t-shirt? (in less than a minute?) Here’s how:

1. Get a large shirt you think will make a good skirt and that you are willing to sacrifice to the gods of fashion. Suggestion: Steal your boyfriend’s death-metal shirt! You’ll be doing him a favor.
2. With a fine pair of scissors or a seam ripper, cut the collar in 2 places where the shoulders are and open the top shoulder seam a little. This opening is the waist, so don’t open it too much at first. Try it on and see how much you need to open it.
3. Turn the sleeves inside to make pockets! If you want to get really fancy and make pockets that you can actually put something in you can turn the whole skirt inside-out so that you can stitch across the sleeve opening to close the pocket.
4. Finally, if you want extra refinement you can add a snap or tie-string at the waist to keep that skirt clinging to the hips. And voilá: A new skirt with a fancy 40s style tulip shape!

(click image for slightly larger version)

Thanks to all the folks at CampusParty for hosting a very unique and enjoyable event!

The exhibit titled Our Cyborg Future at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle (UK) opens today! Exhibits include the Hug Shirt by CuteCircuit and while at the exhibit you can even try one on and even get a hug from someone far away! Also we are introducing a brand new prototype from CuteCircuit called the SkateHoodie that you can try out in the museum! Other cutting-edge technology you will see in the exhibition include prosthetic limbs, robots that are used to perform medical surgery, and a prototype designer dress created by Hussein Chalayan.

The event will run at the museum from Friday, August 10th until the 27th of October. Best of all entry is FREE!

The exhibit is supported by DOTT’07 and the Design Council and is curated by Andrew Chetty and Sabine Seymour.

Read more about the exhibit from DOTT’07 and the Design Council.

São Paulo, Brazil-
CuteCircuit is showing the latest Hug Shirt at the Robótica Expo in São Paulo, Brazil. The exhibition is showing now until Sunday, the 15th of April at the Centro de Exposições Imigrantes, São Paulo.

On the opening day of the exhibition the Hug Shirt was featured in interviews and live demonstrations for more than 10 Brazilian television shows reaching an estimated 18 million viewers across Brazil!

Visitors to Robótica are trying on the latest in Hug Shirt technology and loving it! Visitors to the CuteCiruit booth get to wear Hug Shirts and can record a hug and send it to their friends, or receive a hug in real-time transmitted to the Hug Shirt just for them.

Robótica is going on now, so if you are in Brasil, come see us!

Link: Robótica Expo

(Photo Credits: The cute robots shown in the foreground of the photo were built by Sergio Costa of Symphony, educational robots. And the beautiful girl modeling the Hug Shirt is our friend Rossana.)

The book “Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century” is out! Edited by Alex Steffen and with a preface by Al Gore. Worldchanging features the work of CuteCircuit in chapter 1 “Stuff”, in the Art Meets Technology section.

“Worldchanging: A Users Guide for the 21st Century is a groundbreaking compendium of the most innovative solutions, ideas and inventions emerging today for building a sustainable, livable, prosperous future. From consumer consciousness to a new vision for industry; non-toxic homes to refugee shelters; microfinance to effective philanthropy; socially responsible investing to starting a green business; citizen media to human rights; ecological economics to climate change, this is the most comprehensive, cutting-edge overview to date of what’s possible in the near future — if we decide to make it so.”

Read more about the book on the Worldchanging official website.

Order the book from Amazon or find an independent bookstore near you at Booksense.com .

The Hug Shirt has been nominated as one of the Best Inventions of 2006 by Time Magazine!!!

Finally you can see the new Hug Shirt that was presented at Wired NextFest in New York last month. The new design features a very comfortable mix of smart textiles, cotton and micro-fiber that make it very soft and pleasant to wear. And yes! Is completely washable! More images of the new Hug Shirt will be available soon on the Hug Shirt webpage.

Time Best Inventions 2006

WIRED NextFest started is now open and is running until Sunday at the Javits Center in New York City! If you are in New York, stop by and say ‘Hi’ to the CuteCircuit crew in the Future of Design Pavilion.

If you are not in New York, keep an eye on the Discovery Channel, MSNBC, Fox News and other networks for previews, interviews and other coverage of the event.

More info here! www.nextfest.net

CuteCircuit is very happy to have been selected to participate in WIRED NextFest 2006! CuteCircuit will be in the Future of Design Pavillion exhibit number 400.
…So come see us in New York! If you are a news-subscriber on this website you might even get a happy-friendly-pink gift: a CuteCircuit tee-shirt (wicked-cool!)!

Where: JAVITS CENTER, NEW YORK CITY
When: SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 1, 2006

WIRED NextFest is a massive annual festival of innovation and technology. As they describe it: “WIRED’s vision of a new world’s fair, WIRED NextFest is a four-day festival of innovative products and technologies that are transforming our world. Patterned on the great World’s Fairs of the past, this year’s NextFest in New York features more than 130 interactive exhibits from leading scientists and researchers around the world.”

For full details of locations and events browse the Official NextFest Website.

For media coverage of WIRED NextFest you can pick up the current (September 2006) issue of Wired magazine. (See page 141 for mention of CuteCircuit!) Or keep an eye on the Discovery Channel for a preview and timely coverage of all that is happening at the festival!