The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago has published its first Podcast to correspond with the FastForward: Inventing the Future Exhibit and the Podcast is all about CuteCircuit and Wearable Technologies from CuteCircuit that are currently on display in the FastForward exhibit at the museum.

The interview with Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz was recorded at the opening of the exhibit in Chicago, is about 5 minutes long and discusses wearable technology and the future of fashion!

Download the entire podcast here! (MP3 format, 12.7 MB)

Rotterdam Event -
Test_Lab: Fashionable Technology

Update
Check it out! Those guys from V2 are way organized! A video stream of the entire event is now available here! (.mov stream)

Original Post
CuteCircuit designers will be presenting the latest prototype of the HugShirt at V2 Institute for Unstable Media in Rotterdam. The one-night event will focus on wearable technology designs with presentations from CuteCircuit designers Ryan Genz and Francesca Rosella, Sabine Seymour author of Fashionable Technology: The Intersection of Design, Fashion, Science, and Technology, and Aram Bartholl. After the presentations there will a debate and discussion moderated by Michel van Dartel from V2 and the evening will conclude with Wearable Technology based performances from KOBAKANT: Mika Satomi and Hannah Perner-Wilson.

After the performances, visitors are invited to try out the HugSHirt for themselves, getting a hug from across the world!

CuteCircuit founders Ryan Genz and Francesca Rosella were in Helsinki Finland this week to give a Keynote Speech at the Ubiquitous Computing Summit 2009.

The field of Ubiquitous Computing deals with how computing and human-computer interaction is accomplished when computers no longer reside on a desktop in a home or office, but literally reside in every product that we interact with on a daily basis. And of course, Wearable Technology is a key component of this new technological landscape. Having a microprocessor in your clothing or a powerful computer in your dress is no longer the realm of Science Fiction because these things are part of our world today and will be increasingly part of our world in the future.

The talk from Ryan and Francesca focused on how the designs from CuteCircuit emerge specifically with users in mind, often including users in the design process, and how this design process produces designs that are delightful and empower users. Designing for the world of Ubiquitous Computers is not an easy task because data and information can flow literally to and from every person in every part of the world. CuteCircuit’s presentation focused on the products that will be defining this new environment.

Again this year CuteCircuit will be giving a talk at the Smart Fabrics conference. This year’s conference takes place in Rome, Italy from March 10th to the 12th.

Differentiating this year’s talk, the presentation will showcase new products from the CuteCircuit label and give key insights in using “beautiful design” principles as a tool for creating value and appeal in the creation of wearable solutions, including how the emerging market for Wearable Technology sits at the intersection of Technology, Design and Fashion and a forecast of its future growth.

BARCELONA –
Wearing the HugShirt and smiling broadly, the Minister for Trade and Investment, Lord Mervyn Davies received a tele-hug transmitted from across the pavilion. The latest prototype of the HugShirt was unveiled last week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the worlds largest trade fair for the mobile telecommunication industry. The Minister was not the only one to try the HugShirt in Barcelona where all of the 45,000 visitors were invited to the CuteCircuit booth to try it on and experience the HugShirt for themselves.

Many visitors after trying the shirt brought back their friends to try it as well. “I had to come see this for myself, I didn’t believe it was possible!” one visitor commented. Many visitors to the booth were attracted by the stylish design and one visitor commented, “it looks beautiful and now that I know what it does I want one even more!”

The Mobile World Congress is a great venue for the HugShirt as the HugShirt is the world’s first wearable touch telecommunication device. The HugShirt being shown in Barcelona marked the first time that Wearable Technology has appeared at the Mobile World Congress. Many visitors to the congress this year were eager to find new innovations to carry the mobile industry through the current economic climate and a new genre of product that can tele-communicate like the HugShirt generated excitement and optimism.

Get a glimpse of the Future in Chicago!

An exciting new semi-permanent gallery has opened at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, called FastForward: Inventing the Future and it includes amazing and entertaining innovation from all over the world. Included in the exhibit are the forward thinking wearable technologies of CuteCircuit.

The exhibition also includes the specially commissioned GalaxyDress. Designed by CuteCircuit the GalaxyDress is the world’s largest full color wearable display in the shape of a fantastic silk chiffon-layered evening gown with 24000 LEDs embroidered on silk.

The exhibit includes prototypes of the HugShirt, as well as photographs of a number of other wearable technologies that CuteCircuit has developed. Additionally the exhibit includes a video interview with CuteCircuit founders, Francesca and Ryan, talking about the inspiration behind the company and their ground-breaking designs.

The Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

FastForward: Inventing the Future

It is the Year of Dangerous Minds at the Gravity Free Design and Innovation conference!

Gravity Free started today in Chicago and CuteCircuit founders Francesca and Ryan spoke in the first session kicking off the Conference with a dose of Fashionable and Wearable Technology. The talk was followed by an Open Forum discussion about design innovation with other speakers in the session Charles White (master illustrator and imaginator) and Jamie Drake (bold and intense interior design).

Each session at the conference is being videotaped and sessions will be added for online viewing every two weeks over the following months. We will post and update when the sessions become available.

Update 1: Read the Core 77 blog entry here.

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.

<Update>

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!