Sp4rkl3

Overview

Sp4rkl3 is a dress that lights up due to electricity generated by its own motion. As Sp4rkl3's skirt swishes and sways, it provides a dynamic lightshow, encouraging its wearer to be active and giving others a visible gauge of her level of motion. There are no batteries; instead, a new power generation mechanism is used to create a dazzling effect with virtually no indication that electronics are involved.

Created by Kit Waal and Rehmi Post.

Technical Details

Power Generation

• Motion-based electricity generation

• Battery-free operation

• Novel power harvesting mechanism

• Integration with textile structure

Construction

• LED integration

• Power distribution system

• Motion-sensitive design

• Invisible electronics integration

Media

Publications

Journal Articles

• Electrostatic Power Harvesting for Material Computing E. R. Post, K. Waal Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, v. 15 no. 2 pp. 115-121 (2011) doi:10.1007/s00779-010-0313-9 [Invited Paper]

Conference Papers

• Electrostatic Power Harvesting in Textiles E. R. Post, K. Waal Proc. ESA Annual Meeting on Electrostatics 2010, Paper G1

Patents

• US8519677 Electrostatic power harvesting for material computing

Press Coverage

• SEAMLESS v.3 - Computational Couture

• Boston Globe Fashion Section

• New Scientist: LED-studded skirt makes a bright fashion statement

• The Point News: MIT Researcher Explains Science Through Fashion

• Additional coverage in technology and fashion media

Related Work

• MIDI Jacket

• Interactive Tablecloth

• µTartan