Dartmouth Events

Putting it On: Computation & Technology in Apparel & the Near-Body Environment

Funny things happen when technology gets very close to the body: it begins to affect & be affected by the human user in ways that stationary or mobile technologies don't and aren't

Wednesday, September 20, 2017
3:30pm – 4:30pm
Kemeny Hall 007
Intended Audience(s): Public
Categories: Lectures & Seminars

Abstract: Funny things happen when technology gets very close to the body: it begins to affect and be affected by the human user in ways that stationary or mobile technologies don't and aren't. On the other hand, wearing technology opens up exciting new frontiers for human capabilities and experiences. This talk will explore the intersection of what we wear and what it does: the blend of fashion design, psychology, sociology, and engineering that gives rise to applications like augmented physical capabilities, sensory perception, and cognition. The near-term challenges to development as wearables move off of the wrist as well as the near-term opportunities for computation in everyday clothing will be addressed from an interdisciplinary perspective.

BioLucy E. Dunne is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota, where she directs the Apparel Design program and is the founder and co-director of the Wearable Technology Lab. She is a co-author (with Susan Watkins) of "Functional Apparel Design: From Sportswear to Space Suits" (Fairchild Books, 2015), and her academic background includes degrees in Apparel Design (Cornell University, BS and MA), Electronic Engineering (Tompkins-Cortland Community College, AAS), and Computer Science (University College Dublin, PhD). Her research is focused pursuing the vision of scalable, wearable garment-integrated technology, and explores new functionality in apparel, human-device interface, production and manufacture, and human factors of wearable products. Dr. Dunne has received the National Science Foundation’s CAREER award and the NASA Silver Achievement Medal for her work with functional clothing and wearable technology.

For more information, contact:
Sandra Hall

Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.