Under Beat
Developed 2005

This garment is a light stretchy singlet housing ECG electrodes that is worn under the Ether Beat outer garment. Within the garment the two active electrodes are located to the left and the right of the sternum. The garment is designed from a light-weight 2-way sheer stretch material that allows for maximum user comfort. The design incorporates a number of channels on the front and back that carry the wiring for the electrodes. In the garment construction process ‘jets' are sewn into the three key electrode locations to allow the connectors to emerge from the garment and clip onto disposable adhesive electrodes. The wiring is easily removed from the garment for washability.

more images

Garment construction: Ricarda Bigolin

Ether Beat + Ether Scarf
Developed 2004 - 2006

The Ether Beat outer garments are essentially the ‘brain' and ‘heart' of the system. The garments house signal processing equipment, radio transceivers and small vibration motors. The electrical current detected by electrodes in the Under Beat garment is processed and converted into a square wave signal by equipment housed in the Ether Beat outer garment and transmitted via FM radio wave to the partner device. When the waveform is received by the remote garment it is amplified and used to pulse the four 6 volt vibration motors situated over the left chest, simulating the remote heartbeat. Whilst only using an inexpensive wireless transmitter and receiver, initial tests have demonstrated the devices working up to a distance of 25 metres, in an electrically noisy environment. Beyond this distance the identifiable heart pulsation through the garment begins to weaken. Future prototypes will utilise Bluetooth or similar technology to allow for a more remote 2-way transmission occur.

The design aim of the Ether Beat and Ether Scarf garments is to create garments that derive their structural stability from the electronics that they house. The use of highly transparent silk organza, a traditional bridal fabric, consciously juxtaposes the materiality and the functionality of the garments. In this way the projects suggest the potential for articles of clothing that are both aesthetically engaging and imbued with communications functionality. The materiality actively questions the idea that the success of an electronic garment be contingent solely on technical issues, wearability, washability and cost. Whilst hygiene and washability issues are paramount in the fields of medicine, sport and defence, they are less pressing in reference to a silk blouse. One simply removes the electronics from the garment and has the blouse or scarf dry cleaned. Thus, the projects situate themselves between art, technology and design and aim to raise questions about futuristic ephemeral ways of inhabiting space and connecting with others.

more images

Garment construction: Ricarda Bigolin