Fast forward to 2040. And, bid goodbye to tiring shopping sessions for the best outfit, trying to mix n’ match to create a unique fashion identity and getting confused on what to wear for your next big occasion – a coat with embedded technology is all you need!
The days of ‘integrated dressing’ awaits us, points out a group of design students who took part in the International Design Summer School (IDSS), which concluded at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology in the city last Friday.
Explaining their discovery in the domain of clothing as part of their group exercise to envision future, the four-member group was of the opinion that an all-purpose, multi-protection, heat and comfort-adjusting coat that would automatically adapt to one’s size will be the next big find to replace all fashion imaginations in future. “This everything-in-one clothing will be widely popular when we run out of space in textile shops and closets. With embedded and ambient technology making its way into the field of design, this clothing would also add to our comfort with its ability to adjust as per the temperature of the place we are at as well,” explained Tania Villiger, a postgraduate design student from Zurich University of the Arts, Switzerland.
Her teammate from the same varsity; Sandra Tschanz further added that such clothes would add to the comfort of the wearer as integrated dressing would help save time, adapting across situations. “Similar to smart watches that we wear today, this coat will be the next thing as per our research and interest into this domain, as of now,” Sandra told Bengaluru Chronicle. The team also included Veda and Siddharth, two students from the host Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology.
Student attendees from International Institute of Fine Arts (Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh), Jiangnan University (Wuxi, China), Zurich University of the Arts (Switzerland) and Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology (Bengaluru) were divided into mixed teams to critically analyse and present their ideas on the ‘Impact of Ambient and Embedded Intelligence in Design’ in transportation, shelter, food, communication and clothing.
Lauding the initiative, Prof. Shen Jie from Jiangnan University explains how same problems are looked at from different perspectives in a diverse classroom. “The biggest challenge, however, is to find a common solution that is acceptable to everyone. The exposure students get being in a city like Bengaluru where I have observed a commendable foreign participation in the workforce is an added advantage,” he commented.
However, Prof. Hansuli Matter, Head of Design, Zurich University of the Arts was of the opinion that the transformation of Artificial Intelligence as a necessity in different walks of life including design would be more of a life-enhancement rather than enslaving humanity. “I’m one among the optimists in this regard and it is important to encourage students to envision more of the future scenario and narratives rather than mere objects,” he said.
The other ideas presented included O-Mod (an omni-modular bus that works driverless on solar energy with the help of GPS), Genie (a 3D printer that enables localised production of essentials), Lorica (a watch that allows the weaer to live weatherproof, protected from rain, snow, string winds and ultraviolet radiations), Smart Nature (an overview of how communication gadgets would look in future) and Super Smart Stove 2035 (a wall-attachable stove with in-built 3D Printer, display screen for recipes and flexible smart pans that change sizes accordingly).
IDSS is a partnership between design schools in Switzerland, China and India by which an annual workshop is organised in one of the partner schools on a topic of international concern. “I am very happy that our students and some of our faculty got this chance to work with each other to dream and construct an alternative future. The world will become more and more unified with cultures learning from each other and building on each other’s strengths,” said Prof. Naga Nandini, Head of Industrial Arts and Design Processes and Dean of School of Design, Business and Technology, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology.
