my scrolling message bra
A few gadget blogs and tech news sites have recently commented on my "mixed messages" bra. (thanks!) Yes, it's an unusual performance art piece, designed to confuse/amuse people who will tend to look at lights (and breasts), only to discover that the text of the message literally says "DO NOT LOOK". It's not intended to be particularly practical or serious.
Here's the page in my site: http://www.enlighted.com/pages/messagebras.shtml
I'd like to clarify a few things, for those who are curious:
- This was designed and built by a woman (me)
- I consider myself to be a feminist
- I recognize that some people are offended by the idea of drawing attention to bras, breasts, and women's bodies in general, but I think it's more disturbing to say that those things must be concealed, or that the woman herself has no voice in the matter
- Depending on the situation, it can be quite empowering to wear a lighted bra in public (with or without messages)
- This particular bra is more of a social experiment than a product, and I don't expect many people to actually want one
Here's an example of the kind of response I've gotten (from a guy) while wearing it:
Q. "Did you buy that, or did someone make it for you?"
A. "I made it."
Q. "Oh, but who built the electronics?"
A. "I did."
Q. "Oh, then who wrote the code?"
Yes, seeing how people react to this stuff can be quite enlightening.
Here's the page in my site: http://www.enlighted.com/pages/messagebras.shtml
I'd like to clarify a few things, for those who are curious:
- This was designed and built by a woman (me)
- I consider myself to be a feminist
- I recognize that some people are offended by the idea of drawing attention to bras, breasts, and women's bodies in general, but I think it's more disturbing to say that those things must be concealed, or that the woman herself has no voice in the matter
- Depending on the situation, it can be quite empowering to wear a lighted bra in public (with or without messages)
- This particular bra is more of a social experiment than a product, and I don't expect many people to actually want one
Here's an example of the kind of response I've gotten (from a guy) while wearing it:
Q. "Did you buy that, or did someone make it for you?"
A. "I made it."
Q. "Oh, but who built the electronics?"
A. "I did."
Q. "Oh, then who wrote the code?"
Yes, seeing how people react to this stuff can be quite enlightening.
posted by Janet Hansen at 10:19 AM
4 Comments:
What kind of electronics you have in there? PIC or other microcontroller, I assume? First thing (well, ok, second..) I tought was 'Hmm, you could hook up a cellphone to that and display text messaging on it..' If it's a PIC or Atmel, it shouldn't be very hard, either - we did some displays (VFDs and LCDs) in school with a SMS displayed on there.
Yes, it's a PIC. When I did this project a few years ago, I made a small number of pieces using this type of driver, and the scrolling patterns were all pre-defined in the software, which was more than adequate for that application.
Scrolling messages are a relatively minor part of my work (I've been more focused on the use of lights as abstract decorative elements) but I agree that this idea could be expanded greatly by making the messages more dynamic.
A variety of companies are working on similar displays that let you change the messages with pushbutton input, computer links, or text messages sent from a phone. As manufacturing methods continue to improve for creating flexible grids of LEDs, I expect we'll see a lot more examples of interactive lighted messages in clothing and accessories (jackets, t-shirts, backpacks, belt buckles, etc).
I wish I had met you about three years ago. I was thinking about doing a scrolling led controller for clothing with a bluetooth interface so your laptap could dynamically change the message. After talking to about 50 women, I decided that there would be no market for it. I'm curious, though, are you using 3M's conductive thread sewn into garments to carry current?
Regarding conductive thread: Yes, I've played with it a bit, although it makes the interconnect between the conductor and the LED (and the circuit board) much more difficult. I typically prefer stranded insulated wire, which can be soldered directly to the components, as long as you're careful to not melt any fabric parts that might be nearby.
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