“Temporary Exhibit ‘Wired to Wear’ Opens at Museum of Science & Industry,” by S.M. O’Connor

Wired to Wear™, presented by BMO, is the newest temporary exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry (M.S.I.), and opened on Thursday, March 21, 2019.  It will run through May of 2020.  [I wrote my first article on Wired to Wear™ and the Makers United workshop, “Museum of Science and Industry to Open Wearable Technology Exhibit,” before the exhibit opened and posted it on Sunday, March 10, 2019.  This new article reflects information from a group of press releases the M.S.I. public relations team made available on or around March 21^st.]  The 8,000-square-foot exhibit features over 100 artifacts from around the world, it is the first-ever exhibit dedicated exclusively to wearable technology.  This exhibit is not covered by Museum Entry and requires a separate, timed-entry ticket.

“Wearable technology has been steadily gaining momentum for years and is on the cusp of taking hold in mainstream society. We believe this is the absolute right time to show people the innovation underway and help our guests understand why their closet will look radically different in only a few years,” stated David Mosena, President and Chief Executive Officer of the M.S.I. “We are thrilled to open Wired to Wear and are confident that the experience will redefine how people think about wearable technology and what it can become.”

Wired to Wear™ features items from brands, designers, engineers and artists from fifteen countries, bringing the world’s most innovative technologies to the M.S.I., including Dainese, Google, Intel, Microsoft, N.A.S.A. and Gravity Industries;  universities and laboratories including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), Johns Hopkins University, and Northwestern University; and artists and designers including Anouk Wipprecht,[1] Behnaz Farahi,[2] Melissa Coleman,[3] Suzi Webster,[4] Jordan Reeves, Lisa Lang, and Amy Winters, Ph.D.[5]

One of the innovators whose inventions are displayed in the exhibit is Sophie Oliveira Barata.  According to the M.S.I., “Founder of the Alternative Limb Project, Sophie Oliveira Barata uses prosthetics as an extension of the wearer’s personality. Merging the latest technology with traditional crafts, her creations explore themes of body image, modification, evolution and transhumanism, while promoting positive conversations around disability and celebrating body diversity. Sophie enlists various specialists in fields such as 3D modelling, electronics, and cutting edge technology to create each piece of art. Clients have included Paralympic athletes, music performers, models and video game companies.”

Figure 1 Credit: Courtesy of the Museum of Science and Industry Caption: This is Sophie Oliveira Barata’s Stereo Leg.

Figure 2 Credit: Courtesy of the Museum of Science and Industry Caption: This is Sophie Oliveira Barata’s Synchronized Arm.

 

True to the M.S.I.’s hands-on approach to science and technology, Wired to Wear is purpose-designed to let guests touch, feel, and even try on these emerging technologies.  Guests will put on the SpiderSense Vest, created by Chicago-based entrepreneur Victor Mateevitsi, Ph.D., and built by technological futurist firm Quantum XPR.  This vest provides haptic feedback as they navigate through an obstacle.  Guests will be able to swipe the Smart Tattoo to create notes on an instrument, and even control lighting.  Placed on mannequin arms, the conductive tattoos, designed by Microsoft, turn the body into an interface.

“Wired to Wear will bring some of the most cutting-edge innovation to our community and drive more exploration of STEM career opportunities,” stated Daniela O’Leary-Gill, Executive Vice President and U.S. Chief Operating Officer of BMO Financial Corp. and a M.S.I. board member. “BMO embraces the spirit of innovation and proudly champions MSI’s quest to educate and inspire people of all ages.”

Throughout Wired to Wear™, guests will see examples of how wearable technology is revolutionizing the benefits clothing can provide.  For example, Jacquard™ by Google is a technology platform that will turn the garment into a touchscreen.  This is a chance to learn how Levi’s® Commuter™ Trucker Jacket with Jacquard, the first product developed with this platform, works.

Seismic, the first company to produced clothing with integrated electromechanical muscles (flex-drives within the clothing have electric motors that augment the wearer’s muscles) is displaying Powered Clothing™.  These are exoskeletal suits of clothing that help users maintain bodily autonomy, enabling them to sit, stand, walk, etc.  Integrated sensors track how the wearer’s body is moving and how the suit is helping the wearer.  The suit learns about the wearer.  The company learns from the power, timing, and motion when the wearer needs help with a given movement and programs the flex-droves appropriately. In the autumn of 2017, after twenty months of design and development, the Seismic team of data scientists, experts on biomechanics, and apparel designers in Meno Park, California began testing prototypes.

 

In the “Personal” section, guests will explore the symbiotic relationship between the human body and clothing.  “Discover new ways our clothing will keep us healthy and safe, and augment our bodies and take us beyond our physical limits,” stated the M.S.I.

The SpiderSense vest, relies on the concept developed by Chicago-based entrepreneur Victor Mateevitsi, Ph.D., [6] and built out by technological futurist firm Quantum XPR. [7]  Guests will navigate a space relying on the haptic feedback, or vibrations, as the vest alerts them to obstacles in close proximity.

Nike’s Self-Lacing Shoes from Back to the Future Part II (1989), on loan from the collection of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, are one of the most famous representations of wearable technology. These pop-culture pieces are displayed alongside Nike’s HyperAdapt 1.0 and recently announced Nike Adapt BB shoes.

ElektroCouture’s Marlene Dietrich Dress was inspired by letters written in 1958 by German-actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992) to French-American costume designer Jean Louis (1907-1997), in which she asked for a dress that could glow and be interactive.[8] With the technology then existent, it was not possible to make such a dress, but, sixty years later, ElektroCouture, an internationally acclaimed and innovative fashion and tech company, made her dream come true by creating the dress using 3D printers, laser cutters, LEDs, Bluetooth technology and specially-made Swarovski crystals.  The M.S.I. noted, “This creation symbolizes how inspiration from the past can be used to fashion the future.”

Dianese’s D-Air® racing suit is protective suit senses when a collision is about to happen, inflating automatically to provide its wearer a softer landing. Microfilament Technology and unique software protect the wearer as motion and direction are monitored 1,000 times per second, and reports them to a computer sewn into the back. This smart suit was designed for motorcycle racing, alpine skiing, mountain biking, and competitive sailing.

Figure 3 Credit: Courtesy: Museum of Science and Industry Caption: Dainese’s D-Air Racing Suit monitors the wearer’s position 1,000 times per second to determine if embedded airbags need to instantaneously inflate to protect the wearer from injury.

 

 

Hövding, the airbag helmet, is the world’s first airbag for cyclists.  Worn like a collar around a rider’s neck, in the event of a collision, it instantly puffs up to envelop the head to prevent serious injury. Sensors track a rider’s movement 200 times per second, and inflates in just one tenth of a second.

Project Unicorn, developed by young Jordan Reeves,[9] is a glitter cannon of a prosthetic arm.  Born without a part of her left arm, at the age of ten, Jordan Reeves used a 3D printer to create her own prosthetic—a cannon that shoots glitter.  Now at age thirteen, she and her mother, Jen Lee Reeves, run a non-profit organization, Born Just Right, which empowers children to use science, technology, engineering, and math to create their own solutions for problems with their limbs.

Developed by Ford/GTB, Safe Cap prevents truck drivers from falling asleep at the wheel.  This hat uses an accelerometer and gyroscope to alert drowsy drivers. The cap looks like a standard trucker hat, and uses vibrations, sound and light flashes to wake the wearer if it senses him (or her) dozing off.

Becca McCharen-Tran’s Adrenaline Dress,[10] developed with the help of Todd Harple of Intel,[11] is equipped with a microcomputer so small it is described by the M.S.I. as “a tiny computer the size of a button.”  This dress expands to ward off enemies if the wearer feels threatened. This shape-shifting dress shows how our clothes may one day automatically respond during social encounters. Becca McCharen’s designs have grabbed the attention of celebrities including Beyoncé, Madonna, Taylor Swift, Grimes, and Nicki Minaj.

Created by brothers Charles and Rob Corrigan, HALO™ by AEXOS (Advanced Exoskeletal Systems) is a compression shirt designed to reduce the effects of whiplash and concussions for athletes.[12] The shirt incorporates technology that allows the shirt’s impact-responsive collar to stiffen during a collision on the field or on the ice, protecting an athlete (whether an adult or child).

      Electric Dreams by Suzi Webster and Quantum XPR explores making the relationship between light and thought tangible and visible.  The M.S.I. stated, “This tentacle-like headdress displays a guest’s state of mind when they put on an interactive headset, changing the headdress color as it responds to brainwaves using a microcontroller, EEG sensors, fiber optics and LEDs.”

The “Social” section demonstrates how “Tech-embedded clothing will give us a new platform to express who we are, share our stories and connect with each other,” the M.S.I. stated. “This section experiments with the idea that our clothes can be used in playful interaction, and taps into our fundamental human need to belong.”

Commissioned by the M.S.I., Behnaz Farahi’s Iridescence collar’s 200 quills use custom-made actuators and vision-activated technology to follow your gaze and react with life-like behavior. Inspired by the plumes of a hummingbird, it moves based on a guest’s facial expression. For example, when an angry face is detected, the collar expresses anxiety with fast jittery movements.

Figure 4 Credit: Kristina Varaksina, courtesy of the Museum of Science and Industry Caption: The Museum of Science and Industry commissioned Behnaz Farahi to create the Iridescence collar. The quills use hundreds of actuators and vision-activated technology to follow the observer’s gaze and react with life-like behavior. For example, when an angry face is detected, the collar expresses anxiety with fast jittery movements.

Figure 5 Credit: J.B. Spector, Museum of Science and Industry Caption: Created by renowned designer and technologist Behnaz Farahi, this collar’s quills use hundreds of actuators and vision-activated technology to follow your gaze and react with life-like behavior.

 

Created as a collaborative interactive installation between Jacquard by Google team and Japanese creative firm WOW, Infinite Flow, is in the “Social” section.  Guests direct Google Jacquard fabric using the interactive cloth as an interface to control a series of fans and lights that allow it to float gracefully.

The aforementioned Dr. Amy Winters developed the Thunderstorm Dress.  This garment reacts to the noise in its surrounding environment. At first, the dress flickers as a guest claps his or her hands, then fully illuminates in a pattern of lightning bolts as the sounds increases in volume. The dress was created using holographic leather and sound-reactive, animated electroluminescent panels.

Students can display their emotions on their backpacks with PIX Backpacks: customizable digital backpacks.  With a PIX backpack, one can design one’s own artwork or select from a library of images, then send them wirelessly from one’s smart phone.  A group of young Ukrainian inventors created PIX. Thirty prototypes later, and fully funded through Kickstarter, they are now manufacturing this innovative backpack.

Figure 6 Credit: J.B. Spector, Museum of Science and Industry Caption: Students wear their emotions on their backpacks with this customizable digital backpacks. With a PIX backpack, one can design one’s own artwork or select from a library of images, then send them wirelessly from one’s smartphone.

 

Melissa Coleman’s Holy Dress is a “wearable lie detector” that uses a voice sensor, copper conductors, and warning lights. If the wearer tells a lie, it will give her an electric shock. The dress was built as an artist’s statement on technology’s role in our lives.

Suzi Webster’s Barking Mad is a jacket and “interactive wearable” that responds to infringements on personal space. Built with proximity sensors, this coat barks more and more aggressively if someone gets too close.

The “Possible” section showcases a world of new possibility created by the mashup of fabric and technology. Guests view prototypes of devices that may come into wide-spread use will use in the near future.

Guests can view Gravity Industries’ Jet Suit, which is comprised of five small jet engines and an exoskeleton.  Created by Richard Browning, chief test pilot and founder, this jet suit can travel more than thirty miles per hour and ascend to 12,000 feet.[13]

Figure 7 Credit: J.B. Spector, Museum of Science and Industry Caption: Created by Richard Browning, chief test pilot and founder, this Jet Suit can travel more than thirty miles per hour and ascend to 12,000 feet. Mr. Spector took this picture on March 21, 2019 during the opening of Wired to Wear.

 

Levi’s® Commuter Jacket X Jacquard by Google, also called Jacquard by Google, has many features.[14]  The wearer can tap his or her cuff to change the song, feel a vibration on his or her sleeve when his or her Lyft or Uber is arriving, or gesture to hear navigation.  Jacquard is technology that is sewn into fabric, expanding the functionality of clothes. Sensor grids are woven throughout the garment, creating interactive surfaces that function as a touchscreen.

The World’s Smallest Wearable Device, developed by John Rogers, Ph.D., is wireless, battery-free temporary medical “tattoo” that can monitor a person’s vital signs and wirelessly transmit them to a computer.[15] Created by Professor John Rogers Northwestern University, this small, bio-integrated electronic device has gone through successful testing with infants, replacing adhesives tapes with hard-wire connections that can leave scars on the fragile skin of babies being cared for in neonatal intensive care units.

Created with gold and metal leaf, Microsoft’s Smart Tattoo can turn skin into an interface. DuoSkin enables the wearer to control his or her mobile devices, display information, and store information on his or her skin while serving as a statement of personal style.  Two people worked on this project: Asta Roseway[16] and Paul Johns.[17]

Dutch designer Anouk Wipprecht developed the Spider Dress with the help of Todd Harple of Intel.  The M.S.I. stated, “If the sensors on this dress detects the wearer is getting nervous, its 3D-printed legs will extending, ‘pushing’ those nearby away. Approach calmly, and the legs gently wave to ‘invite’ you closer. Anouk Wipprecht built the Spider Dress as a tool to create a safe zone, and consulted social science research about the three rings of distance we keep around us—public, private, and intimate.”

Dava Newman, Ph.D., developed the BioSuit™, a skin-tight pressurized space suit.[18] N.A.S.A. currently uses bulky 300-pound spacesuits that can make it difficult for astronauts to maneuver. Dr. Newman, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), created an active-compression, flexible design that uses full body laser scans to create a custom fitting suit. Using Spandex and “muscle wire” to wrap tightly around the astronaut’s body, this suit will protect him or her against the harsh elements of outer space.  Bradley Holschuh, a postdoctoral student at Professor Newman’s laboratory, designed the suit’s spring-like coils that contract when exposed to heat.  The coils are made of shape-memory alloy (S.M.A.), a material that “remembers” an engineered shape and when purposely bent or accidentally deformed into different shapes, upon exposure to heat, will spring back into the engineered shape.  Dr. Newman and her team created the BioSuit to outfit space explorers on Mars, but now they are also finding applications on Earth, researching ways to help infants and children that have brain damage that affects motor skills.

 

 

Figure 8 Credit: J.B. Spector, Museum of Science and Industry Caption: Step into the Latest Lab, a design/gallery workshop feature rotating prototypes from across industries while providing a space for guests to contribute their ideas for the wearables of the future.

Figure 9 Credit: J.B. Spector, Museum of Science and Industry Caption: Wired to Wear features the latest wearable innovations including prosthetics and prototypes that support the wearer’s health and lifestyle.

 

Wired to Wear™ is presented by BMO and will be at the M.S.I. through May of 2020. The Makers United workshop opened in conjunction with Wired to Wear™ on Thursday, March 21, 2019, and it will remain open through Sunday, January 5, 2020.  This workshop enables visitors to build their own wearable technology.  These experiences are not included in Museum Entry and require additional timed-entry tickets, $12 for adults (including senior citizens), and $9 for children (ages three-to-eleven).  ArcelorMittal is the sponsor for the Makers United workshop while BMO is the sponsor for Wired to Wear™.

Often stylized as the “Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago” or the “Museum of Science + Industry” the institution is located at the northern end of the Chicago Park District’s Jackson Park, on the south side of 57^th Street, between Lake Shore Drive to the east and Cornell Drive to the west, in the East Hyde Park neighborhood of the Hyde Park Community Area (Community Area #41) on the South Side of Chicago.  Founded by Sears, Roebuck & Company President Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932) in 1926, through The Commercial Club of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry opened in three stages between 1933 and 1940.  It occupies the Palace of Fine Arts from Chicago’s first World’s Fair, the World’s Columbian Exposition (1893).

 

ENDNOTES

[1] Dutch designer Anouk Wipprecht combines science and technology to make fashion an experience that transcends appearances. She researches and develops the experience of our future wardrobe as we continue to embed technology into what we wear. She has partnered with companies such as Intel, Autodesk, Google, Microsoft, Audi, Swarovski, and Materialise.  She divides her time between San Francisco and Los Angeles in California and Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

[2] Behnaz Farahi, who created Iridescence under a commission from the M.S.I., weaves emerging technologies into contemporary art, fashion and architecture.  Ms. Farahi “explores the potential of interactive environments and their relationship to the human body,” according to the M.S.I. “Her work has been exhibited internationally at Ars Electronica, Linz and Context Art Miami, and has been featured in WIRED, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, and many more. Behnaz has worked with Adidas, Autodesk, Fuksas Studio, and 3DSystems / will-i-am. She has also collaborated on two NASA-funded research projects developing robotic fabrication technology to 3D print structures on the Moon and Mars. Currently she is an Annenberg Fellow and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Southern California. She has a Bachelor’s and two master’s degrees in architecture.”

[3] Rotterdam-based artist Melissa Coleman is an artist, curator and creative technologist who says she explores the relationship between fashion, politics and technology. She exhibits worldwide and her work has been covered by New Scientist, Wired, The Guardian, Vogue, Fast Company, and Dezeen. She co-founded Rotterdam’s V2_E-textile Workspace and E-Stitches meetup at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. She was part of the core team that created Hackaball, a connected ball that teaches kids coding, which was named one of TIME‘s best inventions of 2015.

[4] Suzi Webster, who created Electric Dreams and Barking Mad, is a new media installation artist.  According to the M.S.I., she “explores ways in which technologies impact and shape our experiences of being human. Her current research centers on wearables that explore intersections between sculpture, performance, fashion, the human body and computing in a critical way. Recent exhibitions have included Node London; Artefact, at FACT in Liverpool, UK; Cyborgs: Man or Machine at the Science Museum in Newcastle UK and Codelive 2010 in Vancouver. Suzi completed a BFA at Emily Carr University and an MFA Media at the Slade in London, UK, and is currently faculty at Langara College in Vancouver.”

[5] Amy Winters, Ph.D., is the founder of material-technology studio Rainbow Winters. She holds a doctorate in interactive textiles from the Royal College of Art (R.C.A.), and a BA (Hons) in performance design from Central Saint Martins in London. Rainbow Winters develops soft materials that interact with external influences such as light sound, speed and moisture. During her doctoral studies at the R.C.A., she identified and cultivated a design-led approach toward the invention of materials for soft robotics. Dr. Winters has been featured in WIRED, WWB, Vertu Magazine, Trend Hunter, Vice Style, Stylist, The Guardian, and Marie Claire. Shows, exhibitions, and presentations include International CES; CREATE, Brown Thomas, Dublin; Made in Future, Milan; Clever Dressing, Dana Centre, London; Science Gallery, Dublin; Hacking Arts, MIT, Boston; and The House of Lords.

[6] Victor Mateevitsi, Ph.D., earned his master’s degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Electronic Visualization Laboratory. According to the M.S.I., “He focuses his research on exploring, designing and evaluating innovative human augmentation techniques. Victor’s goal is to overcome challenges in human-computer interaction in wearables and human augmentation devices, and to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities.” Founder of Infinity Labs Inc. and co-founder Spatial Canvas where he serves as C.T.O., Victor has been named one of the “20 in their 20s” by Crain’s Chicago Business, and was also named by the Illinois Technology Foundation as one of their “Fifty for the Future.” He’s been featured in Forbes, WIRED, Daily Mail, and the Chicago Tribune.

[7] Based in Los Angeles, the consulting agency Quantum XPR partners with clients to make the innovation process easier and more successful. They specialize in strategy and ideation, advanced prototype design and production, interactive experience design, innovation lab development and more. To this end, Brent Marcus, Kris Matheney, Scott Susskind collaborated with Wired to Wear™ creators Victor Mativeetsi and Suzi Webster in creating SpiderSense and Electric Dreams, both on display in Wired to Wear™.

[8] In 2017, Lisa Lang, Founder and C.E.O. of ElektroCouture, discovered the letters and notes Marlene Dietrich wrote in the Marlene Dietrich Collection Berlin of the Deutsche Kinemathek – Museum für Film und Fernsehen (German Cinematheque Museum of Film and Television) in Berlin.  Lisa Lang is a German technologist, international speaker, and founder of brands ElektroCouture and ThePowerHouse. From her experience as an entrepreneur, she has gained recognition as one of Forbes Europe’s Top 50 Women in Tech, top 100 most influential people in wearable tech worldwide, one of 25 leaders in fashion and technology worldwide, and has been listed as one of the fifty most important women for innovation and startups in the European Union (E.U.).

[9] Jordan Reeves has shared her glitter cannon invention with The Rachael Ray Show, MakerFaire, and TEDx. She and her family currently live in Columbia, Missouri.

[10] According to the M.S.I., “Becca McCharen-Tran, Adrenaline Dress Becca McCharen-Tran is the founder and creative director of the fashion line Chromat. A graduate of the UVA School of Architecture, she explores the intersection of architecture, fashion and technology, and has created pieces for Beyoncé, Madonna, and Nicki Minaj. A Forbes 30 under 30 pick for “People Who Are Reinventing the World”, McCharen-Tran is focused on bridging the worlds of technology and fashion through collaborations with engineers, artists and scientists. Her work also advocates for inclusion and diversity within fashion and within the LGBTQIA community.”

[11] Todd Harple, Ph.D. is the Director of Innovation and Pathfinding Strategies at Intel.  Dr. Harple works in the field of “soft computing,” focusing on integrating technology into fabrics. Mr. Harple has worked with designers Becca McCharen-Tran and Anouk Wipprecht to create the Adrenaline Dress and Spider Dress, respectively, two garments on display inside Wired to Wear™.

[12] Advanced Exoskeletal Systems (AEXOS) is a design and technology company based in Ontario, Canada, which is advancing anatomical support in a wide range of applications. Founded in 2015 by brothers Charles and Robert Corrigan, AEXOS’s goal is to design biomechanically assistive technology that allows wearers to continue challenging physical limits while reducing risk of injury, stress, and strain on the body. Charles and Rob Corrigan from Waterloo, Ontario both played hockey in high school and Rob went on to study business management whilst Charles went on to study kinesiology and design.

[13] British inventor Richard Browning wanted to reimagine human flight with an elegant partnership of mind, body, and machine. This vision lead to the creation of the Gravity Jet Suit in March of 2017. In the first twelve months, his company, Gravity Industries, executed forty-six flight events across sixteen countries, and he has led multiple TED talks about the suit’s creation. In addition to being a pioneer in the field of personal flight systems, he is an ultra-marathon runner, an ex-Royal Marine reservist, and has also been dubbed the real-life “Iron Man.”

[14] Ivan Poupyrev, Ph.D. is the Director of Engineering and Technical Projects Lead at the Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (A.T.A.P.) division.  As such, he “focuses on developing interactive technologies and products that reinvent what it means to live a digital lifestyle,” according to the M.S.I.  Over the last twenty years, Dr. Poupyrev has been leading invention, development, and production of breakthrough technologies within the fields of virtual and augmented reality, haptic interaction, wearables and smart garments, 3D printing, and manufacturing techniques. Prior to Google, he was principal research scientist at the Walt Disney Imagineering research division and at Sony Corporate Research laboratories in Tokyo. Fast Company recognized him as one of the World’s 100 Most Creative People.

[15] In 2016, John Rogers, Ph.D., joined the faculty of Northwestern University as the Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, Chemistry and Neurological Surgery.  He is also the founding Director of the Center on Bio-Integrated Electronics.  Professor Rogers is the inventor on over 100 patents and patent applications, over seventy of which are licensed or in active use by large companies and startups that he has co-founded. His research has been recognized with many awards including the Smithsonian Award for American Ingenuity in the Physical Sciences, the Lemelson-MIT Prize and a MacArthur Fellowship. He served as the Director of a Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center on nanomanufacturing, funded by the National Science Foundation and as Director of the Seitz Materials Research Laboratory.

[16] Asta Roseway, who produced Microsoft’s Smart Tattoo, works in Human Computer Interaction at Microsoft Research, her focus is at the intersection of art, technology, and science. According to the M.S.I., “She researches how this combination could help generate the next generation of emerging solutions for the environment, emotional health, social consciousness, and sustainability. A Parsons Schools of Design alumna, she helped to establish Microsoft’s first ever Artist in Residence program that enables artists to work collectively with researchers. Some of the art that has come out of this program has been showcased at Ars Electronica, Biofabricate in New York, and the Seattle Art Museum. She co-founded Digigirlz, one of Microsoft’s longest running diversity programs that aims to educate and inspire high school girls about the tech industry.”

[17] Paul Johns, who also produced Microsoft’s Smart Tattoo, is a senior research software design engineer in the Human Centered Computer Research Area at Microsoft, focusing on non-traditional interfaces. According to the M.S.I., “His current emphasis is on sensing, wearables, tangibles, and interfacing with biological systems. His passion is building applications that demonstrate cool new ideas and concepts that blend the worlds of art, science, and technology. You can find him working on desktop and mobile device applications, microcontrollers, or services in the cloud. His work has also included studying the relationships between emotion, health, and work habits.”

[18] Professor Newman is also the Director of the Technology and Policy Program and a Margaret MacVicar faculty fellow.