Monday, June 20, 2011

Pants Interface - last call!!

There are just over 48 hours left in our kickstarter fundraising drive for the Pants Interface. Read on below for more information on the project, or check out the videos and other materials online!

http://kck.st/iyusM4

Here is a little breakdown of how the fundraising drive works - people can pledge money, a lot or a little, towards the Pants Interface project. Different funding levels come with different fabulous prizes, starting with the launch party for this crazy control device, including experimental supplies for people who want to make their own soft circuits, including art prints of the schematics and your very own pants controller if you want one bad enough! BUT if we don't reach the target amount, nobody gets charged and the project doesn't get funded! We are very very VERY close, and only need $212 to get to the minimum. Don't you want to help make sure this science project gets off the ground?

Now that you are all jazzed up about it, before you head over to pledge a little cash, just fix that excitement in your mind - and if you go over there and see that we met our goal, oh please put the money in anyway! Every bit we raise over the bare minimum raises the stakes and saves a little stress.

http://kck.st/iyusM4

And oh, endless gratitude to all who have supported this project already! I am humbled by the amount of belief others have had in my dream.

<3


Pants Interface is a family of wearable technology projects that are completely open-source and aim to make it easy to install wireless interface devices into any garment or costume. This project is the brainchild of artist and designer Rachel Lyra Hospodar.

Right now Pants Interface is focused on something very simple - making fabric buttons. These soft circuit momentary switches use arduinos and wireless radios to allow anyone wearing the device to trigger, well...anything a piece of electronics can do. The device can speak USB to a computer and control computer software as well as speaking MIDI to sound, video, and lighting equipment. A performer could trigger projection cues, lighting cues, sound effects, audio loops, anything at all. A home user could advance songs on computer playback, control volume, or play games without being tied to a desk chair.

Next will come a full computer keyboard and mouse embedded in a pair of pants - so that users can get up from office chairs and work from more ergonomic (and varied) positions. It will also represent an interesting direction in the conception of computer interface devices - by attaching the devices to the users themselves, Pants Interface can change the way we relate to and use technology objects.

Some links to find out more about the project:

Our kickstarter fundraising drive - ends in 48 hours!
http://kck.st/iyusM4

A four-minute video about the kickstarter project
http://www.vimeo.com/24525501

The project website, listing more info about the project collaborators, the mouse touchpad project, and the philosophy behind it all.
http://mediumreality.com/pantsinterface.html

Monday, June 13, 2011

Pants Interface!




Pants Interface is a family of wearable technology projects that are completely open-source and aim to make it easy to install wireless interface devices into any garment or costume. This project is the brainchild of artist and designer Rachel Lyra Hospodar.

Right now Pants Interface is focused on something very simple - making fabric buttons. These soft circuit momentary switches use arduinos and wireless radios to allow anyone wearing the device to trigger, well...anything a piece of electronics can do. The device can speak USB to a computer and control computer software as well as speaking MIDI to sound, video, and lighting equipment. A performer could trigger projection cues, lighting cues, sound effects, audio loops, anything at all. A home user could advance songs on computer playback, control volume, or play games without being tied to a desk chair.

Next will come a full computer keyboard and mouse embedded in a pair of pants - so that users can get up from office chairs and work from more ergonomic (and varied) positions. It will also represent an interesting direction in the conception of computer interface devices - by attaching the devices to the users themselves, Pants Interface can change the way we relate to and use technology objects.

Some links to find out more about the project:

Our kickstarter fundraising drive - ends in 1 week!
http://kck.st/iyusM4

A four-minute video about the kickstarter project
http://www.vimeo.com/24525501

The project website, listing more info about the project collaborators, the mouse touchpad project, and the philosophy behind it all.
http://mediumreality.com/pantsinterface.html