Ever wish you could have a little more personal space? So did Dutch designer Anouk Wipprecht, and so she designed the Spider Dress 2.0, (you can also see the first version on her site) which features moving arms that expand and retract based on the wearer’s surroundings.
(via Designboom)
Informed by respiration monitors and 3D-printed motion sensors, the “arms,” located on the shoulders of the dress, will fan out aggressively if someone approaches too quickly or the wearer is stressed. This creates a defended personal space bubble around the wearer. But the spider-arms aren’t always unfriendly. In fact, if the sensors pick up on someone approaching in a calmer way, their motions become smooth, gentle, and beckoning, inviting the person closer. Which might actually be creepier.
Wipprecht’s dress is conceptual, of course, but it’s an exploration into wearable tehchnology that not only provides the wearer with a service, but also interacts with them in a symbiotic way. Of course, a dress like this would be pretty effective in preventing people from going in for a hug too quickly.
You can see more of Wipprecht’s tech-based garments on her website, including a dress that operates as a Faraday cage.