Monday 8 March 2010

Bare Conductive


Students from the Industrial Design Engineering department at the Royal Collage of Art have expanded the concept of integrating electronic devices in our clothing directly to our skin.   Becky Pilditch, Matt Johnson, Isabel Lizardi and Bibi Nelson had a vision that almost seems impossible: a conductive ink that is applied directly onto the skin allowing the creation of custom electronic circuitry.  The product, called Bare Conductive, allows users to interact with electronics through gesture, movement, and touch.  The conductive body paint is carbon-based and water-soluble, skin-safe and non-invasive.  The material can be applied with a brush, stamp or spray, in unlimited different ways that really put design creativity to the test.   It can be applied with a brush, stamp or spray and is non-toxic and temporary.  The conductive ink could even have a functional role, serving to computer interfaces, communication or medical purposes.  Ulitmately this is an intuitive and non-invasive technology which will allow users to bridge the gap between electronics and the body, a step that seems almost natural in the 21st century.  Microsoft was the first to break into this field, back in 2004, when it patented a method of distributing data and power also through human skin.


Humanthesizer from Green Hornet on Vimeo.

Humanthesizer - The Making Of from Green Hornet on Vimeo.


1 comment:

  1. recently bought bare conductive pen, very disappointed had to cut the plastic pen open as the paint was like a thick gunk, I opted for these guys who I saw at a UK maker show, https://sites.google.com/site/thinkinkfactory123
    the paint is actually really nice to work with and with a metallic silvery look, looks really awesome, on top of this I recorded a 2 ohm per square when I tested the stuff, beats bare hands down!

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