{"id":588916,"date":"2019-05-30T08:41:41","date_gmt":"2019-05-30T15:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/?p=588916"},"modified":"2019-06-13T16:48:47","modified_gmt":"2019-06-13T23:48:47","slug":"fashion-forward-researchers-designers-debut-new-tech-on-new-york-city-runway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/blog\/fashion-forward-researchers-designers-debut-new-tech-on-new-york-city-runway\/","title":{"rendered":"Fashion forward: Researchers, designers debut new tech on New York City runway"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"From<\/a>

From left: Principal Researcher Thomas Ball, Research Interns Teddy Seyed and James Devine, and Principal Research Software Development Engineer Peli de Halleux helped designers of the Brooklyn Public Library\u2019s BKLYN Fashion Academy enhance their designs with custom-made plug-and-play microcontroller technology. Photo credit: Kristen Blush<\/p><\/div>\n

In his work in visual merchandising, designer Kenroy Tyrell has used LED lights in displays for trade shows and showrooms. But on this particular day, he found himself using the technology in a way he never anticipated\u2014as part of a garment he had created.<\/p>\n

Tyrell was one of 20 participants in the Brooklyn Public Library\u2019s BKLYN Fashion Academy (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, a program geared toward exposing designers to the entrepreneurial side of the industry as they design collections. According to the library, it\u2019s the only library in the country with a fashion school, and in its second year, the program snagged a unique partner in Microsoft Research. Researchers teamed up with participants\u2014most of whom had little to no technical experience prior to the program\u2014to enhance the storytelling power of their work using custom-made plug-and-play microcontroller technology.<\/p>\n\t\n\t<\/iframe>\n\t\n

 <\/p>\n

With the start of the academy\u2019s end-of-program fashion show quickly approaching, Tyrell was shaking the legs of a pair of floor-length trousers in an attempt to mimic its functionality. Each of his model\u2019s steps was supposed to activate a motion sensor that would initiate a pulsating light on the tail of the garment. During this test run, though, the LEDs were only lighting sometimes and required a harder shake than he thought his model would generate walking the runway. The sensitivity of the sensor would have to be increased.<\/p>\n

Other designers were troubleshooting challenges of their own, right down to the minutes before their respective models were set to walk. The technical look in Tammy Vaughn\u2019s collection incorporated glass-covered motors designed to rotate on the shoulders of her garment, but the motors were heavier than expected, requiring her to reinforce the shoulders with whatever she and those helping her could find, mainly newspaper and plastic bags. Omega Dale was facing motor issues of a different kind. The pair she had included in her garment to slowly lift and drop the front of a skirt seemed to be working at different speeds; after a couple of rounds, they were out of sync, and ultimately one side snapped.<\/p>\n

By the time their models took to the runway, Tyrell\u2019s LEDs were working as planned; Vaughn\u2019s motors were more or less rotating, but wound up not reflecting light exactly as envisioned; and Dale had made the executive decision to disengage the tech in her garment that had still been functioning.<\/p>\n

But perfection wasn\u2019t the point as it rarely is when it comes to driving the cutting edge. The runway show was important for another reason: to gauge how usable the technology was and how the researchers could advance and scale it. The tech was the first application of a larger project called Alava<\/a>, which aims to develop microcontroller-based systems easy enough to build and code that those with a limited computer science background could create with them on their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best way to test your platform is to actually get it into the hands of people, and that was one of the things I\u2019ve always done with a lot of my research,\u201d says Microsoft Research Intern and University of Calgary grad student Teddy Seyed (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, who facilitated the collaboration. \u201cI like to do work out in the real world and not just keep it in a lab.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it doesn\u2019t get more real than the runway, as Microsoft Fusionist Asta Roseway<\/a> can attest to. Having attended The New School\u2019s Parsons School of Design, which offers a fashion program, she\u2019s witnessed the intensity and, at times, tears of runway shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the perfect test bed to see if people could quickly pull something together or be really creative in a pinch: Where are their limitations? How far can we stretch this technology? It\u2019s the perfect storm for that because there\u2019s no shortage of creativity there,\u201d she says. Her group\u2019s Smart Tattoos<\/a>\u2014capacitive material that responds to touch and can be laser cut and applied to skin and fabric\u2014was incorporated into some of the garments.<\/p>\n

\"Designer<\/a>

Designer Kenroy Tyrell incorporated LED lights that pulsated with each of his model\u2019s steps into one of his looks, a cropped horned corset and floor-length trousers, for the BKLYN Fashion Academy runway show. The lights were activated by motion sensors in the model\u2019s pant legs. Photo credits: Kristen Blush<\/p><\/div>\n

When fashion and tech collide<\/h3>\n

For Microsoft Research, the fashion show on May 3 at the Brooklyn Public Library\u2019s Central Library marked a convergence of journeys.<\/p>\n

After years of developing tools for professional developers, Principal Researcher Thomas Ball<\/a> and colleagues in the Research in Software Engineering<\/a> group turned their focus to making coding accessible to the non<\/em>-professional, specifically kids and teens who might not otherwise be introduced to or know they have an interest in computer science. The team\u2019s work led to Microsoft MakeCode<\/a>, an open-source web-based platform for microcontroller programming consisting of two editors. The first is Google\u2019s Blockly editor for drag-and-drop programming through a partnership with the Google Blockly team; the second is a TypeScript editor based on the one used in Visual Studio Code (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a> for more advanced learning and functionality. It also offers a hardware simulator for running and testing code, making it easier for those without access to hardware to start coding.<\/p>\n

At about the same time MakeCode was picking up speed, Seyed was being criticized for a smart watch he\u2019d created. A very vocal critic said it was too clunky, not very aesthetically pleasing. Seyed, who takes pride in making things that both look good and are functional, turned to fashion, and what started out as a mission to make better smart watches morphed into doing wearables on the fashion side.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted the tech to be in the clothing, but I\u2019m not the one who\u2019s going to be able to do the clothing design,\u201d he recalls thinking at the time. \u201cThere\u2019s other people who will be able to do that. But if I can give them tech that lets them do that, then I can have what I want\u2014theoretically.\u201d<\/p>\n

So Seyed started teaming up with fashion designers and prototyping with such tools as Arduino. He quickly found the tech was too complicated for designers and had several barriers of entry. The technical aspect was distracting from what the technology could do and how designers could elevate their work with it. In search of an easier way, Seyed discovered MakeCode and pitched adapting it for the world of fashion. The MakeCode team\u2014which includes Ball, Principal Research Software Development Engineers Peli de Halleux<\/a> and Michal Moskal<\/a>, and Principal Researcher Steve Hodges<\/a>\u2014was immediately on board. But it would be another year before Seyed joined the team, and in that time, another intern, Lancaster University grad student James Devine (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, would help develop a networking system that opened the door to using MakeCode in ways not previously considered.<\/p>\n

\"For<\/a>

For the fashion application, the plug-and-play microcontroller technology included two core hardware components, both custom-made with SAMD21 microcontrollers: the \u201cbrain\u201d and the \u201cbeads.\u201d Each of the color-coded beads, or sensors, responded to a different stimulus. The red bead (above, right) is a light sensor bead. Photo credit: Kristen Blush<\/p><\/div>\n

JACDAC: From multiplayer gaming to a web of microcontrollers<\/h3>\n

In his second internship with Microsoft Research, Devine was expecting to write a wireless protocol for the BBC micro:bit (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, but was pulled in to work on MakeCode\u2019s Arcade (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, an editor for programming single-player video games. The MakeCode team wanted to give Arcade a multiplayer option.<\/p>\n

The challenge was existing communication protocols I2C and SPI followed a host-peripheral communications paradigm: One device\u2014the host\u2014is responsible for the operation of all other devices, or peripherals. Without writing customized device drivers, the host wouldn\u2019t be able to distinguish between additional peripherals with the same registers and addresses, preventing the system from functioning. Moreover, the static nature of these protocols made on-the-fly replacement and addition of hardware difficult.<\/p>\n

Such limitations were counter to the MakeCode mission of coding for all, and so Devine developed JACDAC\u2014Joint Asynchronous Communications; Device Agnostic Control (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>\u2014a plug-and-play broadcast protocol for microcontroller-based devices. Using dynamic addressing and a layer of abstraction, the protocol standardizes the interface between peripherals, accommodating more than one of the same devices and enabling host-to-host communication for use cases such as multiplayer gaming. The breakthrough inspired what eventually made it down the runway\u2014not just single devices, but a network<\/em> of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur innovation is making it really easy to plug these boards together and program them,\u201d says Ball.<\/p>\n

JACDAC, which wound up being upgraded for the fashion show, is written in TypeScript and C++ (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, making it usable in both web environments and on microcontrollers. With single-wire capability for transmission and reception, JACDAC allows for the connection of devices via audio cable, a relatively intuitive piece of equipment familiar to the non-tech population and practically made to withstand the fast-paced scenario of fashion design.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith an audio connector, you get this very distinct, very easy ability to plug things together,\u201d says Devine. \u201cThey\u2019re quite sturdy, so if you pull on them, they sort of stick together, and you can only connect them one way like with USB-C.\u201d<\/p>\n

Project Alava: Bringing together networking, hardware, and software<\/h3>\n

One of the unique aspects of Project Alava\u2014and its application for fashion, which the team has dubbed Project Brookdale<\/a>\u2014is its combination of networking, software, and hardware. On the software side, the MakeCode team leverages the MakeCode Maker editor (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, an experimentation platform that\u2014like MakeCode\u2014allows drag-and-drop and text-based programming. Hardware for the runway show included two core components, both custom-made with SAMD21 microcontrollers (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>: the \u201cbrain\u201d and the \u201cbeads.\u201d Each of the color-coded beads, or sensors, responded to a different stimulus. There was a light sensor bead, a color sensor bead, and a motion sensor bead, among others. The team determined what sensing capabilities to build based on the effects designers were hoping to achieve.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey came up with their concepts, and then it was, \u2018What\u2019s the story you\u2019re trying to tell, and how do we make that a reality with the tech?\u2019\u201d says Seyed.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The experience of collaborating with Microsoft researchers had designer Omega Dale thinking about how tech could be incorporated into fashion in utilitarian ways, such as a backpack or windbreaker outfitted with turn signals activated by sensors in the sleeve for cyclists. Photo credit: Kristen Blush<\/p><\/div>\n

In putting the hardware together\u2014which was made possible with the help of Principal Mechanical Engineer Patrick Therien<\/a> and his staff at the Hardware Lab<\/a>\u2014the team was mindful of the designers\u2019 logistical needs. For example, they standardized the size of the beads so no matter what the designers decided to do technically, they would know exactly how much space to allocate in the garment. When it came time to choose a power source, the researchers selected batteries that were on the thinner and lighter side so they wouldn\u2019t drag down the garment.<\/p>\n

To create systems those without computer science backgrounds will actually want to use\u2014and be able to sans researchers\u2014requires researchers fit the technology into the worlds where people do their work, whether that be on the runway, in the classroom, or at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou kind of meet them where they are,\u201d says de Halleux.<\/p>\n

And the researchers did. After months of walking the designers through the design and technical aspects via phone, email, and videoconferencing from the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington, Seyed joined the designers in the workrooms at the library in the two and a half weeks leading up to the runway show. Ball, de Halleux, and Devine were not far behind. And the two teams worked alongside each other\u2014the designers sewing and fitting their garments, the researchers coding and helping to integrate the tech.<\/p>\n

\"Designer<\/a>

Designer Tammy Vaughn, who had incorporated glass-covered motors into her garment, enjoyed using the technology. \u201cI would attempt to incorporate it in something else that I do because it really gives off a cool effect,\u201d she says. Photo credit: Kristen Blush<\/p><\/div>\n

Designer Tammy Vaughn, who had incorporated the glass-covered motors, enjoyed the collaboration, noting the researchers supported and encouraged them all the way down to the day of the show. As for the tech itself, she\u2019d love to do it again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would attempt to incorporate it in something else that I do because it really gives off a cool effect,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Kenroy Tyrell and Omega Dale were equally receptive to the idea of continuing to use tech and several days after the show were considering what that might look like moving forward, both tossing around some ideas for more practical applications. Dale talked about a backpack or windbreaker outfitted with turn signals activated by sensors in the sleeve for cyclists. Tyrell mentioned sensors in shoes that could activate the opening of doors in one\u2019s home or car.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think of technology in the sense of sensors in clothes; the sensor thing made me kind of think of other ways to incorporate sensors,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Such awareness was as much a part of the MakeCode team\u2019s vision as the tech itself, which is still a prototype, and the collaboration was important in showcasing what\u2019s possible not only in fashion, but also in other domains.<\/p>\n

\u201cFashion is just the first step for us to show that the technology is viable\u2014to evaluate it with an audience that is not familiar with microcontrollers\u2014but our aspirations are to work with many different domains,\u201d says Ball.<\/p>\n

To experiment with the different components behind Project Alava<\/a> and Project Brookdale<\/a>, check out MakeCode Maker (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a> and MakeCode<\/a>. For more information, email<\/a> the MakeCode team.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In his work in visual merchandising, designer Kenroy Tyrell has used LED lights in displays for trade shows and showrooms. But on this particular day, he found himself using the technology in a way he never anticipated\u2014as part of a garment he had created. Tyrell was one of 20 participants in the Brooklyn Public Library\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38022,"featured_media":589063,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"msr-url-field":"","msr-podcast-episode":"","msrModifiedDate":"","msrModifiedDateEnabled":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_classifai_error":"","msr-author-ordering":[],"msr_hide_image_in_river":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[194481],"tags":[],"research-area":[13552,13554],"msr-region":[],"msr-event-type":[],"msr-locale":[268875],"msr-post-option":[],"msr-impact-theme":[],"msr-promo-type":[],"msr-podcast-series":[],"class_list":["post-588916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-human-centered-computing","msr-research-area-hardware-devices","msr-research-area-human-computer-interaction","msr-locale-en_us"],"msr_event_details":{"start":"","end":"","location":""},"podcast_url":"","podcast_episode":"","msr_research_lab":[],"msr_impact_theme":[],"related-publications":[],"related-downloads":[],"related-videos":[],"related-academic-programs":[],"related-groups":[144812,470874,615681],"related-projects":[582649,508880,427296],"related-events":[],"related-researchers":[],"msr_type":"Post","featured_image_thumbnail":"\"Andrei","byline":"","formattedDate":"May 30, 2019","formattedExcerpt":"In his work in visual merchandising, designer Kenroy Tyrell has used LED lights in displays for trade shows and showrooms. But on this particular day, he found himself using the technology in a way he never anticipated\u2014as part of a garment he had created. Tyrell…","locale":{"slug":"en_us","name":"English","native":"","english":"English"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38022"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=588916"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":592816,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588916\/revisions\/592816"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/589063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=588916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=588916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=588916"},{"taxonomy":"msr-research-area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-area?post=588916"},{"taxonomy":"msr-region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-region?post=588916"},{"taxonomy":"msr-event-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-event-type?post=588916"},{"taxonomy":"msr-locale","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-locale?post=588916"},{"taxonomy":"msr-post-option","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-post-option?post=588916"},{"taxonomy":"msr-impact-theme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-impact-theme?post=588916"},{"taxonomy":"msr-promo-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-promo-type?post=588916"},{"taxonomy":"msr-podcast-series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-podcast-series?post=588916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}