“Anicron” explores the intersection of animal mimicry and mechanical elements, hinting at the concept of transhumanism. The use of an exoskeleton in the outfit suggests a hybridization of human and animal traits, while the tail adds a nod to the animal kingdom. The resulting design creates a new approach for wearers to send social signals of both offensive and defensive, experiencing the outward expression of inner emotionality. Through this project, the traditional boundaries of fashion are challenged, encouraging viewers to envision how future clothing would look and reconsider their relationship with technology and the natural world.
Generally speaking, the development of our wearable device is based on the exoskeleton structure. The exoskeleton is a brilliant morphology in nature, and it is mostly seen in insects whose hard structure is outside to protect the inner soft tissues, which is the exact opposite of human beings. Meanwhile, insects are said to be one of the oldest species living on Earth, and their symmetrical body compositions somewhat bring out an illusion as if they are alien creatures or robots, and similar designs appear a lot in science fiction, such as Dune. Here, an interesting topic regarding the relationship between the future and the past is put on the table, and if people’s imagination and blueprint of their futuristic image will be atavistic. We noticed the evolutionary process of the tails in the human race.
Here, an interesting topic regarding the relationship between the future and the past is put on the table, and if people’s imagination and blueprint of their futuristic image will be atavistic? We noticed the evolutionary process of the tails in the human race. Over a period of about 500 million years, our ancestors grew tails. As fish, they used their tails for swimming in the Cambrian oceans. Much later, when they evolved into primates, their tails helped them keep their balance as they ran from branch to branch in the Eocene jungle. But then, about 25 million years ago, the tails disappeared. Nevertheless, the movie Avatar gave people a possibility that in 2154, tails will once again become an important tool/medium for communication and connection. In terms of functionality, tails can keep balance, be used for social signaling, help escape from predators, and indicate animals’ emotional states.
How Humans Lost Their Tails (Published 2021)
Generally speaking, we will combine the elements of exoskeleton and tail to create a piece that extract mechanism from nature and history to discuss a possibility that reveals how humans reveal information (emotions, signals, communication) and protect themselves in the future.
Below are some of our references.
Bio — Anouk Wipprecht FashionTech
We also got a moodboard and some sketches (under development) to better explain our idea.
keywords: exoskeleton, tail, futuristic, atavistic, protection, social signaling, ultrasonic.
Prototype on Mechanic Tail (Shoulder Strap)
Prototype #1
Each bone of the tail structure is too large and spaced too far apart, resulting in it can not bend properly.
Prototype #2
Using rubber straws as the material for the new bearing bones and reducing the size of each bone and the distance between them, but the circular structure is not conducive to focusing the force of pulling on the rope in the same direction, so the tail bends in strange directions.
Prototype #4
We use a soldering gun to melt the PLA material and fix the insert nut on the printed model to hold the bearing bone.
Prototype #6
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hhy3EvaI8mgwkHKIaNA52oO-8wiaS7to/view?usp=sharing
By laser cutting the acrylic, we have a more solid structure realizing this movement direction transformation.
Prototype #1.5
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ycwnz7A7VL0wa0HLT_R3aers9wmt7NIK/view?usp=sharing
So we tune the bone size and the gap distance. But still, the rigidity of the bearing bone determines its unideal bending effect in other directions.
Prototype #3
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J8oSYw_4zkkcG3MZ0QO5i7Gs5pIPMkBg/view?usp=sharing
So we used a square bone structure and added a wire rope in the bearing bone part to make it more solid. At this time, by pulling the rope in four directions, we can find the tail bending in the corresponding direction
Prototype #5
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a8PQ5jd5LihMYgBHSziK52EdUY-eJWna/view?usp=sharing
This is a rough prototype demonstrating our idea of transforming the rotational motion into a vertical direction movement.
Stepper Motor
According to the diagram, we connect the stepper motor to the mechanic structure and use it to drive vertical movement.
Arduino Code
Prototype #8
We soon realize the weight of a stepper motor is too big for both the wearer and the supporting structure to hold. So we decide to use DC motors instead. Since we can still control the rotation angle based on the timing and its lighter weight, it’s a perfect substitute for the stepper motor.
Prototype #7
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FNQ-9Gt8aciD4GN6rXlrLPimrS0Tm01C/view?usp=sharing
This is the final prototype utilizing the code listed on the left side, which is about pulling the thread to make the tail move in the direction wherever the ultrasonic detects somebody is getting closer, in this case, the tail reacts when the relative distance is less than 20cm.
Arduino Code
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X36cY0Msrk_jcxIBkhT5ydV02jyBf1bM/view?usp=sharing
We use the ultrasonic sensor to determine which motor should run.