PAST-A-BOT Project

Textile Past-a-Bots will materialize future’s interaction interfaces between humans, other species, machines, and their environment. The foundations for this will be done by crafting active yarns into functional textile motifs, for simple sensing, computing, change in dimensions or in mechanical properties. Past-a-Bots can be dynamically assembled using these motifs, integrating the ability to detect sounds, vibrations, and proximity. The multi-sensorial functionalities allow for an ecocentric approach by combining dominant sensing pathways of diverse species.

In PAST-A-BOT, desired functionalities emerge from the intricate and interdependent optimization of chosen materials, yarn structures and textile motifs, elucidating the hierarchical construction of functional textiles. As a highlight, we aim to build a simple logic data processing unit by combining twist-coiled polymer actuators, synthesized from bio-sourced materials, with an interlaced structure. Moreover, this can be combined to motifs of new textile-based broad-band acoustic sensing or actuators allowing large dimensional change. Thus, Past-a-Bots will reframe textiles as modular networks with varying optimized functionalities responding to the local situations.

Funded by the European Research Council (ERC)

PAST-A-BOT demonstrates an interdisciplinary research strategy by corresponding with (i) collective vast knowledge of past textile crafts and (ii) envisioned alternative futures enabled by new materials and functionalities. The scenarios based on the dialogue between past and future iteratively guide the optimization of these textile units as building blocks for tomorrow’s applications. They range from soft highly deformable rescue robots to sound-sensing point-of-care agrofabrics and voice-controllable assistive clothing. The developed open-source tools will expand the scope of research beyond the current dominant applications and will be made easily adaptable to other materials-focused research programs.

Contact information:

Accountable project leader: Prof. Jaana Vapaavuori (jaana.vapaavuori@aalto.fi)

Project page on the Research Aalto portal: Past-A-Bot