Wednesday 23rd June 2010
by
We've come a long way from mood rings!
I read an interesting article earlier this month about so-called Smart Clothing. This is clothing that would be able to determine what your mood is and then improve your mood by responding to you. It’s still in prototype form and is debuting in museums while it’s being worked on but the basic idea is this:
- Moods are programmed into your clothing based on responses to what’s happening in your body. For example, an increased heart rate may be one sign that you are getting anxious.
- The clothing is pre-programmed to respond to these moods. Responses may include a text message, image or video that displays on a sleeve or an audio recording of the voice of a loved one.
- Your clothing is set to read your mood throughout the day and to respond with the pre-programmed responses. For example, if your clothing believes that you are feeling anxious, it may provide an audio tone that you’ve recorded of a calming affirmation.
One application that I can see for this clothing would be in dealing with depression. Depression is worsened through loneliness, a sense of isolation and the problem of being stuck inside of your own head too much. Audio and visual cues to get out of your head, stay present in the moment and even receive love from others whose voices you’ve recorded may all aid in reducing depression as well as anxiety.
Of course, I don’t think the clothing would cure depression since it’s such a complicated thing. And there are many kinks to be worked out ranging from how well the clothing can actually read your biological cues and determine your mood to which types of programmed responses may actually be effective for helping you with your mood problems. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting concept that combines fashion, health and technology into one and could be improved on for future use.
Smart clothing original article
