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A series of images of futuristic fashion concepts that integrate technology. 

The Wyss Institute soft robotic neuromuscular rehabilitation glove gently bends and straightens the fingers, providing necessary stretches and repetitive exercise in order to restore lost hand function. 

Diana Wagner on Bringing the Art and Function of Apparel Design to Wearable Robotics

In 2014, the threat of Ebola prompted medical device inventor and entrepreneur Dan Burnett to conceive of a mask that actively filters air, ensuring every breath is virus-free. It was an excellent idea, and as the supply of surgical and N95 masks faltered at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, he knew such technology could help. Frontline medical professionals have been forced to go to extreme lengths, wearing filtered helmets and respirators so tight they leave their faces cut and bruised. So Burnett unpacked his 2014 patents and decided to find a better way. 

Burnett joined forces with frog, and they set out to design a comfortable HEPA-filtered mask that would be the safest in the world. But while the wearer’s safety and comfort are critical, medical workers tending to fearful patients or parents traveling with young children also need to communicate and connect with the people around them—a need not addressed by existing PPE. By balancing wearability and aesthetics with the functional imperatives of an air mask, they aimed to create PPE technology that is as inviting as it is safe.The frog team explored various concepts and configurations to determine the best size, weight distribution, and component placement for maximum wearability. Airflow simulation and analysis also helped identify the most optimal configurations.  

Ultimately, frog’s industrial designers and engineers were able to create JustAir, an adaptive air mask that is both functional and fashionable enough for daily consumer use. By shrinking the power, filter and air circulation components into a small module that sits behind the wearer’s head, JustAir is small and ergonomic enough for casual use, yet powerful enough for front line workers. 

Learn more here.

Musician Imogen Heap demonstrates the electronic gloves that allow people to interact with their computer remotely via hand gestures.

"These beautiful gloves help me gesturally interact with my computer," says Heap, explaining how the wearable technology allows her to perform without having to interact with keyboards or control panels.

Pushing buttons and twiddling dials "is not very exciting for me or the audience," she says. "[Now] I can make music on the move, in the flow and more humanly, [and] more naturally engage with my computer software and technology."

Learn more here.

"Hugh Herr is Associate Professor and leads the Biomechatronics research group at MIT's Media Lab. The focus of Hugh's work is on developing bionic limbs for amputees. Two of those bionic limbs are Hugh's own legs, which he uses for rock-climbing and living his life."

Learn more about Hugh Herr and the Biomechatronics research group here. 

"The children, who ranged in age from 7 to 15, created designs and then used a variety of materials such as wood, wax, fabric, old toys, batteries, and even pom-poms to build their own fanciful prosthetics. People who live in the disability world have a superhero ability to live in a world that was designed for typically formed bodies,” said Jen Lee Reeves, founder of Born Just Right. “So we’re just taking advantage of that superhero ability, that mindset, to think differently and to build upon it and take advantage of it. 

Her 11-year-old daughter, Jordan, who was born without a left hand or left elbow, had previously created a prosthetic arm that shoots glitter. The 11-year-old has spoken around the country about how the experience changed the way she viewed her disability."

https://www.bornjustright.org/about-us/

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/07/16/children-call-their-superhero-powers-create-fanciful-prosthetics/lUDPHTqtJvjscgJSJQKG8I/story.html

The Third Thumb is a 3D printed thumb extension for your hand, controlled by your feet. The project investigates the relationship between the body and prosthetic technology in new ways. It is part tool, part experience, and part research; a model by which we better understand human response to artificial extensions. The Third Thumb instigates a necessary conversation about the definition of ‘ability'. The origin of the word ‘prosthesis’ meant ’to add, put onto’; so not to fix or replace, but to extend. The project is inspired by this word origin, exploring human augmentation and aiming to reframe prosthetics as extensions of the body.

The Third Thumb is currently part of an exciting new neuroscientific research study in collaboration with The Plasticity Lab in the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. By studying the neural correlates of hand augmentation, we can explore the boundaries of neuroplasticity, seeing how it can be harnessed to improve usability and control of prosthetic devices.

Learn more about Third Thumb here.