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S K E L E T O N

D E S I G N

Dress embodying bones of the body will illuminate in the form of an X-Ray Material : Dark dress, pleated organza, neopixels Colour : ivory organza, programmed neopixels Movement : slow, seductive Incorporating Wearables Pleats appear as sculpted pieces alluding to a skeleton, which will then illuminate Lights go off and neopixels turn on, light is dispersed through pleated organza Inspired and pay homage to Elsa Schiaparelli 1938 Skeleton dress made in collaboration with Salvador Dali

R E S E A R C H

X - R A Y

X-ray machines pass x-ray beams (a form of ionizing radiation) through a part of the body to produce images of the tissue, organs, bones, or teeth inside.
Ionizing radiation is a form of energy that acts by removing electrons from atoms and molecules of materials that include air water, and living tissue. Ionizing radiation can travel unseen and pass through these materials.

More information about The Electromagnetic Spectrum: Ionizing Radiation

Image and information from Radiation in Healthcare: X-Rays

Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation. At some wavelengths it appears as visible light, at others it takes the form of radiation that we cannot see, such as ultra violet, infrafred and X-Rays. X-rays have very short wavelengths that, unlike visible light, are able to pass right through most tissues of the human body. Since bones contain calcium, a denser material than most other tissues, they are able to stop some of the X-Rays and can thus form a ‘shadow’.X-Rays directed at the body produce ‘shadows’ on the opposite side that can be registered on film, or on a digital sensor, so that bones are clearly visible, while soft tissues, such as muscle, are shadowy. Information from video How Do X-rays Work?

X-Ray Documentary By William D Coolidge (1940)

How X-rays see through your skin - Ge Wang (2015)

How do these magic eyes work?

I N S P I R A T I O N

X-raying Balenciaga - Revealing the hidden interior of the garments to examine & understand how the designs were constructed.

X-ray images show details not visible to the naked eye – including boning, hoops and dress weights which determine the exact fall of the fabric. Some also reveal dress pins which were accidentally left inside the hems by their original makers. Information from V&A X-raying Balenciaga

E L E C T R O N I C S

I want to use NeoPixels and HY-SRF05 Ultrasonic Distance Sensor

Adafruit NeoPixel Überguide Data Sheet

HY-SRF05 Precision Ultrasonic Sensor Data Sheet

How it Works?

A sensor like the HC-SR04 works similarly to a bat’s sonar: by sending out an ultrasonic pulse that bounces when it encounters a barrier, like a wall, a person, or an object. After it bounces, the pulse returns to the sensor, which computes the distance to the barrier based on the time it took for the pulse to return.

The HC-SR04 uses two specialized pins to accomplish this, in addition to its power and ground pins: a “trigger pin,” which sends out the signal, and an “echo pin,” which receives the returning signal after it bounces.

Tutorial / References

Arduino - Ultrasonic Sensor

Use an Ultrasonic Sensor to Control Neopixels With Arduino.This was a helpful tutorial to get an idea where to put everything. However the code did not work for me so I had to find my own solution and write new code.

Arduino controlling Neopixel with Sensor

Ultrasonic sensor motion sensing by Michelle Vossen

Detecting movement direction with two ultrasonic distance sensors

Intro to ATTiny Fabricademy 2022-23

TTiny and Touch sensors part 2 Fabricademy 2022-23

D E S I G N

My design for the circuit. It is in two parts, the right side is one circuit and the left is a mirrored version.

The idea is to have the sensors at the knees and the circuit as one continuous strip.

I S S U E S

NOTE: posible issues that could arrise

  • Focus on direction and ensure NEOPIXELS IN CORRECT DIRECTION!
  • Connections must be SECURE!
  • Neopixels arranged in series, if one connection is lost, it will interrupt the others

As I plan to have many joins, it will be impotant to have well soldered and secure connections

Soldering Strips has some tips and tricks on soldering neopixel strips and wires.

Tips and Tricks on How to Solder

Aslı Aydın Aksan has some information on soldering tips for PCB Assembly

I started to solder NeoPixels trying to make very stable connections

M E T H O D

  1. Using pin, poke hole in each connecction.
  2. Strip a bit of wire and place through hole.
  3. Cut piece of small shrink tube and place over wire.
  4. Using soldering iron heat up wire/connection for 2/3 seconds, then melt solder into connection
  5. Place shrink tube over connection, heat and tighten to form strong bond.

P L E A T I N G

Developing on a previous technique that I have used over the years to create pleates, which consists of creating 2 accordion moulds, placing a piece of fabric in the middle and treating it with heat.

PAPER MOULD TEST

Paper tested - VEL SIMILI JAPON 48X64 225GR - HM KARTON HEL.WIT 70X100 300GR

S E T T I N G S

I used the preset cut settings in LightBurn for Paper 300.00 (grams) as the paper was 300 gsm

Speed 35.00
Max Power 25.00
Min Power 25.00

Select Perforation Mode 
1.50 Cut
2.50 Skip

Giving a dashed line that makes it possible to bend the paper and it holds it’s shape

Preparing & Using Laser Cutter

  1. Import DXF file into LightBurn (ensure sizing is correct)
  2. Select material and select presets settings
  3. Place down material (note, putting another piece of paper under will stop burn marks)
  4. Turn on laser cutter and use jig to make sure laser head is at correct distance
  5. Test the cutting area to ensure laser will remain only on material

R E S U L T / O B S E R V A T I O N

  1. 300 gsm Paper was a bit too thick - 200 gsm is better
  2. Placing paper underneath laser bed will stop any burn marks and look cleaner
  3. The 'tieing up is the most difficult part