By Society of Arts + Crafts
Irmandy Wicaksono is a PhD candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, pursuing a career in transdisciplinary engineering. One of his specialties is “soft electronics” – from biomedical suits to knitted instruments, these creations integrate the world of fiber and electricity in a way that revolutionizes both.
Take the KnittedKeyboard II, a fabric keyboard that senses your touch and responds musically – taking into account not just the location of your touch, but the pressure and stretch exerted on the fibers. It can even sense when a hand is merely hovering over it. All this it translates through its electronic interface into playable music, creating a keyboard more sensitive than traditional instruments to the human touch.