Body Inspired Design for Knitted Body-Protection Wearables

In this provocation, we aim to show that body inspired design techniques can be used to inspire the development process of advanced functional knitting technologies. We believe that approaching this area from the perspective of industrial and interaction design spheres, could potentially complement fashion and textile designers' viewpoints. We conclude that interactions with technology go beyond traditional "computer" based systems. In this case, the patterns and functionalities programmed into the material using circular knitting. This is demonstrated by reflecting on an Industrial Design educational module which focused on the design of "Body protection wearables". Students were asked to limit materials by creating designs that could be produced as one single piece, without post-production procedures. Testing their designs with full-scale prototypes at each stage of development, the students could understand potential advantages and drawbacks just by wearing them.