Crafting butterfly lace: conductive multi-color sensor-actuator structure

The work describes background and methods involved in the development of Butterfly Lace, a conductive multi-color sensor-actuator structure that lies in the intersection of traditional craft and smart materials. Traditional craft is introduced as inspiration for developing smart textiles in lace structure. Both, the process of dyeing conductive threads with multi-color thermochromic pigment mixes and the technical set up for the sensor-actuator system are described. The possibilities and challenges for the multi-color sensor-actuator combination in a lace structure are discussed based on the experience gained from working with the material. Potential applications are glanced for inspiration and future directions.