Thanks for sending this in Sophie! Video above comes via Carnegie Mellon University’s Youtube page! Sophie says:

Hello! My name is Sophie Hood. I wanted to share with you a project that I have been working on for the past few months using AdaFruit products. This extends my work integrating wearables and theatrical costumes, the core of my thesis for my MFA in costume production from Carnegie Mellon University.

I designed and created a tech-integrated dress for Carnegie Mellon University that was worn on the red carpet at the Tonys this year. The piece is a vintage-inspired couture dress with multiple tech enhancements, representing Carnegie Mellon’s well-known drama and tech programs (as well as the collaborations between them).

We created a broach inspired by the CMU thistle logo, 3D printed in metal. On the skirt of the dress, we laser cut an image we designed that represents how often students take classes outside of their field, based on student data. We represent this student movement as ‘rivers’ flowing between
‘islands’ representing the seven colleges within the university. Under the skirt, through light diffusing fabric, we use 3 meters of NeoPixel strips to have lights flow down the ‘rivers’, as a metaphor for collaboration. The movement of the NeoPixel strips is controlled by an Arduino, synchronized to the wearer’s heartbeat using a Pulse Sensor Amped.


See more!