SymbiosisO
Interactive Design at the Intersection of Smart Textiles and Soft Electronics
SymbiosisW
Why We Created It
SymbiosisO is a collection of biologically inspired interactive design objects that merge smart textiles with soft electronics. These artifacts explore the symbiosis between cyber-organisms and humans, reintroducing natural rhythms into our everyday environments.
Our goal was to develop programmable textile interfaces capable of visualizing information and expressing emotions—an active, responsive secondary skin. SymbiosisO functions as both an ambient display and a dynamic material that reacts to human and environmental stimuli through animated color changes.
The project began in 2009 as a collaboration between Estonian textile designer Kärt Ojavee and myself. While working on my thesis at the Tallinn Center of Biorobotics, I became involved in prototyping and researching smart textiles alongside Kärt. After my graduation, we decided to continue working together, evolving SymbiosisO into one of our major research projects.
Inspired by nature's ability to adapt and evolve, we sought to create objects that integrate seamlessly into urban life, offering a soft, organic approach to human-computer interaction.
Objects in the SymbiosisO Collection
SymbiosisW
SymbiosisW - Reactive Wall
A three-dimensional textile surface made of hexagonal cells that respond to human touch. As a person interacts with the fabric, patterns grow and spread beneath their hand, creating an evolving organic display. SymbiosisW explores the emotional and sensory qualities of tactile interaction, reinforcing the intimacy of touch.
SymbiosisO: Voxel
Symbiosis Voxel - Interactive Display
A collaboration with Alex Dodge, showcased at Tribeca ISSEY MIYAKE (2012) and featured in Surface Magazine, CoolHunting, and Designboom.
SymbiosisO: Voxel was an interactive textile installation, exhibited at New York's Tribeca Issey Miyake showroom and gallery space. The installation was composed of interlocking honeycomb-shaped 'voxels', each dyed with heat-activated thermochromic ink and connected to a custom electronics system.
- Users could touch the fabric, leaving a highlighted imprint as the thermochromic ink reacted to body heat.
- Visitors could also use their iPhones and iPads to access a web-based interface, allowing them to design multi-frame animations by tapping individual voxels on their screens. Once submitted, the animation played back directly on the textile installation.
Unlike other SymbiosisO designs, Voxel reimagined the textile surface as a programmable, evolving display, blending touch, digital interaction, and responsive materiality into a unified sensory experience.
This project was my final thesis at NYU ITP.
SymbiosisO: Voxel - Interactive Textile Display
Cool Hunting Rough Cut: SymbiosisO: Voxel
SymbiosisO: Membrains
An immersive exhibition piece narrating the daily morphing of an interior environment in response to user activity throughout the day. The installation unfolds over a 20-30 minute cycle, allowing visitors to experience how dynamic materials reshape a living space based on time and interaction.
- • Morning: A window shader mimics the soft glow of morning light and a gentle breeze.
- • Awakening: A shape-changing resting area ("Nest") subtly awakens the inhabitant.
- • Flow of Time: The wall cover visualizes time through evolving patterns.
- • Tracking Movement: The carpet senses footsteps, responding with changes in temperature and graphics.
- • Evening: Lighting gradually shifts to create an intimate, localized atmosphere.
The interior is complemented by interactive accessories and responsive interfaces, allowing visitors to explore individual objects beyond the full cycle.
SymbiosisS
