Smart clothes keep track of alcohol intake

16 September 2014 - 11:01 By AFP-Relaxnews
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
The Metamorphosis concept includes a shirt for women and a jacket for men.
The Metamorphosis concept includes a shirt for women and a jacket for men.
Image: ©Younghui Kim

At a hackathon in Seoul, South Korea, the emerging smart clothes industry reached a new milestone with the demo of Metamorphosis, a prototype capable of reacting according to the quantity of alcohol imbibed by the wearer.

Developed by an artist collective led by Younghui Kim, the Metamorphosis concept consists for the time being of a shirt for women and a jacket for men.

As the wearer's blood alcohol level rises, the shirt's sleeves lift and inflate accordingly. With the jacket, it's the collar that lifts gradually as the wearer continues to drink.

The surprising concept stands out for being both useful and artistic at once. In addition to improving the drinker's awareness of his or her alcohol level, the clothes allow others to determine at a glance just how inebriated their conversation partner is. In this way, the wearer of Metamorphosis clothes clearly displays to others exactly how uninhibited he or she has become.

The two prototypes were presented in Seoul as part of a hackathon bringing together IT developers and artists.

 At a hackathon in Seoul, South Korea, the emerging smart clothes industry reached a new milestone with the demo of Metamorphosis, a prototype capable of reacting according to the quantity of alcohol imbibed by the wearer.

Developed by an artist collective led by Younghui Kim, the Metamorphosis concept consists for the time being of a shirt for women and a jacket for men.

As the wearer's blood alcohol level rises, the shirt's sleeves lift and inflate accordingly. With the jacket, it's the collar that lifts gradually as the wearer continues to drink.

The surprising concept stands out for being both useful and artistic at once. In addition to improving the drinker's awareness of his or her alcohol level, the clothes allow others to determine at a glance just how inebriated their conversation partner is. In this way, the wearer of Metamorphosis clothes clearly displays to others exactly how uninhibited he or she has become.

The two prototypes were presented in Seoul as part of a hackathon bringing together IT developers and artists.

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now