GIF and images courtesy the artist
If always knowing when somebody was staring at you was a super power, Behnaz Farahi‘s new project, Caress of the Gaze would qualify as a bona fide super suit. The architect and interaction designer married a camera, a facial tracking algorithm, and responsive skin of 3D-printed spikes that broadcast to the world exactly where your eyes are straying to. “What if our outfit could recognize and respond to the gaze of the other?” Farahi asks in the project’s description. “This is an interactive 3D printed wearable which can detect other people’s gaze and respond accordingly with life-like behavior.”
Her slick, sci-fi execution, developed in collaboration with Autodesk and Pier 9’s artist-in-residence program, is the latest in a series of projects (namely the snakelike Ruff and brain-powered Synapse) oriented around making our clothing more lifelike. Not to mention it’s definitely worth the gazes it measures. But the most interesting idea is what would happen if this technology were applied to everyday t-shirts and jeans—then, you’d know for sure if he was really was just reading the quirky slogan on your graphic tee.
See more of Behnaz Farahi’s work on her website.
