Soft Technologies Lab

We were given a blank canvas. 
To design a place to imagine and prototype, to test and grow, the next generation of soft technologies. After a year of patient planning and construction,
a new era begins, and a new home takes shape for our Lab. A space where soft/wear and hard/ware collide. Construction of Soft Technologies Lab at SDE4. 🌱

Introducing the call for ISWC Design Exhibition (DesignX) at ACM Ubiquitous Computing and International Symposium on Wearable Computing (ISWC) 2026 in Shanghai, China! 🇨🇳 Submit 4-page short papers (Adjunct Proceedings + ACM DL) exploring wearable futures: from on-body sensing and smart prosthetics to responsive and responsible fashion, healthcare, and beyond. 🦾🧶👕 * Conference Dates: October 11-15, 2026 * Submission Deadline: June 8, 2026 * Author Notification: July 10, 2026 We encourage submissions of works incorporating elements such as on-body sensing, sensor networks, responsive fashion technologies, body enhancements like bionic limbs and smart prosthetics, and wearables designed for professional use, mobile healthcare, entertainment, and more. Submissions that seamlessly combine functionality, aesthetics, with critical design and social and environmental sustainability will be highlighted. Selected works will be exhibited in a museum and gallery-style showcase at the Shanghai International Convention Center this October 2026. See you in Shanghai ✨ @ubicomp_conference #DesignX #ISWC @iswc_net

This semester, we welcome .STL new members: RA, Visiting Student, and Undergraduate Researchers with background and interests ranging from textiles/fashion, industrial design, computer science, soft robotics, to human-computer interaction. Welcome Charlotte, Yining, Mia, and Joan! 🦾🧶⚙️🌱 @did.nus @nus.cde.sg

We brought together artists and technologists in Singapore to examine how gravitational, mechanical, and environmental forces enact upon objects, environments, and collective experience in 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴: 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 & 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. Through practices grounded in haptics and kinetics, the speakers explore movement not as something merely observed, but as something inhabited and completed through human experience. The evening explored the ideas, concepts, and explorations across scales, from material to space, with @wang_ruobing @sai_studios @sixuannn @yj.sg and @shaoyucai sharing their inspirations, processes, and visions for the future. Thank you to everyone who joined us and made the evening so special! and @tusitala.sg @creativetechsg @nacsingapore for the support. Photo by @thekytstudio . #ArtsTechLab

Our second Design Platform: FIBERPUNK explores how functional fibers can be integrated to create line and fabric-based interfaces. DID students dive hands-on into integration techniques such as sewing, embroidery, weaving, and knitting, applying craft to build their own interactive textiles and products. 🧶🪡 @did.nus @nus.cde.sg

We just wrapped up our “Soft Devices” Platform. In a short semester, DID students crafted a diverse range of artifacts integrating textile-based sensors and actuators, engaging with hardware systems, debugging, and programming fearlessly. Their final works challenged the boundaries of “smart textiles” and “soft robotics,” extending these ideas from wearables to objects and spatial environments. Our showcase featured (7×3) functional artifacts built around the trilogy: SENSING, ACTUATION, and SYSTEMS. The works were interactive, experimental, and practical in their own ways, reflecting our shared spirit of materiality, fabrication, and critical design inquiry. Excited to see how these projects continue to evolve, and see you at our next Platform! Featured DID work: Twelve & One (by Hirari, Sorfina, and Dalia), Ephyra (Reiko, Augustine, and Ang Hian), Pebble Fort (Lui, Seidl Kim, and Ryka), Halo (Derica and Alzena), NUAN (Beatrice and Claire), Orchestra of Flowers (Yong and Joan), JAM FACTORY (Garren and Fern). @did.nus @nus.cde.sg

Exhibited our project and paper: FerroZuit, a Ferromagnetic Electronic Textile System featuring double-layer woven magnetic yarns and digitally embroidered coils for programmable actuation and anchoring in microgravity environments (collaborations with the MIT Media Lab, Max Planck Institute, and European Space Agency) at the ACM UbiComp/ISWC 2025, held at Aalto University, Espoo, Finland. Honored to receive the Best Design Award in the Functional Category. 🧶👩‍🚀 @did.nus @nus.cde.sg @mitmedialab @ubicomp_conference

Our second phase of the Soft Devices Design Platform focused on 2/3: ACTUATION, where students explored motion, transformation, and material behavior through pneumatic textiles. We experimented with sealing, inflating–deflating, and jamming techniques to create soft systems that move, expand, and respond dynamically. We are now transitioning toward our final projects, integrating textile sensing and actuation into cohesive, interactive SYSTEMS. Featured DID behind-the-scenes: Bagguette (by Yeong, Augustine, Neo Ang), Bloomora (by Hirari, Sorfina, and Dalia), Tap the Trap (by Lui Zhong, Ryka Nouvin, Seidl Kim), Bloom (by Derica and Alzena), LUCKi (by Beatrice and Claire), Pneu-cloud (by Yong and Joan), and Jellyfriend (by Garren and Fern) @did.nus @nus.cde.sg

In an interview with the Royal Academy of Engineering for Ingenia Magazine’s September Issue, DID Assistant Professor Irmandy Wicaksono joined other textile researchers to discuss the path to scaling electronic textiles through his large-scale interactive projects, such as the Living Knitwork Pavilion, installed at Burning Man in Nevada in 2023.  “The manufacturing capabilities and technologies are all there,” he noted, “but manufacturers need to be open to more ‘alien’ materials.” Read “The road to scaling electronic clothes” on Ingenia: https://lnkd.in/g4zsyeHe @did.nus @nus.cde.sg

The Division of Industrial Design congratulates Assistant Professor Dr Irmandy Wicaksono, Presidential Young Professor and Director of Soft Technologies Lab @softtechnologies , on being named one of the @technologyreview MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 in the category of Materials Science. This global recognition celebrates his pioneering work in smart textiles — from fabrics that monitor vital signs, to footwear that analyses gait and balance, and even a spacesuit that applies automatic compression to protect from cardiovascular risks in long-term spaceflight. “My journey has been one of curiosity and exploration, especially in merging textiles and electronics to create new applications. From smart clothes for health today to envisioning spacesuits for the future, I’m excited about what lies ahead,” Asst Prof Wicaksono shared. We look forward to seeing how Asst Prof Wicaksono and the Soft Technologies Lab will continue pushing the boundaries of design and materials science! #NUSDID #MaterialsScience #SoftTechnologies #SmartTextiles #MITTechnologyReview #MITInnovatorsunder35

Last week, we wrapped up Part 1/3: SENSING, in our DID Design Platform: Soft Devices. In this phase, students experimented with textile-based fabrication and sensing methods to create their own interactive soft objects. Stay tuned as we move into Part 2/3, ACTUATION: Designing with Air. Featured DID behind-the-scenes: Bloomora (by Hirari, Sorfina, and Dalia), Blast (by Yeong, Augustine, Neo Ang), Bully The Bird (by Lui Zhong, Ryka Nouvin, Seidl Kim), Solace (by Derica and Alzena), Halo (by Beatrice and Claire), Colourmeon (by Yong and Joan), and jamJacket (by Garren and Fern) @did.nus @nus.cde.sg

These past few weeks have been full of motion, threads, and activities for the Soft Technologies Lab! Our first PhD/MA members have joined, the Lab is taking shape, research projects are underway, and our Design Platform has launched with DID students experimenting with embedding technologies and interactions into everyday fabrics. Looking forward to a great semester ahead! 🧶 @softtechnologies @did.nus @nus_singapore