When a child wears a piece of clothing, their first instinct is to play with it (stomping in boots, pulling on the sleeves of their sweaters.) Little girls normally start to spin when wearing a full skirt, but when they grow up, they lose that tendency.
There are 3 light panels on the skirt. One lights when the user spins slightly, encouraging her to spin longer to make more panels light.
The skirt is made of a navy wool with a 2-axis accelerometer sewn into the waist. The accelerometer sends data through conductive thread to a circuit board sewn into its lining. The circuit board triggers three el paper panels that are embroidered in a column along the seam of the skirt. As the wearer spins, more el panels light.
For more information, visit the twirl blog
Grace Kim is currently a Master's student at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program. You can reach her at: gracie@nyu.edu