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VTOS Work Placement Student Uses E-Textiles to Create Nighttime Magic

Posted: 17-05-2024

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    Vilma Triberze, a second-year Interior Design student at Waterford VTOS, sprinkled some nighttime magic into her 60-hour work placement at Walton Institute at South East Technological University’s (SETU) eTextiles Lab by creating night light wall hanging using soft fabrics and circuitry.

    Working with Aileen Drohan, Walton Institute Experienced Software Researcher, and thanks to the generous sponsorship from the Waterford Credit Union Community Fund 2024, Vilma used her time at Walton Institute to bring the delightful sleep aid for kids to life.

    The stages of the e-textile wall hanging’s development.

    The framed wall hanging depicts a vibrant city scene, with buildings, cars and a rainbow, making it suitable for a child’s bedroom.

    The wall hanging is more than just a piece of décor however, and this is where e-textiles’ melding of aesthetics and practicality comes in: the felt façade conceals the technical wizardry, and instead of a boring switch, the piece is triggered with a felt-covered fridge magnet, making it more fun for kids to use. When triggered, the wall hanging softly glows and pulses with light, thanks to a LilyPad Microcontroller and 67 LEDs powered by a rechargeable battery.

    Aileen Drohan says: “The piece is as beautiful as it is practical. As the magnet, attached to the floating cloud, makes contact with the sun’s rays, a magical evening scene unfolds, blurring daytime and nighttime. Windows, traffic lights and headlights light up. Even the starry sky gets in on the fun, gently pulsing to the rhythm of bedtime dreams.”

    The Walton Institute Smart Material and eTextile Innovation Laboratory opens new collaborative opportunities for smart material and smart garment prototype concept creation. Learn more HERE.