...The #03 part of "TOKYOFIBER 09 SENSEWARE" Yatzer's presentation consists of the following 4 projects:

• ROBOT TILE by Hiroo Iwata
• SEED OF LOVE by Ross Lovegrove
• MIST BENCH by Nicolas Gwenael
• CARBON FIBER CHAIR by Sigeru Ban

To read the #01 part follow the link TOKYOFIBER 09 SENSEWARE #01

To read the #02 part follow the link TOKYOFIBER 09 SENSEWARE #02

ROBOT TILE by Hiroo Iwata for TOKYOFIBER09
Material: New Conductive Fiber
Provided by Kuraray Co. Ltd

Material’s description
New Conductive Fiber complexes nano-size metallic fine particles into a fiber and raises conductivity by reducing the distance between particles and broadening the conductive area. Also, because it has conductive function inside its fibers, the material is able to prevent a decline in conductivity due to flexing, friction, and salt corrosion, the conventional issues related to conductive fibers, and can enlarge the applicable area.

Point of Design (words by artist Hiroo Iwata)
Robot tiles are an attempt to allow you to use your own legs to walk around a virtual space. The set up consists of a number of tiles capable of moving in all directions, but only providing a floor in the area under your feet.
In order to realize this sort of system, it is necessary to have sensors that detect the walker’s position, and New Conductive Fibers provides one way of doing that. New Conductive Fiber is a fiber capable of conveying information about where pressure has been applied. Fixing the material on top of the tile like a carpet enables the system to tell where the walker is treading. As soon as the walker starts moving, this can be detected and the tile moved in the opposite direction.
The simple act of walking is an essential part of human intellectual activity. Actually going somewhere gives a totally different impression from seeing somewhere only on a screen. A system that can use a carpet to detect walking provides a whole new range of potential for interaction between humans and the outside world.

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SEED OF LOVE by Ross Lovegrove for TOKYOFIBER09
Material: T.W.F.  (fabric) MELSET (fiber)
Provided by Sakase Adtech  Co., Ltd (fabric), Unitika Ltd. (fiber)


Material’s description
Triaxial fabric woven with thermoplastic polyester
 In contrast to conventional (biaxial) woven fabric with two yarn ends interwoven at 90 angles. T.W.F. (Triaxial Woven Fabric) is formed by a revolutionary new weaving process, in which three yarn ends are woven at 60 angles. Two warm ends and one weft end are interwoven at equal angles to produce a fabric having characteristics not found in conventional woven fabric: a light-weight, heavy-duty, tear-resistant fabric. Using a conjugate fabric with a high viscosity core and a low melting-point sheath, the fabric can be molded using a heat press process.

Point of Design (words by artist Ross Lovegrove)
“Seed of Love” is a sgeed of thought manifested as a three dimensional object for the carriage of feminine seductive objects into marriage.
A seed or a deposit of pollen from an exotic flower that rests so lightly on the back of the bride…placed there by  a softly humming bee. Fiber and all its contemporary virtues of lightness, delicacy, fragility, translucency and membrane technocracy….like an autumn leaf or an x ray through sea sell revealing the finesse of its veins, fiber is emerging as a material of virtue and intelligent nature in our new age of reason.
Created  hand in hand with digital software the “Seed of Love” layers structure over structure to extend the emotions of aesthetics outward from the inward and into an object that communicates desire and subtle seduction….white intimacy, white grace and silent awareness of love like clouds and air.

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MIST BENCH by Nicolas Gwenael for TOKYOFIBER09
Material: ESKA– Plastic optical fiber
Provided by Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.

Material’s description
The luminous fiber ESKA is an optical fiber made with plastic. It differs from the quartz-type and easily used in large diameter processes as well as flexible and easy to work with. The transfer functions for light through its fibers are not limited to communication applications, but may also be applied to set a soft impression.

Point of Design (words by artist Nicolas Gwenael)
I wanted to create a material out of fiber that become alive and alight when interact with people. A fabric that give me the possibility to create an object which exists only when desired. The material become information controlled by the time and the movement. The information is not on the surface but within the material itself; light becomes the vital fluids that glow and flow within the transparent veins. The surface express its desire to communicate with its surroundings: the eyes of the sensors detect the movement of the visitor. As he gets closer the surface glows softly from emptiness, it follows the visitor’s movement and grow gradually to finally reveal its real identity, a long bench, a mist of light floating in the dark.
The veins of light are delicately crafted by hand, the precision and consistency are required to guide the light within the right curvature of the fiber, a communion between the most advanced technology and the dexterity of craftsmanship. The complexity of technologies applied in the concept totally disappears-only thye experience remains, unique, sensorial.

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CARBON FIBER CHAIR by Sigeru Ban for TOKYOFIBER09
Material: TENAX – carbon fiber
Provided by Teijin Ltd

Material’s description
The world’s lightest and strongest structural material TENAX, a carbon fiber from the raw material acrylonitrile is a strong, light and supple super fiber with high electrical conductivity. This composite material, which integrates metal, resin, ceramic and other materials, has contributed to energy-savings and the creation of next generation lightweight aircraft and automobiles.

Point of Design (words by architect Shigeru Ban)
Gio Ponti’s Superleggera is extremely light, but I wanted to make a chair that is even lighter- a chair so light that a child could pick it up with just her little finger. Carbon fiber provides greater tensile strength than all other rmaterials, but it loses out of compressive strength, which is only reasonable since such strength is affected by the material’s slenderness, and carbon fibers are very slender. Carbon fiber is also much more expressive than other materials, and moreover, it is difficult to work.  In an attempt to use only the material’s advantages and avoid its disadvantages, we stuck as 0.25mm carbon fiber layer onto side of thin aluminum panels. As a result, the carbon fiber only had to provide the tensile strength, and having a composite material resolved the problem of carbon fiber being difficult to work.