2023 Hybrid Body Lab Artist-in-Residence Project Series 

This series of projects are from Hybrid Body Lab Artist-in-Residence 2023 created by artist Joe George. During his 8-week residency at our lab, Joe has delved into the world of three-dimensional on-skin objects, exploring diverse materials, prototyping with electronic components, and crafting unique on-body interactions.

Imagining the topology of the human body as a new medium for artistic expression: formally, conceptually, and functionally. Challenging the current paradigm of minimalism in on-skin wearables with audacious designs that beg to be shown instead of hidden.

UVScale

UV Scale is a set of flexible resin-printed scales that will visually change color under UV light. The scales are to be applied on the skin using a safe skin adhesive in a pattern that emulates a snake's skin as it basks in the sunlight. The pattern of snakeskin is an irregular sort of tessellation that easily and naturally warps with the unusual geometry of the human body. 

AUTOLIGHT

Autolight is made up of a SkinLink MCU module, an ambient light sensing module, and a white neopixel LED module as well as elastic resin printed housings for the skin link module, light sensor, and LED. Aesthetically inspired by the Borg from Star Trek, it boasts a rather conspicuous cyberpunk aesthetic, in hopes to push humans further toward an augmented future with new abilities.

thermaldermal

Pain relief envisioned as something you could wear while going out at night. Current heating patches are squares or ovals. ThermalDermal proposes any one-line shape as the substrate for heat. In the example below, it is pictured as a “hot tramp stamp”. A wearable patch that is both physically and conceptually hot.

hearingangel

Imagining current wearables less as something to hide and more as something to flaunt and show off. Hearing aids typically tuck discreetly behind the ear for minimal visibility. This project rests in front of the ear, proudly showing off its audacious sculptural and material form. It mimics a common tattoo motif of an angel whispering in an ear, but doubles as a functional object, amplifying sound. The angel is literally whispering!

Coolingunit

Picturing the surface of the human body as no different from that of a car or personal computer. In the future there might be an increasing need to cool embedded implants. Using 3D printed elastic resin, real PC fans are “installed” onto the surface of skin.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This project is from Hybrid Body Lab Artist-in-Residence 2023. This residency is funded by the National Science Foundation.

Project Credits:
Artist: Joe George (Hybrid Body Lab 2023 Artist-in-Residence) 

Researchers in Collaboration: Jingwen Zhu, Lily Winagle, Pin-Sung Ku, Prof Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao

Hybrid Body Lab at Cornell University

Photo Credits: Photographer: Marina Morgan @marina_morgan

Model: Lily Winagle, Nancy Wang, Pin-Sung Ku

Press Inquiries: Press Image Kit: Available Upon Request (License: CC by-NC-SA 4.0) Press Contact: Prof. Dr. Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao, cindykao@cornell.edu

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