It’s always interesting to see what happens when hacking meets clothing – check out this pair of bikinis, for instance.
This first item, called the N12 bikini (mildly NSFW), comes from Continuum Fashion and is composed entirely from Nylon 12, hence the name. Shapeways uses 3D Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) to create the tiny circles that make up this piece of swimwear. The suit is held together by tiny stretchy strings made of the same nylon, and the bikini can be printed to order. It seems like an interesting idea, but we wonder how it would hold up against some big waves or a game of beach volleyball.
The second item is a bit more functional. Designer [Andrew Schneider] has put together a bikini that can solve all of your energy needs while sitting by the pool. His solar bikini is covered with hand-sewn flexible solar cells that work together to produce up to 5v, available via a USB connection. He claims that you are free to go swimming in the suit, so long as you dry out the USB port before using it again. For all the guys out there crying foul, don’t worry – he’s got a suit for you too. He’ll be putting together a men’s suit in the near future that powers a 1.5 amp Peltier cooler to keep your beer cold – we just don’t want to know where the hot side of the Peltier goes…
Continuum N12 is some kind of awesome.
no video “after the break”?
“For a bikini, the nylon is beautifully functional because it is waterproof and remarkably comfortable when wet.”
…when dry, it’s like wearing cheese-grater underwear.
(In before flamers: Actually I have no idea. But the qualifier is amusing.)
Saw the N12 on Discovery a few days ago. Definitely looks NSFW and doesn’t seem like it hides the wearer’s modesty…
…sweet.
The second one just looks kinda slapped together really. Anyone can lay flexible solar panels on clothes, but can you make it look not so thrown together?
gigity
Makes me wish I had breasts.
So… When is the Princess Leia style coming out?
I’m sure most of us hope this thing doesn’t hold up.
Unexpectedly.
Is it just me, or would that design be moderately see-through if you’re close up?
@mic WIN at your family guy quote :P
0 nipples detected :-/
And now if we could only make complete living women this way, we would enter the golden age of nerd-singularity.
This reminds me of an episode of the IT Crowd