On Our Radar: Francesca Barchiesi

Muchaneta Kapfunde | @FashNerdEditor

Surely you have heard of her. Maybe even had her name whispered quietly in your ear. If you have not, then please wait a moment whilst I grab my megaphone, because I feel the need to loudly shout, meet Francesca Barchiesi.
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Proudly Italian, the Amsterdam based designer has been making waves since 2010. Yes that’s right, for 5 years Barchiesi has been making a name for herself in the rapidly expanding world of Fashion Tech. Her Graduation thesis showed off her MacGyver attitude, especially when it came to solving everyday problems through design.

Taking both an ethical and critical approach to her work, the Design Academy Eindhoven graduate innovative hand tech device was what made her stand out from the rest. Using nanotechnology, she designed a glove that had the power to radically intervene with our senses.  This was possible because the glove’s interface had the ability to control gestures resulting in the expansion of communicative power.

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To continue, the hand tech glove converts iconic gestures into concrete actions. This is due to the fabric, which is woven with special sensors and mini projectors that can read the hand’s movements and translate them into practical functions. By using a sequence of gestures, Barchiesi has made it possible for the glove to take pictures, make videos and display information. Another ‘wow’ function is that the glove can also translate sign language into sound pattern. Simply put, the glove can turn signed language into spoken words.

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Even though Barchiesi’s concept is yet to be made consumer ready, I think it is simply going to be a matter of time. This is technology at it’s best. Imagine a world where a hand tech device can successfully expand the realm of communication, now that’s a world I look forward to living in. Francesca Barchiesi, we are definitely going to be keeping our eye on you.

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SOURCEImage Credit: Francesca Barchiesi