Chromatact

Prosthetics || transhumanism || human augmentation || biodesign || future identities || design futures || Speculative Futures || composite materials || Research & Development || Future materials

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Featured in three web articles, the 2021 London Design Festival, and referenced in the 2022 Surface Design Show, Chromatact explores the future of human identity through prosthetics and transhumanism. It proposes an augmentation of human skin that visualizes what cannot be felt by a prosthetic hand. 

Chromatact was designed to identify and enhance moments of intimacy. It does this by using thermochromic liquid crystal ink to display a heatmap of the humans and non humans it gets in contact with. Warmth leaves an imprint on the skin, and if left long enough, a visible outline is shown on the prosthetic skin. This creates a lingering emotional sensation that is made visible by the thermochromic skin, allowing the user to appreciate the moment just a little bit longer. In this project, I chose to bring the artificial closer to the biological by enhancing emotional connections.

A special thanks to the following individuals:

Dr Carolina Ramirez-Figueroa: Design Products + Futures, Royal College of Art

Oron Catts: SymbioticA, The University of Western Australia

Stelarc

Sophie Oliveira de Barata: Founder @ Altlimbpro

Oliver Wylder-Dredge: Material Scientist & Applications Technologist @ SFXC

Sapiens Collective:

• Filipe Magalhaes - RCA Design Products: Design Futures

• Abi Sheng - RCA Fashion

• Anne Ferial - RCA Fashion

• Catherine Mondoa - RCA Textiles

• Will Cogley

Radek Szczygiel: Luminaries Magazine

Elise Lebiga