BYOB

Katherine reminds me to post about BYOB, which will be a demo at Ubicomp2004 this year.

BYOB is a modular set of interactive textile squares that can be combined to build a bag (see above) that can function in multiple ways: as an alert, a network visualizer, etc.

When modules are snapped together to form an object, they become part of a network and begin to communicate with people, other objects, and their environment.

While admittedly I think Katherine is right - do we really need more applications where the ambient pretty lights go blinky-blink? - the project does nicely evoke the long history of modular design and individual adaptation in the textile arts.