Fashion Tech News invites guest editors from various fields to deliver a cross-disciplinary feature project to think about the future of fashion and technology. The third installment welcomes Ken Endo, a researcher of robots and prosthetic limbs and the president of Xiborg Inc., as a guest editor to discuss the theme "Body / Clothing & Functionality."
As smart clothing, prosthetic arms and legs, sportswear, and other wearable items dramatically evolve with cutting-edge technology, how will the nature of clothing change? We aim to explore the current state of wearable accessories and re-examine clothing/fashion within the broader spectrum of wearable items.
PROFILE
Ken Endo
President and CEO of Xiborg Inc.
After completing a master's program at Keio University, he moved to the U.S. He engaged in human body capability analysis and the development of lower limb prostheses at the Biomechatronics Group at the MIT Media Lab. He received his Ph.D. in 2012. Meanwhile, he served as a lecturer at MIT's D-Lab, offering lectures on prosthetics for developing countries. He is currently an associate researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc., involved in research on enhancing human physical capabilities using robotic technology. In 2012, he was selected as one of the 35 Innovators Under 35 (TR35) by the scientific magazine Technology Review published by MIT. In 2014, he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The Function & Appearance of Wearable Items
Subjectivity Surrounding Appearance
For instance, the question of whether high heels embody functional beauty has been a topic of discussion with friends for a long time. However, my stance has fundamentally been that they do not represent functional beauty. As someone who researches walking, it's clear that high heels have certainly lost the essential functions needed for walking.That said, it was not until I entered my 30s that I came to understand that what people seek in high heels is not walking functionality but something else. Whether it's the pleasure women derive from an elevated perspective, the perception of longer legs by others, or a subjective confidence boost—these are what people might consider functions.
Similarly, when we ran a project distributing shirts in India, several people argued that cheap ones would suffice. The idea was just to distribute white shirts and be done with it. However, I wondered whether it might be better to offer shirts in various colors, even if it meant increasing the budget by just 10 yen. Whether people in developing countries with limited funds would appreciate the choice was not something we could judge from our perspective. Ultimately, offering color options brought more joy.
Thus, even within the realm of functional requirements, human perception includes subjective elements. This applies to clothing, wearable devices, and what humans desire. There isn't a singular answer; various people seek different things. Consequently, devices are diversifying, and fashion itself is evolving through technology; definitive correctness is becoming more elusive.
Development of Functional Beauty
Regarding functional beauty in sports, the trend of appealing, eye-catching designs emerged around the year 2000. Specifically, NIKE spearheaded this movement by focusing on design. For top athletes, being fast is crucial even if it appears unpolished. Pursuing speed ultimately leads to aesthetic appeal. The significance of functional beauty for general users is still uncertain, but it's undoubtedly not zero.As an engineer, I believe that functional beauty and fashion design will inevitably intersect and then branch out into diverse paths. People are inclined to accept practical and fast solutions; they often mistake them as correct and aesthetically pleasing.
Thus, purely speed-focused designs are powerful and attractive. This perception is enhanced by the design's flexibility in appearance. For prosthetics, creating something similar to a human leg generally provides comfort and relatability. However, if the leg differs in shape, gaining acceptance takes longer. Yet, a focus on speed could make unconventional designs more acceptable despite initial discomfort.
However, this might only be a significant value in competitive settings. At school, for example, the demand for this is limited. Additionally, some values, like those of high heels, must be respected even at the cost of certain functionalities.
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