The Accouphene tuxedo is decorated with 13 soft speakers, embroidered in the shape of a coil with conductive yarns. By pulsing energy through the coils and running a magnet, embedded in the sleeve of Accouphene, over the coils, sounds are generated. A 3D sonic environment can be activated and modulated simply by moving the hands and twisting and pressing of the cloth.

“When powered, every speaker generates a weak magnetic field that reacts to a strong magnet positioned in close proximity to the fabric. The magnet’s strength and its distance from the embroidered coil determine the amplitude of the sounds. By electronically pulsing the embroidered coils at different frequencies, the Accouphene jacket can play different notes.

The speakers are driven by MOSFETS connected to an Atmel 8-bit RISC microcontroller. The circuit is powered by a 7.8V Li-Poly battery. The firmware on the mcu simply toggles the speakers at various duty cycles to generate the different frequencies.”

The jacket, designed by Vincent Leclerc, Joanna Berzowska, and XS labs, was on the catwalk of the Seamless fashion show earlier this month in Boston.

Picture stolen at Cati‘s place.
Tons of images of the event: Cati Vaucelle’s flickr set, Kate Kunath and James Patten.