Self-Twirling Dress

Fashion
This self-twirling dress uses Dynamixel motors and an OpenRB microcontroller mounted on a belt to twirl itself!

Self-Twirling Dress project image
Christina Ernst Maker Picture

Christina Ernst

Christina Ernst is a senior software engineer and the fashioneering content creator behind She Builds Robots (@shebuildsrobots). Her tech-fashion crossover work has been featured in CNN Style, Make: Magazine, Forbes, Entertainment Weekly, CBC, and Popular Science. She was a recurring engineering correspondent on Season 6 of the educational STEM show Mission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosgrove. She also served as the 2024 Maker-in-Residence at Chicago Public Library.

Categories: Fashion, Costumes & Cosplay, Fashion, Microcontrollers, Robotics

More Maker Info

https://www.shebuildsrobots.org

More Event Info

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More Project Info

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/d-IXo9iwm1w

What inspired you to make this project?
I see fashion as a powerful vehicle for STEM education outreach. The more whimsical, the better!

What are some of the challenges you have encountered and how did you address them?
A full skirt of fabric is so much heavier than you may expect! Finding motors that could provide enough torque while still being light and portable enough to wear were a challenge.