flexible batteries, flexible displays, flexible solar panels, electronic fabric, it seems like something is brewing… are electronics meant to creep out of their plastic boxes and become soft, supple, wearable, and flexible? something like this was foreshadowed years ago by claes oldenburg who made this soft typewriter (above) in 1963 along with a series of soft electronics. and along with my mantra that in the future everything will be soft and glow there have been multiple proposals for at least softening the hard shell of consumer products from televisions (left, a vintage ‘soft body’ television by cesare casati and emannuele ponzio) to sinks (right, a soft sink by hella jongerius).
