Google Engineer has just designed the world’s first AI dress
At the moment, the reel is at 150k likes and 1k comments with over 3 million views
“First AI dress” Christina Ernst, a software engineer at Google and the Founder of SheBuildsRobots.org, has shared a reel on the platform’s Instagram account unveiling her new dress: a black gown with a golden, swirling snake wrapped around her waist and neck. What’s more? The robotic snake does not just appear alive, it can also detect faces! Imagine talking to someone, and the snake on their neck slithers closer.
Ernst calls the piece a ‘Medusa dress.’ In the clip she’s shared, she says, “I engineered this robotic snake dress and it’s finally done. I coded an optional mode that uses artificial intelligence to detect faces and move the snake head towards the person looking at you. So maybe this is the world’s first AI dress? Surveillance state but make it fashion.”
She goes on to reveal her process and progress, talking about where her idea came from and the lengths she went to make it possible. She talks about her failed prototypes and how she programmed the snake head to detect and identify faces.
The reception the reel has received since it’s sharing is extremely positive. Many in her comments are applauding her for her design, including her affinity for design as an engineer and how she brought both those passions together.
‘I just love women in STEM!’ one person commented.
Some comments felt entitled to a better show, offering insights on what they expected to be different. One person in particular said they wanted a video with someone walking past Ernst to check if the snakes were really moving their heads.
At the moment, the reel is at 150k likes and 1k comments with over 3 million views.
It’s definitely an unlikely feat but it’s not unimaginable. It makes you think: to imagine the combination of AI paired with each year’s increasingly artisanal couture productions, like Schiaparelli’s abstract lineup at 2024 Paris Haute Couture Week or Iris van Herpen’s moving, breathing ‘Hybrid Show’ as a part of the same.
To think of Hybrid Show, less of a fashion show as much of an art exhibit, where models stood as ‘body sculptures’ suspended onto a huge frame in the wall against a backdrop of white canvas, wearing outfits designed by van Herpen that featured a combination of 3-D printed pieces and gradient drapes, accessorised with perfect awareness of where lights will fall and where the shadows will cover the gaps—to think of a show like this, with AI programmed robotic accessories, is to think of a new age of couture fashion. It is an important development.
SheBuildsRobots is Ernst’s personal project, which aims to educate and encourage girls to build robots.
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