Fabricbot is an app-based conversational companion tool that encourages citizen-consumers to participate in repair related activities to extend clothing life. It was developed to respond to the key features of a repair process and articulates thinking processes, handling actions and subjective material decisions.
Fabricbot helps to:
- Assist damage inspection
- Facilitate material understanding
- Understand emotions
- Support the learning of complex skills
The repair chatbot is a tangible outcome from research through design studies to interpret the competencies needed to engage materially in clothing repair practices. The tool conceptualises a route to repair and engages people in processes that guide touch exploration and reflection in tools, techniques and materials to motivate learning and increase confidence.
Fabricbot encourages material learning through gesture-based creative actions as part of developing a personal repair practice. Learning to touch and explore materials, inspect damage and make more informed repair decisions can increase skills and build confidence as part of developing a repair practice.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Consumer Experience Digital Tools for Dematerialisation for the Circular Economy (CXDT) is funded by Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Digital Economy Sustainable Digital Society priority area.
Design and Development: Tao, Bi, Yifu, Liu, Nadia, Bianchi-Berthouze, University College London. Bruna, Petreca, Sharon, Baurley, Royal College of Art