Towards the definition of ICS Materials in Design Education: Approaches in specific teaching methods

Novel materials with interactive, dynamic, and hybrid qualities are emerging under the influence of miniaturization of information technologies and the diffusion of interdisciplinary environments fuelling the cross-fertilization and blending of previously isolated and distinctive practices, namely materials fabrication and technologies programming and embed- ding. We refer to this wide and hybrid family of materials as Interactive Connected Smart Materials, also known as the acronym ICS Materials. As presented in the previous chapter, such materials arise as one of the principal options to be applied in the Wearable sector, allowing the seamless integration of technologies. Indeed, the most successful examples of ICS Materials which are feasible and ready to be applied today belong to the smart textiles and e-textiles area. In this chapter, a definition of ICS Materials will be provided, presenting their ontology – what they are –, anatomy – what are their parts –, and taxonomy – how they are classified. In design and engineering universities and schools, some teaching activities have been already carried out to explore and apply these materials in many sectors. Although these workshops and courses are still quite recent and experimental, it is possible to recognize very specific teaching methods, approaches and tools that have been applied, after being selected from closer or intersecting areas or developed on purpose. In this chapter, the approaches used by these teaching methods are presented and discussed.