In
this paper, we discuss the conceptual design of an intimate garment worn by
mothers of prematurely born babies that supports the early and continuous
bonding between the two of them by exposing the baby to her unique maternal
scent. Scientific literature as well as outcomes from interviews with a mother
of prematurely born baby and neonatal nurses refers to positive impacts of
maternal scent on the psychological bonding between a mother and her child as
well as positive physiological impacts on the baby’s wellbeing. These outcomes
led us to develop a concept called Oris, which through its interactions and
functionalities promotes the bonding through maternal scent. Further, we
discuss the semantic interaction design applied to the concept as well as
metaphorical meaning of a difficultly envisioned human scent. Further, we
propose the application of smart textile materials for collection, sustaining
and diffusion of a human scent in different environments. Lastly, we discuss
the semantic analysis of the conceptual design.
Design and semantics of form and movement DeSForM 2013
