On Jupiter We Will Wear Bacteria-Infested 3D-Printed Fashion

This article originally appeared on Motherboard. 

​There have been a lot of id​eas about what the evolution of spacesuits might look like. But architect and designer Neri Oxman’s latest project is perhaps the most visually-striking offering.

Oxman, who studies technology, biology and design intersect MIT, has created a series of 3D-printed “wearable skins” inspired by the idea of interplanetary exploration. The eye-catching pieces are made of a blend of synthetic materials and are designed to be fully wearable: there are shorts, chest-pieces, an intricate helmet.

Each piece includes hollow sections that are intended to hold living matter, Oxman explained in a press release, that would be necessary to explore each planet (if, you know, humans could actually set foot on these planets). She imagined bacteria to convert Saturn’s hydrocarbons into food and algae to produce oxygen on the moon.

“The future of wearables lies in designing augmented extensions to our own bodies that will blur the boundary between the environment and ourselves,” Oxman said.

If you can’t make it to Frankfurt to see the designs as part of a ​3D printing exhibition at the EuroMold, November 25-28, check out her pieces here and gaze into the future:

Jupiter

Mercury

Moon

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