Living Therapeutic Skin (LTS)
Design Opportunities and Challenges of On-Skin Living Artefacts
Raphael Kim (Biodesign Academy, London, TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
Fanzhe Zeng (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
Tom Ellis (Imperial College London)
Elvin Karana (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
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Abstract
The Living Therapeutic Skin (LTS) is a novel living material currently in development as part of a European project. Integrating engineered microbes to detect and treat eczema flare-ups, LTS offers significant promise for managing this prevalent skin condition. However, as a microbial material in its early developmental stage, LTS faces challenges related to social acceptance when it is embedded in on-skin living artefact for daily human use. To address these challenges in the further development of these materials, we conducted a workshop employing boundary objects to illustrate four hypothetical LTS applications in everyday contexts. Our participatory approach engaged a multidisciplinary group, including a dermatologist, scientists, biodesigners, and eczema patients. Analysis of the workshop data revealed several important factors affecting the wearability and acceptance of on-skin living artefacts. This paper elaborates on these factors to explore the potential implications of LTS, examining its design prospects and hurdles while discussing possible avenues for a broader range of human-skin interfaces.