Designing Pneumatic Wearables

This thesis examines the design of wearables that change the shape of the human body. It presents five pneumatic wearables and investigates how people experience them through field studies. Owing in part to their softness, these wearables fostered reflective relationships between users and on-body technology by supporting interpersonal engagement and wellbeing, sparking social interaction, encouraging self-reflection, and promoting physical activity. The thesis offers insights to inform future wearable designs that do not merely augment function but meaningfully shape how bodies are felt, interpreted, and lived.