Isabel Lizardi: “Painters may be applying conductive coatings rather than acrylic based paints, weavers may be weaving conductive thread into garments, wallpaper installers may be placing PCBs into the walls!”
Before founding Bare Conductive in 2009, Isabel completed a Master’s in Industrial Design Engineering at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London. This is where the idea for a non-toxic electrically conductive paint was first developed. Bare Conductive grew out of this idea and is now exploring the intersection of design, technology and material innovation. They design and manufacture a suite of technologies that connect any surface, object or space to the digital world.
What kind of experience do you intend to provide? Is it entertainment or education?
This is an interesting question! However, I think I would rephrase it. Our goal is actually to provide tools. At our core we are a technology company, however, we package the technologies we develop as products. Whether the output that our customers chose to apply our tools to are entertainment, learning, art, or prototyping is not really our focus.
We love to see the amazing range of applications that people use our products for, however, our objective is to make the tools that are easy to use and fit for purpose. The part of the experience that we like to focus on is on making each and every one of our products and resources a pleasure to use. This is why design is so important to our business, whether it’s in the visuals, the packaging, the software, the products themselves, or the customer service, we want to help our community have an easy journey through their process when using our tools, whatever their chosen output.
How widespread do you think capacitive sensing would be?
In a way, it’s hard to imagine how capacitive sensing could be even more prevalent than it is today. After all, every smartphone’s screen is basically using this technology, so that would mean there’s at least 2 billion people walking around with this technology in their pocket! Having said that, there is so much more potential to embed this discreet technology in many places beyond a phone screen.
What are most exciting scenarios for sensors are?
I think some of the most exciting scenarios are those that involve materials that are not traditionally viewed as ‘smart’. This is why we find paper, cardboard, and other substrates that aren’t traditionally associated with electronics so compelling. They open up the possibility of embedding sensing capabilities in every piece of paper, wall, or cardboard box!!
How do you imagine the future of the material world? Will it be interactive?
The reality is that I don’t know how much more interactive most of the objects around us will be, but they will certainly be a lot smarter. For example, I don’t expect that I’ll be tapping buttons on my bedside table, or tracing movements on my mattress or floor, however, I do anticipate that there will come a point when these are passively collecting data from the environment. So the interactivity will not be between myself and the object, but rather between the objects themselves. Perhaps when I wake up in the morning, my bedroom floor will detect my movements, and signal the kettle to start boiling water in the kitchen! So the interaction need not be physical but rather a complex network of smart systems in our environment!
What was your first interaction with digital culture, was it inspiring?
I don’t know if I can remember the first interaction, but certainly using the internet for the first time has to be the most memorable. The ability to connect to information and people remotely around the world is still inspiring today!
Which skills will be in demand in the future?
This is a very difficult question to ask, as we cannot anticipate the needs that new technologies will bring about. Just as there are many more roles that will develop relating to technology, there will be positions that will involve the manufacturing, installing, and testing of these as well.
I think the most interesting ground will be where old skills intersect with new ones perhaps even bringing on a resurgence of old techniques. For example, our paint can be printed using screen printing methods which are not associated with technology at all. It would be amazing to think that in the future people may require skills that already exist, but these may be employed for completely new purposes! Painters may be applying conductive coatings rather than acrylic based paints, weavers may be weaving conductive thread into garments, wallpaper installers may be placing PCBs into the walls!
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