About

Since 2008 I’ve been devoting my time to the invention, design and construction of responsive and emotive wearable technology, e-textiles and interactive installations. My current research includes the investigation of machine learning for wearables and e-textiles, and exploring TinyML and TensorFlow Lite for embedded systems.

For my Computing PhD, I investigated the possibility that wearable technology can be used to create new forms of non-verbal communication, using physiological data. In particular how physiological data can be drawn from the body and amplified and broadcast to those around and interacting with the wearer for use in social and formal situations, but also for meditation and monitoring productivity. My research also surveys potential wearers of these artifacts for their feedback and opinions on the aesthetics and functionality of emotive wearables, as well as views on wearing technology such as privacy and ethics. My thesis is available to download from http://research.gold.ac.uk/24005/.

Previous to my computing PhD, I studied electronics engineering, programming, fine art and design, which has led to my work developing as a convergence of programming, electronics, UX and design. I have presented and exhibited my work extensively in the UK at first-tier conferences such as CHI, ISWC/UbiComp and QCon and museums such as the V&A, and internationally, in Amsterdam (Quantified Self), Ghent (MIAT), Heidelberg (Kongresshaus Stadthalle), Geneva (CERN), Zurich (ETH), New York (NY Digital Salon/Maker Faire), Seattle (Museum of Pop Culture/Quantified Self), Redmond (Microsoft), Singapore (Suntec Centre) and Osaka (Grand Front Theatre). In 2014, I was selected for a Convocation Trust Student Entrepreneur Award and in October 2015, I was a finalist in EPSRC’s UK ICT Pioneers Competition. My Baroesque Barometric Skirt was featured in the September 2014, New Scientist Magazine.

I’m an organiser of events related to technology and wearables, for example I was on the organising committee for the Critical Wearables Research Lab at LCF, UAL London in 2015 and founded the Women in Tech group at the BBC. In 2019 I was Chair of the International Symposium on Wearable Computers 2019 Design Exhibition. I have also organised events including barcamps and hackathons with partners such as Google and Yahoo, and also GameCamp. I lead workshops on wearable technology and e-textiles, incorporating programming and electronics principles using microcontrollers, sensors and actuators in environments such as schools, universities and hackspaces. During 2013-14 I was Women in Computing mentor at Goldsmiths, University of London. I am honoured to have been listed in Women of Wearables ‘Top 100 Women in Fashion Tech 2019’  and ‘Top 100 Women in Wearable and Consumer Tech 2017′.

Previously, I worked at the BBC, where I was Senior Interactive Producer at BBC Learning, and also Technologist at BBC R&D, involved in producing groundbreaking interactive content for online for TV, Radio and various top-level campaigns. I also co-ran the BBC’s open source initiative and developer network, BBC Backstage, and founded the BBC Women in Tech group.

I’m contactable at rain @ rainashford dot co dot uk or @Rainycat on Twitter.

Wearable technology / e-textiles work:

2021 exhibitions, presentations & workshops:

  • ‘Doki Doki’, at the Design Exhibition of the 20th International Symposium on Wearable Computers, 2021
  • ‘Emotive Wearables’, Tech(K)NowDay on International Womens’ Day Conference, March, 2021
  • ‘How to give form to sentimental machines?’ An Affective Futures Round Table, Royal College of Art Research Biennale, February 2021

2019 exhibitions, presentations & workshops:

  • ‘EEG Visualising Pendant for Social Situations’, at ‘Beyond Individuals’ workshop at UbiComp/ISWC 2019, QEII Centre, London, September 2019
  • ‘Prototyping Wearables with Open Source’, Women in Open Source evening at the British Computer Society (BCS) London, May 2019
  • ‘An Exploration of Responsive and Emotive Wearables through Research Prototyping’, CHI2019, SEC, Glasgow, May 2019

2018 exhibitions, presentations & workshops:

  • ‘Responsive and Emotive Wearables’, paper and poster at the 22nd International Symposium on Wearable Computers, Singapore, October 2018
  • ‘AnemoneStarHeart EEG Pendant/Device’ and ‘The EEG Visualising Pendant’ at ‘Digital Fancies’: Bioresponsive E-Textiles and 3D Printing in Fashion, at Digits2Widgets, London, June 2018

2017 exhibitions, presentations & workshops:

  • ‘Emotive Wearables: Research’ Open University, Milton Keynes, UK. June 2017
  • ‘Emotive Wearables’ e-stitches, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. May 2017
  • ‘Emotive Wearable Technology’ opentech, ULU, London, UK. May 2017

2016 exhibitions, presentations & workshops:

  • ‘AnemoneStarHeart EEG Pendant/Device’, at the Design Exhibition of the 20th International Symposium on Wearable Computers, Heidelberg Germany, September 2016
  • ‘Emotive Wearables: methods and materials’, Design Roast, University of Greenwich, London. February 2016
  • ‘Emotive Wearables’ Art & Computational Technology seminar, Goldsmiths, University of London. February 2016

2015 exhibitions, presentations & workshops:

  • ‘Emotive Wearables’, dorkbotLondon’s dorkmas, Limehouse Town Hall, London, December 2015
  • ‘Emotive Wearables (PhD research & practice)’ at BBC Research & Development, London, December 2015
  • EPSRC UK ICT Pioneers competition finalist, QEII Centre, London, October 2015
  • ‘Emotive Wearables’, at Bartle Bogle Hegarty Expo, Soho, London, October 2015
  • ‘ThinkerBelle EEG Amplifying Dress’, at the Design Exhibition of the 19th International Symposium on Wearable Computers, Osaka, Japan, September 2015
  • Organiser: ‘Critical Wearables Research Lab’, London College of Fashion, London, UK, June 2015
  • Poster: ‘Responsive and Emotive Wearables’ at the Broadening Participation Workshop at Ubicomp / ISWC, Osaka, Japan, September 2015
  • ‘EEG Visualising Pendant’ and ‘AnemoneStarHeart’ ambient EEG / EKG broadcasting device, Transmission Symposium: Brainwave Interpretation In The Arts, Bournemouth University, UK, April 2015
  • ‘Axion’ (EEG controlled science storytelling iOS app) CineGlobe Science Film Festival workshops, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, March 2015

2014 exhibitions, presentations & workshops:

  • ‘Visualising Data Via Wearable Technology’, Electronics Stage, World Maker Faire, New York Hall of Science, New York, USA, September 2014
  • ‘Baroesque Barometric Skirt’, at Microsoft Research Gallery Exhibition, Redmond, USA, September-October 2014
  • ‘Responsive and Emotive Wearables: Devices Bodies, Data and Communication’, poster and demo of EEG Visualising Pendant at 18th International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC), Seattle, USA, September 2014
  • EEG Visualising Pendant demo, Seattle Quantified Self + ISWC/Ubicomp, Seattle, USA
  • ‘Responsive and Emotive Wearables: Devices Bodies, Data and Communication’, at the Doctoral School Colloquium of the 18th International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC), Seattle, USA, September 2014
  • ‘Baroesque Barometric Skirt’, at the 18th International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC) Design Exhibition, Experience Music Project Museum (EMP), Seattle, USA, September 2014
  • ‘Sensing Wearable Technology’ at Young Rewired State Festival of Code, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK, August 2014
  • e-textiles workshop at ‘Make. Hack. Do.’ at the Science Museum, London.
  • ‘Teaching with the LilyPad Arduino’, OSHUG, British Computer Society (BCS) London, UK, 2014
  • ‘Baroesque Barometric Skirt’, Textile Innovation Workshop 1 – From Invention to Consumption: electronic textiles, C4CC, London, May 2014
  • ‘Emotive Wearables – EEG Visualising Pendant’ – Quantified Self Europe Conference, Amsterdam, May 2014
  • ‘Axion’ (EEG controlled dark matter storytelling game, Team³ collaborative work created at CERN)– Tribeca International Interactive Festival, New York, USA, April 2014
  • ‘Axion (e-textiles sensor controlled dark matter storytelling game, Team³ collaborative work created at CERN)’ – CineGlobe Science Film Festival, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, March 2014

2013 exhibitions, presentations & workshops:

  • ‘Visualising Data’, Wearable Futures, Ravensbourne, London, UK
  • ‘Introduction to Wearable Technology’ workshop, Women in Computing Network, Goldsmiths College, London
  • ‘Women Pioneers in Computer Science’ Women in Computing Network, Goldsmiths College, London
  • ‘EEG Visualising Pendant for use in social situations’, ISWC, International Symposium on Wearable Computers, Zurich, Switzerland
  • ‘On Wearable Technology, Makers & Making’, Makers’ Guild, C4CC, London
  • ‘Baroesque Barometric Skirt’ at Smart Textiles Salon, Ghent, Belgium
  • ‘Visualising Physiological Data’ Quantified Self Europe 2013, Amsterdam
  • ‘EEG Visualising Pendant’ Maker Faire UK, Newcastle
  • ‘Introduction to Wearable Technology’, workshop at Bridge Rectifier, Hebden Bridge, W Yorkshire
  • ‘Women in Computer Science’, Open Day, Goldsmiths College, London
  • ‘Visualising EEG signals for Wearable Technology (poster)’ Challenges & Opportunities for Wireless Sensing Systems in Healthcare and Assisted Living, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington
  • ‘Here Comes Wearable Technology’, QCon London 2013 Software Development Conference, QEII Conference Centre, London
  • Tech City International Womens’ Day Showcase, London


2012 exhibitions, presentations & workshops:

  • ‘Art-Creativity-Technology & Wellness’, Goldsmiths Thursday Club, C4CC, London
  • YRS / Digital Explorers: Middle East Hackday, London
  • OSHcamp 2012, Hebden Bridge
  • London Threads, C4CC, London
  • Wearable Technology workshop tour, Aberystwyth & Cardigan
  • Technology for Artists, Goldsmiths College, London
  • Open GDNM, The Rag Factory, London
  • International Symposium on Wearable Computers 2012, Newcastle
  • Flossie 2012, London
  • Chi-TEK Exhibition, Watermans Gallery, London
  • LilyPad Arduino workshop, University of Wales, Aberystwyth
  • Nano4design, QMUL, London
  • CultureCode, Live Theatre, Newcastle
  • CultureCode, MIMA, Middlesborough

2011 exhibitions & presentations:

  • Maker Faire UK, Newcastle
  • Kinetica Art Fair, London
  • OpenTech, London
  • Dorkbot, London
  • Web Weekend: Victoria & Albert Museum, London
  • Brighton Mini Maker Faire
  • Chi-TEK, Victoria & Albert Museum, London
  • Transfer Summit, Keble College, Oxford
  • Quantified Self EU, Amsterdam

Publications (available on request):

  • Doki Doki: a modular wearable for social interaction in the covid era and beyond, in proceedings of the International Symposium on Wearable Computing, September 2021 https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3460421.3478835
  • Emotive Wearables and Ethics in The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of World Textiles, Bloomsbury (book expected 2022)
  • Engaging with potential users of emotive wearables for diversity in design in Design in Action: Reflections on Social and Innovative Practices, Intellect Publishing, (book expected Spring 2022)
  • Responsive and Emotive Wearables in Leonardo Abstracts Service: Top-Rated LABS Abstracts 2019, Leonardo 2020, MIT Press
  • The EEG Visualising Pendant for Social Situations, UbiComp 2019, London, September 2019 https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3345613
  • An Exploration of Responsive and Emotive Wearables through Research Prototyping, Extended Abstracts of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, doi 10.1145/3290607.3313284 https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3313284
  • Diversity and inclusivity in the Age of Wearables: A Buzzword, a Myth, an Uncertain Reality, Body, Space and Technology Journal, 2019 https://www.bstjournal.com/articles/10.16995/bst.320/
  • PhD thesis: Responsive and Emotive Wearable Technology: physiological data, devices and communication, July 2018 http://research.gold.ac.uk/24005/
  • AnemoneStarHeart: an emotive wearable, in the adjunct proceedings of the 20th International Symposium on Wearable Computing, 2016 http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2971349
  • ThinkerBelle EEG Amplifying Dress, in the adjunct proceedings of the 19th International Symposium on Wearable Computing, 2015 http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2801673
  • Responsive and Emotive Wearables: Devices Bodies, Data and Communication. In the adjunct proceedings of the 18th International Symposium on Wearable Computing 2014 http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2642731
  • Baroesque Barometric Skirt. In the adjunct proceedings of the 18th International Symposium on Wearable Computing 2014 http://ubicomp.org/ubicomp2014/proceedings/iswc_adjunct/design/p9-ashford.pdf
  • EEG Data Visualising Pendant for Use In Social Situations. In the adjunct proceedings of the 17th International Symposium on Wearable Computing 2013 Link to PDF
  • Twinkle Tartiflette – an Arduino driven interactive word and music artwork. In the adjunct proceedings of the 16th International Symposium on Wearable Computing 2012
  • Temperature Sensing T-shirt (AKA: ‘Yr In Mah Face!’). In the adjunct proceedings of the 16th International Symposium on Wearable Computing 2012
  • Don’t Break My Heart – wearable distance warning system for cyclists. In the adjunct proceedings of the 16th International Symposium on Wearable Computing 2012