The Toronto Wearables Meetup is a monthly lecture series and gathering of people interested in wearable technology, fashion, wearable electronics, soft circuits, electronic textiles, emerging materials, and other creative and innovative approaches to things that live on the body. This Meetup is a gathering for artists, fashion designers, industrial designers, textile enthusiasts, engineers, researchers, students, and anyone interested in these emerging and intersecting fields.

Jorge Silva, Inclusive Design Research Centre (OCADU) & Komodo OpenLab

Jorge is an Inclusive Tech Developer at the Inclusive Design Research Centre, OCAD University and Technical Lead at OCAD U’s spin-off Komodo OpenLab. As a recovering academic, he codes and lays out circuit board traces to avoid relapsing. Jorge is most proud of his work with Tecla, a set of tools that provides access to mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, for those who are unable to manipulate them due to disease or disability. Jorge believes open source is one of the best ways to empower marginalized communities to “scratch their own itch” (as he was recently seen preaching at TEDx MontréalQuartierLatin).

Dr. Keryn Lian, Flexible Energy and Electronics Laboratory, University of Toronto

Dr. Keryn Lian is an Associate Professor and director of Flexible Energy and Electronics lab (F.E.E.lab) at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Toronto. In the F.E.E.lab, Dr. Lian and her students are conducting research on novel materials to enable light-weight, thin, and flexible energy storage and electronic technologies. Prior to joining UofT, she was a distinguished member of the technical staff and Manager at Motorola Labs, where she conducted and led research in energy storage, RF-MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) and microfluidics with advanced printed wiring board (PWB) technologies. She has published about 70 papers in refereed journals and conference proceedings, and holds 35 issued US patents.