Christina Ernst, a Google software engineer and founder of SheBuildsRobots.org, has wowed the internet with her creation, the "Medusa dress," featuring robotic snakes that detect faces.
The innovative piece, which has garnered widespread attention, showcases three golden snakes around the waist and one large robotic snake around the neck.
In a viral clip, Ernst explained that she engineered the dress to use artificial intelligence to detect faces, with the snake head moving towards the viewer. She humorously noted, "Surveillance state, but make it fashion." The video also featured her journey through various prototypes and the process of programming the snakes to recognize faces.
Since its release, the reel has gained over 2.9 million views and 140,000 likes on Instagram. The post captioned, "My robotic Medusa dress is finally done!!!" has sparked a flurry of reactions.
Many users praised Ernst's ingenuity and dedication, with comments such as, "I'm also an engineer and I love fashion, so I really love this project! There are many comments saying they expect something different; I wish they knew the amount of effort, time, and money it takes to do these projects. Well done, girl!!!"
Others expressed admiration with remarks like, "I just adore women in STEM."
One user suggested, "You should make a video of you wearing the dress while someone walks past you. This way we will see the snakes moving their heads."
Another person highlighted the pioneering nature of her work, stating, "This is so amazing and inspiring. Some people in the comments apparently forgot that it was your first attempt, and nobody really did something like that before you. Plus, I'm sure none of them could have done anything like that. So really, well done."
Some users expressed their excitement over the potential impact on fashion and robotics, while others offered constructive feedback, with one remarking, "This is disappointing. The snakes look disjointed. Kinda looks like a toy. Was expecting more."
Another user commented, "This is soooo exciting and there's so many uses for this! I think you just made a massive impact in the fashion and robotics world! I love this!"