AccScience Publishing / IJAMD / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/IJAMD025170013
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Gesture recognition for engaging spatial experiences in healthcare: Co-design of intelligent interactive illuminative textiles

Ching Lee1,2 ,  Jeanne Tan1,2* ,  Hiu Ting Tang1,2 ,  Jun Jong Tan2 ,  Wing Ki Yip1 ,  Ka Wing Tse1,2
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1 School of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
2 Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design, New Territories, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
IJAMD, 025170013 https://doi.org/10.36922/IJAMD025170013
Received: 22 April 2025 | Revised: 12 June 2025 | Accepted: 24 June 2025 | Published online: 10 July 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into textile design enhances functionality, automation, and user interaction. While gesture recognition has been explored in smart textiles, contactless interactive systems for healthcare remain underdeveloped. This study presents a human-centered co-design approach to the development of an AI-integrated gesture recognition system embedded in illuminative textile wall panels, aimed at enhancing spatial engagement in healthcare environments. The research was conducted in three key stages. First, a co-design workshop was conducted to explore user preferences in textile materials, graphic design, and gesture interaction. Second, intelligent illuminative textiles were developed by knitting polymeric optical fiber into base wool yarns to enable illumination. A camera was embedded and integrated with a computer vision-based deep learning model for detecting landmarks on the hands, shoulders, and head. The recognized gestures and body movements triggered specific pre-programmed color changes on the textile surface through edge-integrated light-emitting diodes. Finally, a prototype was fabricated and installed in a government-established District Health Centre in Hong Kong to support physical activity and rehabilitation for elderly users. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders – including co-designers, users, and occupational therapists – were conducted to evaluate usability and inform design refinements. Stakeholders reported high levels of satisfaction, emphasizing the system’s ability to enhance community connection, therapeutic engagement, intuitive usability, and compelling visual feedback. These findings suggest that AI-driven interactive textiles present promising opportunities for rehabilitation, therapeutic environments, and the promotion of elderly well-being.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Interactive textiles
Illuminative textiles
Gesture recognition
Human-artificial intelligence interaction
Deep learning
Healthcare
Funding
This research is funded by the Laboratory for AI in Design (Project Code: RP3-5) under the InnoHK Research Clusters, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Conflict of interest
Jeanne Tan is an Editorial Board Member of this journal, but was not in any way involved in the editorial and peer-review process conducted for this paper, directly or indirectly. Separately, other authors declared that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper.
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International Journal of AI for Materials and Design, Electronic ISSN: 3029-2573 Print ISSN: 3041-0746, Published by AccScience Publishing
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