Hi all,
I intend to create a simple inflatable dress with simple folds. I will not want it to inflate too dramatically and I imagine that it will look close to Hussein Chalayan’s dress in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm1-gv_cytE (1:18 - 1:55)
May I ask if anyone has done something similar before? If yes, am I supposed to purchase everything in the kit? https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/21 … 1553130822
Thank you so much!
Hello, and thanks for posting on our forum! 
I intend to create a simple inflatable dress with simple folds. I will not want it to inflate too dramatically
I can think of two different ways to control how fast the dress inflates. The first would be to vary the speed of the blower and the second would be to provide a path for air to ‘leak’ between the dress and blower to lower the pressure and slow down inflation.
The first option would require a micro controller and MOSFET (or DC motor driver) or some other means of changing how much power is going to the blower. This might be more complex that you want to get into, but we could offer a few pointers to help.
The second option should be super simple to do, doesn’t require any additional electronic parts and doesn’t require any soldering or programming. For that option I’d use a tube between the dress and blower with a hole cut in the middle portion of the tube to act as a vent. Then have a slide that you can use to cover a portion of the vent. The larger the hole, the slower the dress will inflate. (see picture below)
Hi Chris! Thank you so much for your reply.
I am looking at the second option. May I know what type of tube and blower to use specifically and am I able to get them in hardware stores conveniently?
Thank you!
I don’t think you’re going to be able to find something like this pre made at a store unfortunately. You might be able to use a toilet paper tube and a bit of thin cardboard to make one. A more permanent version could be made from tow bits of PVC pipe that fit snugly together but are free to slide.
Are there any tow 
bits of PVC sizes that fit together tightly enough to do that though?
Offhand, I don’t really know. You’d have to go to the plumbing section of your local hardware store and just try random bits until you find some that work.
Thank you.
May I ask if this is the blower I should purchase? https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11270
What other electronic parts should I get to make the blower work?
Unfortunately I’ve never tried to make an inflatable dress before and I don’t know exactly what you will need. I’d start with [our blower and a 12 volt power source and see what happens from there. a 12 volt power source could be as simple as two of [these battery holders wired in series and 8 [AA sized batteries.
If those work well for your project, you could potentially add an on / off switch or some other way to turn the blower on and off.](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/15201)](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/552)](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11270)