Studies on the preservation of traditional silk-related technique using information technology

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

We measured the motion of workers engaging in traditional silk production at the Ibaraki prefecture-sponsored Textile Training Centre as well as at Okaya Silk Museum to construct an appropriate system for the preservation of traditional silk-related technique. In particular, the research focused on the production process of Yuki tsumugi, an intangible national cultural asset. Different levels of skilled workers of Yuki tsumugi helped us to measure their operating motion in producing tsumugi yarn and in weaving. We used 'a motion capture system' and 'cyber gloves', obtaining a series of three-dimensional data. Weaving motion data were collected through the motion capture system after special markers were set on a hand loom and the body of the weaver. In the tsumugi yarn production, workers wore cyber gloves during their operation. We devised a computer program to pick up a series of three-dimensional data of the motion of fingers from a large amount of values given by the cyber gloves. We further developed new software with three-dimensional graphics to display a weaving motion, conducting statistical analysis of the three-dimensional data.The results revealed some differences in motions between experienced technicians and beginners. In weaving, there was a big difference in the correlation between the movement of arms and legs for the two groups. The expert weavers were operating the loom moving their arms and legs almost independently while the beginners showed that their leg movement was heavily affected by the motion of their arms. In the Tsumugi yarn production, the two groups showed significant differences in their finger motions. These results gave us a lot of information to formulate the know-how to acquire silk-related technique, helping to develop fundamental software for the preservation of precious silk-related technique.