Pedagogy and Professional Development

LLM-based Chatbot for Knitting Machine Training

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Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes ubiquitous in industry and education, its application in specialized technical training remains underexplored. This study employs a large language model (LLM)-based chatbot to support student learning in machine knitting—a domain requiring creative design, technical machine operation, and digital programming skills. A custom chatbot was developed to guide fashion students with no prior knitting experience. Their chat logs, along with follow-up interviews, were analyzed to assess the chatbot's accuracy, usability, and educational value.

The chatbot effectively assisted students in troubleshooting machine and software issues, helping students when the instructor was unavailable. Users still preferred human guidance for complex or visual explanations and found the chatbot’s limited ability to understand context or provide multiple solutions frustrating. This study contributes empirical evidence on chatbot integration in hands-on, skill-based learning environments and identifies opportunities for future development of multimodal, domain-specific AI systems for textile and machinery training.

Keywords: AI in education, chatbot, knitting technology, large language models, Kniterate, technical training, fashion education

How to Cite:

Knisely-Medina, A., Visarapu, G., Mohan, R. & Jo, J., (2025) “LLM-based Chatbot for Knitting Machine Training”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 82(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.22037