9. Wearables¶
Research¶
Wearable technology, or wearables, refers to electronic devices that can be worn on the body, either as accessories or embedded in clothing. These devices often include sensors and software to collect data and provide real-time feedback to the user. Wearables are poised to play a significant role in the future due to their potential to improve health outcomes, enhance productivity, and provide personalized experiences. As technology advances, wearables are expected to become more integrated into our daily lives, offering seamless connectivity and smarter functionalities. This evolution will likely lead to more proactive and preventive healthcare, improved quality of life, and greater convenience in managing everyday tasks. Image via Texintel
weekly assignment
- Document the concept, sketches, references also to artistic and scientific publications
- Create a swatch/sample using an ATTiny/Arduino/Adafruit with one input and one output, using hard-soft connection solutions and battery
- Create 2 actuator swatches and test them with the Arduino or ATTiny, chosing from examples such as: motors / mini vibration leds / neopixels flip dot / electromagnet heat pad / with thermochromic coating speaker / mp3 player SMA (shape memory alloy)
- Learn how to program an Arduino/ATTiny/Adrafruit, documenting your process, the libraries added, power requirements and source code
- Document the schematic and circuit
- Upload a small video of your object working
- Integrate it to a project (extra credit)
get inspired!
Check out and research alumni pages to betetr understand how to document and get inspired
-
Thermochromic screenprint - Ruby Lennox - FabLab Bcn
-
Led responsive glove - Marion Guillaud - Le TextileLab lyon
-
Thermochromic and sound research - Stephanie Johnson - TextileLab Amsterdam
-
Interactive glove - Stephanie Vilayphiou- Green Fabric
Add your fav alumni's pages as references
References & Inspiration¶
One artist I like very much is Anthony Howe (born 1954, Salt Lake City, Utah), an American kinetic sculptor who creates wind-driven sculptures resembling pulsing, alien creatures and vortices. He makes use of computer-aided design, shaping the metal components with a plasma cutter, and completing his work by use of traditional metalworking techniques.[citation needed]
Howe notably designed a cauldron and accompanying kinetic sculpture for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil.(Wikipedia)
Other artists of course are Iris Van Herpen, the garments designed by the people of cirque de soleil and personally I love the work of Lisa Jiang. In general I love movement.
Tools¶
Process and workflow¶
The eye project¶
After proving it worked I decided to make an assembly that sould be easily reproduced with a high success rate. So I Printed each part, painted the magnetic bead and glue them with crazy glue.
Tutu¶
The start of the proyect was a the iluminated fabric I made.
The project is a piece of fabric ideated and designed to have the light embeded INSIDE the fabric.
In the presentation you can see how it was made
After making the fabric I wanted to use the newly found optic fiber capabilities in a product to sell, so I decided to make a small girl lighted Tutu. So I started to work on how I could fit the optic fibers into the Tutu. I ended up with a several pieces of treated fiber optic inside a device that could hold the led light. I did not finished the project because I found several issues that could potentially be a problem when scaling production, mainly a problem with the optic fiber that becomes brittle with the laser treatment and the issue of "mass" producing the optic fiber holder, since with the fragility of the optic fiber it was very easy to breake, and... I found a better solution. So beeing the case I stopped the project and decided to finish it for my Fabricademy as a beautifull piece.
Proof of concept:
- With the arduino Nano and neopixels I changed the colors in a secuence.
Arduino code for the lights¶
/*
V1.0 código de falda, botoncolor cambia de color los leds, botonblink
hace parpadear los leds
Proyecto tkb
*/
#include <EasyNeoPixels.h>
int led = 9;
int i=0;
//int contador = 0;
//int contador2 = 0;
//int botoncolor = 3;
//int botonblink = 4;
// the setup routine runs once when you press reset:
void setup() {
// initialize the digital pin as an output.
pinMode(led, OUTPUT);
// pinMode(botoncolor, INPUT);
// pinMode(botonblink, INPUT);
setupEasyNeoPixels(9, 4);
}
// the loop routine runs over and over again forever:
void loop() {
writeEasyNeoPixel(0, 255, 255, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(1, 255, 255, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(2, 255, 255, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(3, 255, 255, 255);
delay (3000);
writeEasyNeoPixel(0, 255, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(1, 255, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(2, 255, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(3, 255, 0, 0);
delay (2000);
writeEasyNeoPixel(0, 255, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(1, 255, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(2, 255, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(3, 255, 0, 0);
delay (2000);
writeEasyNeoPixel(0, 0, 255, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(1, 0, 255, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(2, 0, 255, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(3, 0, 255, 0);
delay (2000);
writeEasyNeoPixel(0, 0, 0, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(1, 0, 0, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(2, 0, 0, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(3, 0, 0, 255);
delay (2000);
writeEasyNeoPixel(0, 255, 0, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(1, 255, 0, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(2, 255, 0, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(3, 255, 0, 255);
delay (2000);
// comienza segundo ciclo, parpadeo por color
for (i=0; i<=20; i++){
writeEasyNeoPixel(0, 255, 255, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(1, 255, 255, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(2, 255, 255, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(3, 255, 255, 255);
delay (300);
writeEasyNeoPixel(0, 0, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(1, 0, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(2, 0, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(3, 0, 0, 0);
delay (300);
}
/*
writeEasyNeoPixel(0, 255, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(1, 255, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(2, 255, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(3, 255, 0, 0);
delay (2000);
writeEasyNeoPixel(0, 255, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(1, 255, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(2, 255, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(3, 255, 0, 0);
delay (2000);
writeEasyNeoPixel(0, 0, 255, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(1, 0, 255, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(2, 0, 255, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(3, 0, 255, 0);
delay (2000);
writeEasyNeoPixel(0, 0, 0, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(1, 0, 0, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(2, 0, 0, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(3, 0, 0, 255);
delay (2000);
writeEasyNeoPixel(0, 255, 0, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(1, 255, 0, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(2, 255, 0, 255);
writeEasyNeoPixel(3, 255, 0, 255);
delay (2000);
/* if (digitalRead(botoncolor)==HIGH)
{
contador2++;
if(contador2>=3)
{contador=0;}
}
delay(contador*300);// delay de prendido
if(contador2==0)// Deja encendido todo
{
}
else if(contador2>0)// Parpadea rápido
{ writeEasyNeoPixel(0, 0, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(1, 0, 0, 0);
writeEasyNeoPixel(2, 0, 0, 0);
}
delay(contador2*300);// delay de apagado
*/
}
SPEAKER¶
This is a simulation with a small magnet and a 9v pulsing battery. It seems to work fine. I need to find an amplifier and a bigger magnet.
With this project I wanted to make a clean fabric speaker that was loud and cool, I did not wanted threads or pasted copper all around.
So I decided to use a different approach and use magneto cable pasted to the back of the fabric. The first big problem was to accomodate the wire in an orderly way, that could be easily replicated.
I first tought to use a cone with dents and the idea was to roll the wire in the dents and later the form of the cone was going to help in accomodating the cable. It was a disaster.
- It was a promising design
At the end when I took it out of the cone, only the first rolls of the wire were really rolled, the rest did not get the rounded shape needed.
After this experience I change tactics and designed a new pokayoke to achive the task. This time it was round and the idea was to use masking tape to glue the parts in place to later stick them onto the fabric.
MOVEMENT¶
WINGS¶
I love how Iris Van Harpen brings her dresses to life and this wings are inspired in one of her creations. First I studied how the dress works and how it was created. I found this behind camera video and got this photo that led me on how to build a similar project. Always oriented to enhance production.
Then I made my own wings and decided to use organza on a 3D printed skeleton
I have to say that I hate 3D printing on fabric, it is uncertain and messy, so I tried a different way and it worked very well
I did not printed on the fabric. I first printed the TPU and then ironed to the fabric. That is much easier and can be done in serial production.
Then with the soldering machine (Do not tell Adrian) I soldered the TPU of the different parts, in contrast with Van Harpen design I used a softer plastic and avoid all de small screws in the construction, this process can easily be made in a small workshop in large quantities.
After That I used a thin guitar string to pull the wings. I found several items that could serve form moving parts in a dress depending of the necessary strength needed. Things like bicicle linkages or guitar strings. The same with the tubes where the strings are holded. For example I used thermo fit to hold the strings and sew it to a fabric, letting the soft tube holds the string.
Failed linear motion¶
I wanted to make a slim device that could move a thread up and down 20 cm. I looked at a 1868 book and found the Manglewheel, a clever device that changes direction of movement every 360°
FAIL¶
The device was so small that the theets in the mesh did not performed well and it is very unreliable
Fabrication files¶
You can find the Fabrication Files here