9. Wearables

Research

I began my research by reviewing the notes and tutorials of Emma Pareschi and Liza Stark. From there, I explored additional resources on Instructables and studied how to use a heartbeat sensor and Arduino code to create a wearable garment that controls Neopixels based on the user’s heartbeat.

References & Inspiration

I was truly inspired by My Heart on My Dress, Jingwen Zhu’s wearable IoT project that beautifully blends technology with intimate human emotion. The piece demonstrates how data can be transformed into a poetic, visual expression of the body, turning something as personal as a heartbeat into a shared, interactive experience. Its thoughtful design and seamless integration of sensors and aesthetics encouraged me to think beyond functionality and explore how wearable technology can communicate feeling, presence, and connection in meaningful ways.

Tools & Materials

• Arduino UNO
• Arduino IDE
• Transistor E13009-2
• Diode 1N4001
• Sewable neopixels
• Neodymium magnets
• A piece of fabric,conductive thread
• Sewing machine
• Conductive tape
• Wires, jumpers, breadboard

Process and workflow

Neopixels

I decided to work with neopixels to turn of the lights one by one using Arduino Uno and later integrate them in a garment.

I used the following circuit:

Neopixels Code

#include <Adafruit_NeoPixel.h>

#define PIN 6 
#define LED_COUNT 12
#define BRIGHTNESS 50 
// Declare our NeoPixel strip object:
Adafruit_NeoPixel strip(LED_COUNT, PIN, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800);

void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:
  strip.setBrightness(BRIGHTNESS);
   strip.begin(); // This initializes the NeoPixel library.

}

void loop() {
  // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:
   // Set all pixels to a vibrant blue
  for(int i = 0; i < LED_COUNT; i++) {
    strip.setPixelColor(i, strip.Color(0, 0, 255));
    strip.show(); // This sends the updated pixel color to the hardware.
    delay(10); // A small delay to make the effect visible

  // Add a delay before turning them off
  delay(1000);

  // Turn all pixels off
  strip.clear();
  strip.show();

  // Add a delay before the next cycle
  delay(1000);
  }
}

Speaker

I created a speaker with fabric, conductive thread and neodymium magnets.

I used the following circuit:

Speaker Code

//Generate a sound on a speaker at a frequency of 1000Hz
int speaker= 3;

void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:
  pinMode(speaker, OUTPUT);
}

void loop() {
  // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:
  // tone(pin, frequency)
  tone(speaker, 1000, 200);
  // 1 sec delay
  delay(1000);
  // stop sound
  noTone(speaker);
  delay(1000);

}

Process & Results

Heartbeat controlled bracalet

I am working on a bracalet with LEDs contolled by the heartbeat.

Video

From Vimeo

Neopixels