9. WEARABLES¶

INSPIRATION¶

Embodisuit - Rachel Freire, Sophia Brueckner gets bigger when somebodies comes closer
Iridescence - Behnaz Farahi
Ejtech - Soft Speakers - making fabric speakers
SMA Smocking - Plusea - using SMA wire to make fabric move in smocked shapes
Urban Amor - The personal space dress - Kat McDermott - the dress
SCOBY breastplate- Fiona Bell - making a corsage with LEDs out of kombucha leather

Transistor Driver Ciruit¶

We built a transistor driver circuit based on the sketch from Jessica Stanley. We used cardboard and made the connections with copper tape, as you can see in the image. We soldered the transistor, a resistor, and a diode onto the cardboard. We also added solder to the edges where the copper tape was cut to ensure that the electricity could flow through the connection.

What is a transistor driver circuit used for?

A transistor driver circuit is used with an Arduino and, for example, an LED because the Arduino alone often cannot provide enough current to power the LED directly, especially if the LED is bright or there are many LEDs. The transistor acts like a switch or amplifier that handles the higher current needed by the LED. In simpler terms, the Arduino sends a small signal to the transistor, and the transistor switches the larger current from the power supply to the LED. This way, the LED can shine brighter or multiple LEDs can be powered without damaging the Arduino. It also protects the Arduino by preventing it from having to deliver too much current and allows the use of higher voltages than the Arduino can supply directly. So, the transistor driver circuit ensures the LED is powered properly while being controlled safely by the Arduino

FabriXiao¶

Preparing the Fabri Xiao Board.

We prepared the Fabri Xiao Board by soldering the microcontroller and the battery connector onto the board. Because the components to be soldered are very small, it helps to secure the board firmly on the table. Start by applying some soldering flux to the first pin, then place the microcontroller carefully. Reapply flux if needed and ensure it is positioned correctly before soldering the remaining pins. Once all connections are soldered, check that the electrical current flows properly through the board.

Flipping Dots¶

To make a coil, wrap copper wire around a pen between 50 and 150 times—the more turns, the better, as this reduces the chance of burning out.
After winding, burn the ends slightly to remove the insulation and then clean them with sandpaper to ensure good electrical contact.
Next, connect two alligator clips to a battery—one to the positive terminal and one to the negative. Attach the negative clip to the coil
Then place a magnet either on or under the coil.
When you touch the other end of the coil, the magnet or the coil will jump or flip, demonstrating electromagnetic interaction. Actually I wanted to used a magnetic bead insted of the flat magnets like in the video to make it flip smoothly.

Color Changing Pigment¶

We were working with a color-changing pigment. We colored a piece of fabric by mixing white fabric paint with the pigment, which is black at room temperature and turns white when heated. After applying the mixture, I let the fabric dry completely.

Then, I stitched a shape memory alloy (SMA) wire onto another piece of fabric and placed the color-changing fabric on top. My idea was to create movement in the wire through heat while also having the color change at the same time. Unfortunately, the wire did not change shape as expected, but the color-changing effect worked well since the wire became quite hot. When a battery was connected to both ends of the wire, electricity flowed through it, heating it up and causing the fabric to change color from black to white.

Fabric Speaker¶

First, I sewed a coil with conductive thread onto a piece of fabric. The coil had one thread at its center and another at the outer end, where the electricity would be connected. To prevent the threads from touching each other, I placed some tape on the coil to isolate the thread connected to the center.

Next, I prepared the setup for the Arduino. I worked with the FabriXiao and connected everything according to the provided graphics. After that, I opened the IDE and uploaded the code for the FabriXiao to test the system. I used the code below to play a short tone and check if the speaker was functioning properly. To make the sound audible, I placed a magnet underneath the speaker.

Code for Tone

int ledPin = 5;

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

void loop() {
tone(ledPin, 400,400);
delay(1000);

}

Adding a Light sensor to the Speaker

To add a light sensor to the speaker I used the code below. I had to measure the highest and the lowest value of the sensor of the incoming light in the serial port. The highest value when its fully bright and the lowest when I was covering the sensor. So I could controll the speaker depending on if there was light or no light. When there was light it was playing a melody and if it was dark it was silce.

Code for Speaker controlled by light sensor

#include "pitches.h"

// notes in the melody:
int melody[] = {
NOTE_C4, NOTE_G3, NOTE_G3, NOTE_A3, NOTE_G3, 0, NOTE_B3, NOTE_C4
};

// note durations: 4 = quarter note, 8 = eighth note, etc.:
int noteDurations[] = {
4, 8, 8, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
};

// Light sensor input and threshold
const int lightSensorPin = A0;       // Analog pin for light sensor
const int lightThreshold = 1700;      // Adjust threshold based on calibration

void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
int lightValue = analogRead(lightSensorPin);
Serial.print("Light sensor reading: ");
Serial.println(lightValue);

if (lightValue > lightThreshold) {
    // Play the melody only if light above threshold
    for (int thisNote = 0; thisNote < 8; thisNote++) {
    int noteDuration = 1000 / noteDurations[thisNote];
    tone(5, melody[thisNote], noteDuration);

    int pauseBetweenNotes = noteDuration * 1.30;
    delay(pauseBetweenNotes);

    noTone(5);
    }
} else {
    noTone(5);  // Make sure no sound plays when below threshold
}

delay(500);  // Small delay before next sensor reading
}