Skin Electronics¶
Research + Inspiration¶
I've often come across electronics that interface with and through the body but never truly thought of ways I could experiment with this work.
This week really opened me up more to the idea!
Prof. Katia Vega broke down skin electronics in a very understandable way.
I really liked the idea of embedding RF capability into nails, which could scan people into an event or the like with their nail vs. a paper ticket.
On a bit of a tangent, it reminds me of research Accenture Labs into functional and edible electronics. Here's more if you want to read about it!
Back to the subject at hand, I love make-up; make-up where you can really experiment with your face as your main canvas.
Make-up has a rich history, just like ink with indigenous peoples. When I made pigments during the Biochromes week, I was really inspired by how ink is used on the skin as a symbol of cultural heritage. Tattoos were condemned by colonizers but they bared a very sacred significance. Like the tattoos pictured below done by female tattoo artists in Micronesia, more specifically, the Marshalls island. Noble women who could afford them also wore tattoos on their shoulders called bwilak (from the tail of the frigate bird), chest, and a ‘secret’ tattoo on the vulva in a fashion similar to tattooing customs elsewhere in Micronesia (e.g., Palau, Pohnpei, Ulithi) and Fiji.
[insert jagua ink, indegenous ink] RF chip in natural ils (nail polish) Experiment with conductive paint and jagua + connecting with nature electronic makeup w/ goldleaf circuit
- Conductive make-up
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
Weekly Assignment
- Document the concept, sketches, references also to artistic and scientific publications
- Design a “skin-circuit”, exploring the replication of the examples bwlow or:
- the Skin masquerade party project
- the Twinkle Nails project
- interactive tattoo
- Explore how to create a new skin electronics accessory.
- Document the project and included all source files and all materials used
- Upload your design files and source code
- Make a video with your skin electronic working
- Make a short performance/concept of your project functioning (extra credit)
What You'll Need
- Microcontroller (Arduino UNO, ATtiny, XIAO)
- Neopixels (sewable Flora neopixels)
- Capacitor (10uF)
- Threads (resistive/conductive threads)
- Inks (resistive/conductive inks for e-make up)
- RFID tags (RFID board and shield)
- E6000 Craft glue
- Liquid latex (for e-make up)
- Gold leaf sheet (for e-make up)
- Thermochromic ink (for e-make up)
- Actuators (mini vibration motors, speakers, jumper wires, alligator clips wires)
- Multimeter
- Soldering iron (Soldering station)
- Pliers, wire stripper, flush snips, tweezers
- Vinyl cutter
- Embroidery / Sewing machine
References & Inspiration¶
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
- Two images side-by-side
Tools¶
Process and workflow¶
My sketches are ...
This schematic 1 was obtained by..
This tutorial 2 was created using..
footnote fabrication files
Fabrication files are a necessary element for evaluation. You can add the fabrication files at the bottom of the page and simply link them as a footnote. This was your work stays organised and files will be all together at the bottom of the page. Footnotes are created using [ ^ 1 ] (without spaces, and referenced as you see at the last chapter of this page) You can reference the fabrication files to multiple places on your page as you see for footnote nr. 2 also present in the Gallery.
Code Example¶
Use the three backticks to separate code.
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}
Results¶
Video¶
From Vimeo¶
Sound Waves from George Gally (Radarboy) on Vimeo.